Category: Site News

On September 14, 2009

exfilesept09-01 With the Wake Forest National Early Bird less than two weeks away, extempers across the country are preparing for the beginning of the 2009-2010 season. Last season saw California emerge as a stronger extemp power, with Bellarmine College Prep’s impressive showing at NFL Nationals and saw Stacey Chen of North Allegheny Senior High School emerge as the first official Extemp Cental National Points Race champion. North Allegheny Senior High School also managed to narrowly edge out Bellarmine College Prep for the National Team Points Race.

At Extemp Central, we look forward to another great season and questions have been posted on our site since the first week of August. In a similar fashion, the staff of this year’s Ex Files looks forward to providing coverage of this year’s events in the extemp community. We look forward to providing detailed coverage from the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin, with pairings and results released as they happen, and the possibility exists of live coverage from the Wake Forest Early Bird, the Glenbrooks, and the Extemp Tournament of Champions as well.

This year’s Ex Files staff is also seeing some new additions. We welcome Stacey Chen, Evan Larson (last year’s NFL United States Extemp national champion), Nicholas Cugini, Gilbert Lee (2000 NFL International Extemp national champion), Austin Wright (2009 NFA extemp national champion), and Rob Warchol to the staff this year. Aside from staff turnover, there are also new features to the magazine including Editor’s Corner, where I will break down trends and strategies in extemporaneous speaking, and Extemp Roundtable, where members of our staff will evaluate an extemp question that extempers could see at a local or national tournament.

In this issue, The Ex Files has an interview with Chen, reveals the changes in the points structure of this year’s National Points Race, and provides a topic brief on the size of America’s budget deficit. The staff of The Ex Files wishes everyone good luck who is competing at Wake Forest, Yale, St. Mark’s, and at local tournaments in the weeks and months ahead. The next edition of The Ex Files will be released prior to the Glenbrooks tournament in early November.

–Logan Scisco

Wake Forest Edition (Vol. 2, Iss. 1)
All links below are to PDFs of the original articles.

Complete Wake Forest Edition (.pdf)
From the Publisher by Logan Scisco
Editor’s Corner: The Grand Slam by Logan Scisco
2009-10 Extemp Central National Points Race by Logan Scisco
Catching the Worm at the Wake Forest National Early Bird by Max Webster
National Points Race Champion Interview with Stacey Chen by Logan Scisco
Extemp Roundtable with Nicholas Cugini, Mark Royce, Logan Scisco, and Rob Warchol
Topic Brief: Budget Deficit Politics by Logan Scisco

The Season Begins!: Extemp Questions for the Week of August 4th-10th, 2009

On August 4, 2009

In International Extemp, Site News, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

Since it is the first Tuesday in August, here are the first questions of the 2009-2010 season from Extemp Central:

1. Should the U.S. negotiate with the Taliban to achieve a lasting solution in Afghanistan?
2. How can India maximize its economic potential?
3. Is Obama right on Honduras?
4. Should Blue Dog Democrats be worried about 2010?
5. Does the Fed need more economic power?
6. Can menu labeling laws a good tool in the fight against obesity?
7. What does the Natalia Estemirova’s kidnapping and murder say about the state of Chechnya?
8. Should Cameron cut Ashcroft loose?
9. How can the U.S. increase its leverage over Myanmar’s junta?
10. Do rating agency practices need to be reformed?

Also, don’t forget to become a fan of Extemp Central on facebook to receive the latest updates on web content. You can also join us at Twitter by clicking here.

Finally, don’t hesitate to comment on the posts on the site. User feedback is appreciated!

Follow Extemp Central on Your Favorite Social Networking Website

On July 24, 2009

Extemp Central on Twitter

As we get closer to the start of a new season, Extemp Central will be sharing some new features and plans for the coming year. In the meantime, we encourage you to follow Extemp Central on your social networking website of choice. Be the first to know when new content goes live!

Extemp Central on Facebook

And remember: Next season begins at Extemp Central!

The EX Files: From the Publisher

On June 7, 2009

It is hard to imagine that the 2008-2009 competitive year is nearing its end. From Wake Forest to Albany, New York, the season has provided many twists and turns for extempers all across the country. Next week all eyes will converge on Birmingham, Alabama for the extemp version of “glory’s last shot.” NFL will the time when many seniors give the final extemp speeches of their careers and for many that dream will come to an end well before the final round. However, all achievements of personal glory can be seen as relative. For some, simply making the national tournament is the culmination of a career of hard work, while for others anything less than a national championship will result in disappointment.

This edition of The Ex Files will have a staple of Extemp Central of the last two years. Last year’s International Extemp runner-up Omar Qureshi has written a topic area analysis for International extempers while Colin West (2006 US Extemp National Champion) and myself (2003 US Extemp Final Round National Champion) have collaborated on the topic area analysis for U.S. extempers. This edition also includes a topic brief on North Korea, a national tournament psychology summary by Qureshi, an extensive overview of the NFL National tournament by 2002 International Extemp runner-up Mark Royce, a discussion of extemp styles by Sebastian Pyrek, and then an NFL roundtable discussion with Michael Garson (2005 International Extemp finalist), Royce, and myself.

This is the last edition of The Ex Files for the 2008-2009 competitive year. We are pleased by the amount of support given to us by the extemp community and we hope to provide you with another year of topic briefs, topic area analysis, and strategy articles for the next competitive year. Announcements about additions to staffing for next year’s magazine will be made on the website over the summer and any suggestions for future content can be directed to me at [email protected]. Thank you for your continued support of the site and this magazine and thank you to all of those who have contributed results and feedback to me this season. On behalf of myself and the staff of The Ex Files, good luck to all the extempers competing at NFL!

–Logan Scisco

NFL Nationals Edition (Volume 1, No. 7)
All links below are to PDF versions of the individual articles.

Complete NFL Nationals Edition (.pdf file)
From the Publisher by Logan Scisco
Extemp Central National Points Race by Logan Scisco
2009 NFL Nationals International Extemp Topic Area Analysis by Omar Quershi
2009 NFL Nationals United States Extemp Topic Area Analysis by Colin West and Logan Scisco
NFL Roundtable Discussion by Michael Garson, Mark Royce, and Logan Scisco
Extemporaneous Speaking at NFL Nationals by Mark Royce
National Tournament Psychology by Omar Quershi
On Developing Style by Sebastian Pyrek
Topic Brief: North Korean Aggression by Logan Scisco

Ex Files Correction & TOC News

On May 15, 2009

In Extemp TOC, National Circuit News, Site News

In the latest Ex Files the number of points given for the CFL National tournament were listed wrongly. The correct point values are as follows:

1st-150 pts.
2nd-125
3rd-100
4th-75
5th-65
6th-55
Semi-finalists: 25

———————–

Also, the Extemp TOC begins tomorrow morning at 8 AM at Northwestern University. Following prelims and as soon as breaks become available, Extemp Central will try to provide you with an update on semi-finalists.

There is a smaller field at the TOC than last year, possibly because of the swine flu scare and travel difficulties for the state of Texas. There are 45 competitors in the field.

Due to numbers, the TOC has decided that it will now break to semi-finals in elimination rounds and has made the decision that there will be two rounds of semi-finals like NFL Nationals. This is a great decision as it will allow maximum rotation in these semi-finals and still preserves the number of expected elimination rounds at the tournament.

The EX Files: From the Publisher

On May 11, 2009

Over the next two weeks, two crucial tournaments on the extemp calendar take place: the Extemp TOC at Northwestern University and the CFL national tournament in Albany, New York. These tournaments have big implications for the national points race, which has not moved since our last edition because of the “dull period” in April, and provide an early test for extempers seeking to write their names into the national record books.

To provide some information about the TOC, Ex Files contributor and TOC co-tournament director Michael Garson, sat down for an interview about the tournament, sharing some details on how it operates and how it hopes to grow in the coming years.

In preparation for the CFL tournament, this issue will provide a breakdown of the eight topic areas. This topic breakdown will provide a synopsis of major issues and some sample questions for extempers to practice with before the tournament.

Rounding out this issue are a topic brief over the future of the Supreme Court after David Souter’s departure and how Obama might go about choosing a nominee. We also have an article on canned intros from Hunter Kendrick and Omar Qureshi, both of which were finalists last year in IX at NFL Nationals.

The next issue of The Ex Files will be a NFL Nationals preview, which will feature an USX and IX topic area breakdown by Colin West (2006 NFL USX National Champion) and Omar Qureshi (2008 NFL IX Runner-Up). This will also feature an update on the national points race, a roundtable discussion of NFL, and a few strategy articles by our writers.
As always, the staff of The Ex Files thanks you for your support of this magazine and Extemp Central. Good luck in the prep room and at the Extemp TOC and CFL Nationals!

-Logan Scisco

TOC and CFL Nationals Edition (Volume 1, No. 6)

TOC & CFL Nationals Edition (.pdf file)
Extemp Central National Points Race by Logan Scisco
2009 CFL Nationals Extemp Topic Area Analysis by Logan Scisco
Inside the Extemp TOC: An Interview with Michael Garon by Logan Scisco
Can Do and Don’ts: A Discussion of Canned Intros in Extemp by Hunter Kendrick and Omar Qureshi
David Souter Retirement by Logan Scisco

Site Updates!

On May 9, 2009

The NFL qualifiers section has been updated. I currently need a listing of state champions for the 2009 year, so if you have that information please send it to me so I can update the state champions page.

Also, the TOC/CFL edition of the Ex Files will be released early this week (Monday or Tuesday). It will have a discussion of canned intros, an interview with TOC co-tournament director Michael Garson, and a topic area breakdown for CFL.

Site Announcements: National Qualifiers, Spring Ex Files, and Kentucky State Questions

On March 22, 2009

Do you have a list of national qualifiers for your NFL District? If so, comment below so that Extemp Central can recognize these individuals or send the names of the qualifiers (with school name if possible) to [email protected].

Also, to follow up on a previous post, the new edition of the Ex Files will be released by April 1st, and that is not a joke!

Finally, questions that were used at the Kentucky CFL District tournament, the Kentucky KESDA tournament, and the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL) state tournament will be posted to the site by late Saturday for extempers looking for lots of questions to prepare for upcoming tournaments.

SpeechGeek Partners with Extemp Central for the “February Free for All”

On February 3, 2009

SpeechGeek is proud to partner with Extemp Central during the month of February to expand your weekly extemp prep. Beginning today at 4 p.m. (Central), Extemp Central will feature 25 international and 25 United States questions each week to help your students prepare for district, state and national tournaments. Additionally, Logan Scisco will provide a weekly topic brief to help competitors better understand a topic or issue of great importance for extempers.

Readers of Extemp Central will also enjoy a special discount at SpeechGeek during the month of February. Enter code “CENTRAL” at checkout to receive 40% off any purchase of $25 or more. Forensics t-shirts, buttons, coaching resources, interp scripts and more from SpeechGeek will have you geared up for the exciting weeks of competition ahead.

In tough economic times, SpeechGeek strives to ensure coaches have access to quality resources at the lowest possible prices.

Welcome to Extemp Central (The Former Extemp Question Central)!

On December 30, 2008

Welcome Extemp Central, formerly known as Extemp Question Central. After several years at the old site, I have moved to a new type of platform that will be more pleasing to the eye and hopefully more user-friendly.

The name for the site has been changed to encompass the growth we have experienced over the last three years. A website that started offering weekly extemp questions has grown into a site that offers a wide range of services such as topic briefs, strategy articles, tournament descriptions, and this year, the first-ever extemp magazine.

The website will continue to have all of the content that the old site did, but we will be in the process of moving some of the content from the old site (such as question archives and older topic briefs) to this site in the next few weeks.

For now, you can use the top tabs to navigate some of the main content on the site, such as past editions of the Ex Files and the champions page. You can also use the tabs on the right to look at resources for the different forms of extemp (USX and IX), strategy articles, tournament previews, and extemp results from all over the country.

Thank you for your continued support and thank you to Corey Alderdice for his design of this new website. I wish everyone a great finish to the 2008-2009 competitive year!

–Logan Scisco

The EX Files: From the Publisher

On December 23, 2008