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The first of two extemp categories on Friday’s main event schedule, United States Extemp will take place at 9:30 a.m. CST. As usual, Extemp Central will provide a short recap of the round after it concludes.
The following preview is designed to let readers know a little about each of the participants in this year’s field. This year’s final features two returning finalists, one of whom is in the final round for the third consecutive year. Four of the competitors have a state championship to their credit (with two competitors winning their state’s extemp title three times) and the final round extempers have three TOC qualifying titles and twelve TOC qualifying tournament final round appearances to their credit.
SHAWN KANT
*School: Ridge High School, New Jersey
*Class: Junior
*Notable 2014-2015 Finishes: Harvard-2nd; George Mason-Semifinalist; NCFL Nationals-Semifinalist; Yale-Semifinalist; Villiger-Quarterfinalist
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 2014-Quarterfinalist (USX)
*What’s at Stake: A stream of steady finishes at prestigious national circuit events over the course of the 2014-2015 season has allowed Kant to move up to ninth in the National Points Race. His second place finish at Harvard in February, the largest national circuit invitational of the year, illustrated his potential to go deep at this year’s national tournament and he has replicated that performance thus far in Dallas. Kant is one of two juniors in this year’s final and a win would give New Jersey its first extemporaneous speaking national champion since 2000. The state has not won U.S. Extemp since 1993, though, when John Oleske of the Delbarton School took the title. His performance at this year’s nationals already shows that Kant is one of the extempers to watch for next season.
VISHAL NARAYANASWAMY
*School: James Madison Memorial High School, Wisconsin
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2014-2015 Finishes: Yale-7th; Extemp TOC-Semifinalist; NCFL Nationals-Semifinalist; Glenbrooks-Quarterfinalist; Harvard-Quarterfinalist; University of Kentucky TOC-Quarterfinalist; MBA Extemp Round Robin-Participant
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 2014-7th (USX)
*What’s at Stake: This will be Narayanaswamy’s first NSDA final, but it will not be his first appearance in a national final round. In 2014, Narayanaswamy reached the finals of the NCFL Grand National Tournament in Chicago and took sixth place. This season he became the first Wisconsin extemper to be invited to the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin. Last season, Narayanswamy missed the U.S. Extemp final by only one rank, so this year he broke through into the championship round of the competition. He is looking to make more history as a victory would make him Wisconsin’s first U.S. Extemp national champion and the state’s first NSDA extemp champion since 1985 when David Schimke of Eau Claire Memorial High School won International Extemp.
JAY SIROT
*School: Montville Township High School, New Jersey
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2014-2015 Finishes: New Jersey Forensic League State Tournament-1st (USX); Ridge Invitational-1st; University of Kentucky TOC-5th; New York City Invitational-Semifinalist; Sunvitational-Semifinalist; Yale-Semifinalist; Extemp TOC-Quarterfinalist; NCFL Nationals-Quarterfinalist; Princeton-Quarterfinalist
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 2014-Quarterfinalist (USX)
*What’s at Stake: Sirot is one of four competitors in this year’s U.S. Extemp final round that has a state championship to his credit. Sirot won that championship back in March over Clare Halsey of Ridge High School. Along with Shawn Kant, he is one of two New Jersey extempers in the field and like Kant, he was a quarter-finalist at last year’s national tournament. Although Montville Township has an NCFL national championship to its credit, the school has never had an NSDA national champion, something that Sirot will be looking to fix. His wealth of elimination round experience during 2014-2015 should be a significant asset on Friday.
JOSH WARTEL
*School: Lake Braddock Secondary School, Virginia
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2014-2015 Finishes: Extemp TOC-1st; George Mason-1st (Patriot Games), 1st (Round Robin); MBA Extemp Round Robin-1st; Villiger-1st; Virginia High School League State Tournament-1st (Group 6A); Yale-3rd; Florida Blue Key-4th (IX), Quarterfinalist (USX); NCFL Nationals-Octofinalist
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 2014-3rd (USX); 2013-5th (USX); 2012-Octofinalist (USX)
*What’s at Stake: Wartel is making his third consecutive appearance in the NSDA United States Extemp final, which is a nice recovery after falling victim to the “NCFL octo-final” curse several weeks ago. This is actually Wartel’s fourth national final, as he finished third at last year’s NCFL National Tournament just a mere rank behind eventual winner Monica Coscia and runner-up Lily Nellans. Each year that Wartel has attended NSDA his results have gradually improved and he likely wants this championship to avenge last year’s nationals where his lead entering the final was blown away by defending champion Arel Rende. Wartel has successfully avenged past defeats this season by capturing the MBA Extemp Round Robin title in January and then winning the Extemp TOC last month. To also win the National Points Race he will need some help from several competitors in International Extemp, but he can greatly help his chances by winning the tournament and the final round. A Wartel victory would give Virginia its first extemp champion since 1998 when Lucas Kline of Blacksburg High School won USX.
MARSHALL WEBB
*School: Saint Mary’s Hall, Texas
*Class: Junior
*Notable 2014-2015 Finishes: Texas Forensic Association State Tournament-1st (USX); University of Texas-4th (USX), Semifinalist (IX); Winston Churchill-4th (IX); Glenbrooks-6th; Extemp TOC-Semifinalist; MBA Extemp Round Robin-Participant
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 2014-Quarterfinalist (USX)
*What’s at Stake: Webb’s best finish of the year was a victory in the United States Extemp portion of the Texas Forensic Association (TFA) State Tournament. That win was the first state extemp title for Saint Mary’s Hall and Webb could deliver the school’s first NSDA extemporaneous speaking title with a win on Friday. Along with Kant, Webb is the other non-senior in this year’s final and his performance has likely secured him a return bid to MBA next season and immediately made him a competitor to watch for the 2015-2016 season. Texas has not had a U.S. Extemp championship since 1991, which is quite a lengthy drought for the Lone Star State, and the state, despite its size and list of fantastic extempers since 2000, has yet to win an overall extemp championship in the twenty-first century.
BRIAN YU
*School: Monte Vista High School, California
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2014-2015 Finishes: California High School Speech Association State Tournament-1st (USX); California Invitational-5th; Stanford-2nd (USX); Glenbrooks-Semifinalist
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 2014-5th (USX)
*What’s at Stake: California is no stranger to having extempers in the final rounds of the NSDA National Tournament, but its extempers sometimes do not get the respect that they deserve because they are not as visible at East Coast-based national circuit events. Brian Yu is arguably one of the greatest California extempers of all-time, having won three consecutive state championships in United States Extemp. This number of state titles is only equaled in this year’s final by Josh Wartel, who also won three extemp titles in Virginia during his career. In a state the size of California, this is an impressive accomplishment. After competing for a few years in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at the national tournament, Yu transitioned over to USX last year with significant success, placing fifth as a junior. Monte Vista has never had an NSDA extemporaneous speaking champion, while California has not entered the USX winner’s circle since 2009.