Month: February 2023

Two weeks ago, the Barkley Forum on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia drew one of the largest extemp fields of the year. 91 extempers dueled it out for this year’s championship, which culminated in a showdown of highly ranked extempers in this year’s National Points Race.

And just like at the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin at the beginning of the month, #1 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) kept her season-long unbeaten streak intact, defeating #21 Jack Ververis of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) by seven ranks in the final round. It marks Paltzik’s fifth victory at a National Points Race event this season.

It would not be a national circuit extemp event without Plano West Senior High School (TX) getting some of its competitors through to the final round. This time, it got two extempers through to the last round and #6 Gabriel Bo took third and #3 Kyle Letterer took fourth.

#2 Theodore Gercken of the College Preparatory School (CA) notched his fifth final round at a National Points Race event of the year. He finished in fifth place.

Faye Zhang of Eastview High School (MN), an MBA invitee last season, was the sixth place finisher.

Notable extempers that were eliminated in semi-finals included #8 Pierce McDade of the University School (IL) and #13 Charlotte Reitman of the University School (FL). Notables that went out in quarter-finalists included #4 Phoena Lin of Plano West, #5 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ), and #12 Sydney Carroll of Battle Ground Academy (TN).

Paltzik is the first extemper from Arizona to win the Barkley Forum at least as far back as 2000, which is how far Extemp Central’s history of the tournament goes.

All of the extempers who reached the semi-final round and beyond earn National Points Race points. Paltzik earns 70 points for her victory.

All of the semi-finalists at the tournament earned a bid leg to this year’s Extemp TOC at Northwestern University. They also earn a bid leg to the University of Kentucky TOC.

Here are the results from the 2023 Barkley Forum (Click here for tab sheet):’

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1. Did the Biden administration appropriately respond to the Chinese spy balloon?
2. Should the U.S. provide fighter jets to Ukraine?
3. Will the DNC’s alterations to its primary calendar cost it New Hampshire in 2024?
4. Should Karine Jean-Pierre be replaced as White House Press Secretary?
5. How could Nikki Haley capture the 2024 Republican presidential nomination?
6. Will the mainstream American media ever regain the trust of the public?
7. To what degree did Governor Ron DeSantis win his fight with the College Board over AP African American Studies?
8. Should entertainment awards continue to divide acting categories by gender?
9. How will artificial intelligence affect the lives of Americans over the next decade?
10. Should the U.S. put more money into nuclear fusion research?

1. What signal was China sending to the U.S. with its spy balloon?
2. Should the British Conservative Party roll back Brexit?
3. Why has Argentina failed to tame its inflation crisis?
4. Will Pope Francis’ African visits provide a boost for LGBTQ+ rights across Africa?
5. Should Australia become a republic?
6. Are neighboring countries making Peru’s democratic crisis worse?
7. Have Western oil sanctions on Russia failed?
8. What should be Pervez Musharraf’s legacy?
9. Has Myanmar’s junta lost control of the country?
10. Is the EAC’s intervention in Eastern Congo falling short of expectations?

Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

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