Month: June 2016 Page 1 of 3

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1. Is it time to privatize elements of Social Security?
2. Should those on the federal “no fly” list be allowed to purchase firearms?
3. If you were advising U.S. Senator Mark Kirk, what advice would you give him to retain his Senate seat in 2016?
4. Should prisoners be eligible for Pell Grants?
5. Can the Libertarian Party win more than 5% of the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election?
6. Will Marco Rubio win re-election to the Senate?
7. Has President Obama weakened America’s border protections?
8. Will the Brexit cause the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates the same for the rest of 2016?
9. How can states encourage more people to go into the teaching profession?
10. Should Hillary Clinton make Elizabeth Warren her vice presidential nominee?

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1. Will the Brexit lead to the end of the United Kingdom?
2. How can the Somali government better combat al-Shabab?
3. Should Raghuram Rajan receive another term as governor of the Reserve Bank of India?
4. What terms should the European Union offer to Great Britain in exit negotiations?
5. How can the Democratic Alliance break the ANC’s hold on power in South Africa?
6. Who will become Great Britain’s next prime minister?
7. Are Mexico’s judicial reforms working?
8. How can Europe find strategic relevance in Asia?
9. What impact will the expansion of the Panama Canal have on global trade?
10. Is the OAS a failed organization?

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The 2015-2016 Extemp Central National Points Race standings have been updated to reflect the results of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament. To access the standings, you can click on the National Points Race tab on the right of the main page or click here.

A spreadsheet that includes all of the competitors in this year’s National Points Race can be found near the bottom of the National Points Race page.

Extemp Central thanks everyone for following this year’s competition!

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Due to a personal vacation, there will be no updates on Extemp Central this week. The exception to this is that the final standings for the National Points Race will be released late on Friday.

During the summer, Extemp Central will be updating our state champions list, putting together the qualification board for the 2017 University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) and the 2017 Extemp TOC, and will still release practice questions on Monday’s.

Regular content will resume on August 1, which is the official beginning of the 2016-2017 season.

Extemp Central thanks all of our readers for 2015-2016 and we look forward to covering another great season in several months!

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Two new national champions in International and United States Extemp were crowned a little more than an hour ago in Salt Lake City, Utah at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament.

In International Extemp, Marshall Sloane narrowly overtook National Points Race winner Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) in the final round to win his first major championship. For the second consecutive year Graham carried a lead into the final round, but was once again upended by the final round winner as Sloane won it by six ranks (after high/low were dropped). This gave him a three rank margin of victory, thereby making him the first junior to win International Extemp in four years and the first Massachusetts extemper to win an NSDA extemp championship since 2008.

Graham was trying to become the fourth extemper in history to win the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) National Tournament and the NSDA National Tournament in the same season year.  He ends his season by finishing second at three of the year’s four majors while winning one of them.

In United States Extemp, Micah Cash of Tulsa Washington High School (OK) cruised to a double-digit victory, assisted by an eleven rank win in the final round. Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) placed second. Cash is the second extemper from Tulsa Washington to win U.S. Extemp in the last four years and his win gives the school three victories in the category over the last four NSDA national tournaments. A school has not had this level of dominance in an extemp category at NSDA since the IX/USX split in the mid-1980s.

Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) was the highest placing non-senior in U.S. Extemp.  He finished the tournament in third plac

For the first time since 2011 the winners of each category won their respective final rounds, thereby preventing a “split” between the overall winner and the final round winner.

Here are the result from the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association National
Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

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Although we await the final placings in International and United States Extemp later this evening, NSDA has already named the exact placings of the semi-finalists in International and United States Extemp.

Included below are the rankings for the semi-finalists in International and United States Extemp at this year’s national tournament.  Competitors that are highlighted in blue are non-seniors who have the option of automatically returning to next year’s national tournament in that same extemp category.

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The 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) International States Extemp final round has concluded. Here is Extemp Central’s brief summary and analysis of this year’s final round. Awards are scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. EST this evening and they will be streamed at this link.

Note:  242 extempers competed in International Extemp at this year’s national tournament.

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The 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) United States Extemp final round has concluded. Here is Extemp Central’s brief summary and analysis of this year’s final round. Awards are scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. EST this evening and they will be streamed at this link.

Note:  252 extempers competed in U.S. Extemp at this year’s national tournament.

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This year’s International Extemp final round at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament will feature the top three competitors in the National Points Race, one of whom is attempting to become just the fourth extemper in history to win the NCFL and NSDA national championships in the same calendar year.  The round also features the winners of two of the year’s major tournaments and four state champions.  Whereas United States Extemp is dominated by Southwestern states this year, International Extemp is heavily populated by extempers from the East Coast.

The International Extemp final round will follow the U.S. Extemp final, scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. EST tomorrow.  The NSDA will live stream the competition and Logan Scisco and Josh Wartel will break down the round after it concludes.  Extempers are also invited to make their comments about the round when tomorrow’s post-round commentary is posted.

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Tomorrow’s United States Extemp final round holds great potential tomorrow, as all six competitors are ranked in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race.  The round will feature the winners of some of the year’s biggest national circuit competitions and four state champions.  All of the participants were also competitors at this year’s Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, producing what might be the first all-MBA final in National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) history.

The round will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST tomorrow, with the NSDA live streaming the competition.  Extemp Central will provide a recap once it concludes, with Logan Scisco and Josh Wartel, both of whom were U.S. Extemp final round national champions (2003 and 2015), providing insight.  Additional comments are welcome in the comment section.

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The field for Friday’s final rounds of International and United States Extemp at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament have been set in Salt Lake City, Utah with six competitors in each category outlasting more than 200 of their fellow competitors.

International Extemp made history as the top three competitors in the National Points Race – Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), and Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) – all advanced to Friday’s finals.  This is the first time since the National Points Race debuted in 2008-2009 that an NSDA final round will include the top three ranked extempers.  Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) successfully went one round farther than she did last year, breaking through into the NSDA final round for the first time.  Also advancing were Charlie Barton of Regis High School (NY) and Nikhil Ramaswamy of Jasper High School (TX).  Ramaswamy and Sloane are the two non-senior extempers in the final round.

United States Extemp is also shaping up to be a tough, competitive round in its own right.  In fact, all of the extempers in the final round are in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race, which is the first time that this has occurred.  Those advancing were Glenbrooks champion Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), two-time St. Mark’s winner Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Extemp TOC champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), and Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA).  Hu, Thompson, and Xu are the non-seniors competing in the USX final.  Webb will be making his second appearance in an NSDA final round.

One of the notables that did not advance was Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC).  Sunkara was ranked seventh in the National Points Race and was trying to make the final rounds of both national tournaments this year.  Graham was the only extemper to accomplish that feat this season.  However, Sunkara will have another crack at finaling next year as she is not a senior.

According to the NSDA’s final round schedule, the final round of U.S. Extemp will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST and International Extemp will follow at 1:00 p.m. EST.  The final rounds will be streamed live and extempers can watch them at this link.  Extemp Central will provide a recap of the final rounds after they conclude, and as we announced on our Facebook and Twitter pages, Josh Wartel, two-time major champion and last year’s U.S. Extemp final round national champion, will provide additional insight into the rounds.

Check back late tomorrow afternoon for Extemp Central’s preview of each final round.

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After ten rounds, International and United States Extemp have only fourteen competitors remaining.  Six competitors will be left standings after the next two rounds and will be this year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) national finalists for 2016.  The next two rounds will feature five judge panels and two minute cross-examination.

The top three competitors in this year’s National Points Race stayed alive in International Extemp.  Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), who was a semi-finalist in IX two years ago, returns to the round of eleven, while Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) is in the midst of his deepest run at the NSDA National Tournament.  Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) also advanced.  In addition, Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX), who placed seventh at last year’s nationals in IX, returns to the semi-final round for the second consecutive year.  However, quarter-finals was not as kind to other members of the National Points Race as Jarrek Holmes of Kent Denver School (CO), Christopher Mayer of Montville Township High School (NJ), and California Invitational winner Matthew Zheng of Mira Loma High School (CA) failed to advance.  Also, Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ), who placed eleventh in IX at last year’s nationals, was eliminated.

United States Extemp also had its fair share of notable eliminations, with two of the biggest coming from Trinity Preparatory.  National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) finalist Varun Bhatia was knocked out, as was Nathaniel Saffran, who was a seventh place finisher in USX at last year’s nationals.  Major names remained alive, though, such as Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), who is seeking another opportunity to speak in the final round, Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Extemp TOC champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA), and last year’s semi-finalists Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX) and Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK).

Texas is the state with the most semi-finalists, with five competitors advancing to round eleven.  California had the second-largest contingent with four.

Ten non-seniors qualified for the semi-final round, meaning that they will receive automatic qualifications to next year’s NSDA National Tournament.  These competitors, who are listed in blue below, will also receive automatic qualifications to the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) next year in Lexington, Kentucky.

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For our East Coast readers it is a very late night, but quarter-finalists in International and United States Extemp at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament have just been announced in Salt Lake City, Utah.  These competitors have a grueling day ahead of them tomorrow, with every round carrying significant meaning for overall placing.  There will be two quarter-final rounds, with the top fourteen competitors advancing to two rounds of semi-finals.  The announcement of the six Friday finalists in each event will take place late tomorrow afternoon, so tomorrow is “moving day” at the national tournament as extempers will want to position themselves into the top six, but also within striking distance to take home the national title on Friday.

Some extempers in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race were eliminated after round eight in International Extemp.  Andrew Langford of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) and Olivia Shoemaker of Lakeville North High School (MN), ranked seventeenth and twentieth, respectively, in this year’s rankings ended their run in this year’s national tournament.  Last year’s finalist Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory (FL) continues his quest for a “double crown” of national championships, while last year’s semi-finalists Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ) and Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) remain alive and will hope to reach the final round stage tomorrow.

The big news on the U.S. Extemp side was the elimination of Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ).  Kant placed fourth at last year’s national tournament and was ranked twenty-ninth in this year’s National Points Race.  Several major names advanced in the category, though, with Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) all clearing to tomorrow’s elimination rounds.

All of the underclassmen that reached the quarter-final round have earned one of two qualifying legs for next year’s Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University.  Underclassmen that cleared to quarter-finalists – there were twenty-seven in total – are identified in blue below.

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According to Extemp Central’s unofficial calculations, 242 extempers competed in International Extemp and 252 extempers competed in United States Extemp at this year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The fields of both categories have now been reduced to sixty for the tournament’s octo-final rounds.  An announcement of the thirty extempers in each event that cleared to quarter-finals will be made later this evening.

The biggest news from the first break is that Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), who is competing in International Extemp, has clinched the 2015-2016 National Points Race by virtue of clearing to the octo-final round.  Graham was joined in the International Extemp break by other National Points Race notables such as Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA), and Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC).

In United States Extemp, two of last year’s finalists remain alive as Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ) and  Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) advanced.  They have significant company in the field, though, as Extemp TOC Champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) is competing in the category, as are other major competitors of the national circuit such as Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), and Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory.

International Extemp will receive the bonus for the National Points Race at this year’s NSDA National Tournament as well, as more extempers in the top twenty-five are competing in that category.

There were quite a few underclassmen – fifty-eight in total – that qualified for elimination rounds at this year’s nationals.  Thirty-three underclassmen cleared in International Extemp and twenty-five cleared in United States Extemp.  They are highlighted in blue below.

Competitors that are currently ranked in the National Points Race have their ranking designated by their name.  A competitor without this designation was unranked before NSDA Nationals.  All of the competitors that made octofinals will receive National Points Race points.

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Due to our coverage of this week’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament, our weekly content schedule will be changed.  Questions will not be posted, but they will return the following week (the week of June 20).  Quizzes and R&Ds will resume on August 1.

Here is the content schedule for this week:

Monday:  Random NSDA Updates (if they arise)
Tuesday: Release of Octofinalists & Quarterfinalists
Wednesday: Release of Semifinalists & Finalists
Thursday: Final Round Preview Pieces for IX & USX
Friday: IX & USX Final Round Recaps
Saturday: NSDA Tournament Results Write-Up