Month: December 2018

(Note:  This is a corrected write up because Blue Key had a tabulation error in IX that altered the original placings)

The University of Florida played host to the 2018 Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament, a fifth tier event in the National Points Race, on October 26-28, 2018. The tournament attracted its usual bevy of Florida extempers, with Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) and Tristan Wertanzl of Cypress Bay High School (FL) winning the United States extemp and international extemp categories, respectively.

Wertanzl was initially announced the tournament’s sixth place finisher in international extemp, but a tabulation error was later uncovered that made him the winner.  Rollins ended up winning U.S. Extemp by one rank over Wertanzl’s teammate, Jose Quinones.

Rollins performance was the second time that she reached the final round of a National Points Race event this season, having made the finals of the Yale Invitational in September. The same was true of Brian Zheng of Naperville North High School (IL), who placed fifth in international extemp and third in United States extemp and moved into a tie for second place in the National Points Race with Rollins after this event (although Rollins owned a tiebreaker for having a victory).

Due to the fact that Blue Key had an international and United States extemp portion, competitors were awarded points based on a formula that calculates how well they did across both halves of the competition. This prevents an extemper from earning double points at one tournament.  Rollins had the best performance across both categories of any extemper at the tournament and received the forty National Points Race points for the event.  Quinones and Zheng were awarded second and third place points.  Fourth place points were given to Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA), who was a semi-finalist in the United States extemp half and was a fourth place finisher in the international extemp portion.  Wertanzl got fifth place points as he was a quarter-finalist in the U.S. Extemp portion.  Finally, sixth place points ended up as a three way tie between Max Pinkiert of NSU University School (FL), New York City Invitational winner Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL), and Rehan Rupawalla of Tompkins High School (TX). All three of these competitors were semi-finalists in each category.

Here are the results of the 2018 Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

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The second event in the 2018-2019 Extemp Central National Points Race, the New York City Invitational, took place at the Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx on October 12-14. In the cumulative tournament, Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL) defeated Rayhan Murad of Ridge High School (NJ) by one rank. Reyes won the final round by one rank over Murad, which solidified her first national circuit victory of the season. Reyes was a runner-up finisher at the University of Kentucky National Season Opener.

Aside from Reyes, two other Floridians made the final round. Gustavo Lanz of Cypress Bay High School was third and Eli Finkelstein of Trinity Preparatory School was fourth.

Ridge High School also had two competitors in the final round. In addition to Murad’s runner-up finish, James Gao placed fourth.

For winning the tournament, Reyes earned forty points in the National Points Race because the New York City Invitational was a fifth tier event. Her victory moved her into fifth place in the National Points Race standings. Murad moved into third place as he was a semi-finalist at the Yale Invitational.

Fifth place finisher Louis Savoia of Xaverian High Schol (NY) also moved up the National Points Race standings, earning sixteen points at this event to go with the eighteen he received for being a Yale semi-finalist.  After this tournament he was seventh in the national rankings.

Defending champion Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ) did not attend the tournament.

Here are the results of the 2018 New York City Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

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The 2018-2019 Extemp Central National Points Race kicked off in New Haven, Connecticut in late September when Yale University hosted the twenty-sixth edition of the Yale University Invitational. Kate Fisher of St. Mary’s Hall (TX) repeated as tournament champion, defeating Hannah Siegel of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) and Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ) in the cumulative competition. Fisher’s score of thirty-five ranks across the tournament’s preliminary rounds, as well as outround competition, secured a four rank margin of victory.

Each of the final round competitors represented a different state, with Brian Zheng of Naperville North High School (IL) placing fourth, University of Kentucky National Season Opener winner Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) taking fifth, and Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) placing sixth.

Fisher became the first competitor to win back-to-back Yale championships since Daniel Rauch of Millburn High School accomplished the feat in 2004 and 2005.

Fisher earned seventy National Points Race points for winning the event. All competitors who made the final and semi-final rounds earned points as well.

Here are the results of the 2018 Yale Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

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(During the holiday, Extemp Central will be catching up on the action that has taken place on the national circuit as LSAT preparation kept these results from being posted)

On September 8-10, fifteen extempers competed at the University of Kentucky National Speech and Debate Season Opener on UK’s campus in Lexington, Kentucky. The tournament was not a National Points Race event due to its small size relative to the Wake Forest National Early Bird, which used to kick off the national circuit season. Nevertheless, the tournament did begin the 2018-2019 competitive year.

In a close tournament, Mo (Jocelyn) Marks of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) triumphed over Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL) and Jose Quinones of Cypress Bay High School (FL). All three competitors tied in the final round with a cumulative score of seven but the tournament was cumulative through prelims, and Marks had a four-rank differential that separated her from Reyes and ensured her victory.

The final round featured competitors from five states, with Iowa, Florida, Virginia, Tennesse, and West Virginia included.

Here are the results of the 2018 Unviersity of Kentucky National Speech and Debate Season Opener:

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Adam Johnson, the tournament director for the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin, recently released the names of those who have been invited to compete in this year’s event.  The Round Robin, which is the first major tournament of the 2018-2019 school year, will take place January 5-6 in Nashville, Tennessee on the campus of Montgomery Bell Academy.  Extempers will compete in ten rounds, placed into sections of four where every competitors meets every other twice, and each of those rounds will have a panel of three judges and a three minute cross-examination period.

Here is the list of this year’s invitees.  Extemp Central congratulates all of those who received an invitation to this year’s field:

*Pranay Dhondi (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*James Han (University High School, Illinois)
*Nikolas Kirk (Brophy College Preparatory School, Arizona)
*Sam Lieberman (Acton-Boxborough High School, Massachusetts)
*Mo Marks (Theodore Roosevelt High School, Iowa)
*Christopher Maximos (The Delbarton School, New Jersey)
*Jose Quinones (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Juliette Reyes (American Heritage School-Plantation, Florida)
*Kay Rollins (The Potomac School, Virginia)
*Arjun Shanmugam (Jackson High School, Ohio)
*Jack Silvers (Scarsdale High School, New York)
*Jacqueline Wei (Plano West Senior High School, Texas)
*Tristan Wertanzl (Cypress Bay High School, Florida)
*Byron Xu (Tompkins High School, Texas)
*Vivian Zhao (Plano Senior High School, Texas)
*Brian Zheng (Naperville North High School, Illinois)

In addition, Johnson had this to say about the passing of Kate Fisher, who competed for St. Mary’s Hall in Texas and tied for first place at last year’s event:  “Kate was invited to return for her third year to participate in this year’s field after she tied for the Round Robin championship this past January. Aside from being an incredible competitor, Kate was also a wonderful person and had a vibrant personality. It is with great sadness that we will be unable to welcome her back. We will seek ways to honor her memory.”

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2. Has the UN lost significant credibility over its response to the Rohingya genocide?
3. Can Pinera fix Chile?
4. Will Thailand’s military junta call new elections in the near future?
5. Could U.S. tariffs bolster the cause of Chinese political reformers?
6. Does Qatar’s exit from OPEC illustrate problems for the long-term viability of the organization?
7. What steps should President Joao Lourenco take to improve the Angolan economy?
8. Should France give its seat on the UN Security Council to the European Union?
9. Will Israel hold new elections before next November?
10. Should Iran be wary of Russian military assistance to Lebanon’s government?

Note:  Due to the winter holiday, this will be our last posting of questions until the first week of January.

1. Is it wise for Democrats to demand climate change legislation in return for support of a Republican infrastructure bill?
2. Are Democrats headed for a brokered convention in 2020?
3. What might it take for Congressional Republicans to vote for President Trump’s impeachment and removal from office?
4. Are the Oscars still relevant?
5. Will William Barr have a smooth Senate confirmation?
6. Is the U.S. at risk of a Paris-style uprising?
7. What should the U.S. do if diplomacy with North Korea fails?
8. Should Joe Manchin be the head of the Senate Energy Committee?
9. How can the U.S. best combat Chinese cyber espionage?
10. Should “ballot harvesting” be allowed?

Note:  Due to the winter holiday, this will be our last posting of questions until the first week of January.

1. Will there be more “purple” states in 2020 than there were in 2016?
2. Do recent revelations about President Trump’s business dealings with Russia foreshadow significant legal difficulties down the road?
3. Should the U.S. look into banning older car models to reduce pollution?
4. Is a “grand bargain” with China possible?
5. Should President Trump enact car tariffs in response to the recent GM plant closures?
6. What steps can the produce industry take to prevent an E. coli outbreak?
7. If President Trump decided not to seek re-election, how would that affect the 2020 presidential race?
8. Who is the most vulnerable Senator who is up for re-election in 2020?
9. Should Twitter be considered a public forum?
10. Is it time for the College Football Playoff to be expanded?

1. Was the recent G20 meeting a success?
2. Will the British Parliament vote in favor of May’s Brexit deal?
3. Could Ukraine win a war against Russia?
4. Was CAF justified in stripping Cameroon of its hosting privileges for the African Cup of Nations?
5. Is the international community doing enough to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
6. Should there be an international agreement to halt the creation of gene-edited babies?
7. How will the winding down of the Syrian Civil War affect Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah?
8. Should Mexican investors be worried about AMLO?
9. Do recent electoral setbacks foreshadow Tsai Ing-wen’s defeat in the next Taiwanese presidential election?
10. Are global businesses doing enough to protect customer information?