Tournaments Archives - Extemp Central

Strategy: Navigating the NCFL Grand National Tournament

On May 16, 2015

by Monica Coscia

Monica Coscia competed in extemp for Montville Township High School in Montville, New Jersey. She was the 2014 NCFL National Champion in extemp, state runner-up in United States extemp, and the extemp CFL point leader for the Newark district. She also has broken at Yale, Princeton, and Harvard and has coached middle school forensics. Monica now studies political science and history in the honors program at Boston College and competes on the mock trial team.

The best part about winning the NCFL extemp championship wasn’t the trophy or the title. It wasn’t being the first national champion for my school and my amazing coach, although that was a close second. Rather, the legacy that I hope I left with my NCFL championship is the lesson that, even in the world of competitive speech and debate, the underdogs can win. CFL Nationals, unlike other prestigious tournaments like NSDA Nationals and the TOC, is anyone’s tournament to win. This is not to say that one can win the title without practice and effort, but you don’t necessarily need years of speech camp and tons of national tournament breaks to be successful here. Sure, I had broken at a few national tournaments, finaled at states, and had been to NCFLs once before, but I had never broken past semis at a national tournament. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that people say I shouldn’t have won, but I would like to believe that this wasn’t a complete fluke. I knew who my audience was, and I catered to that audience. The key to this tournament is being cognizant of who you are speaking to, and gearing your already talented skill set to them. I hope that the following advice is even the least bit helpful to your participation in NCFLs, because anyone who truly dedicates his/herself to practicing for this tournament has the ability succeed here.

Heading to NSDA Nationals? Read These NSDA (NFL) Nationals Preview Pieces from the Extemp Central Archives!

By geniao44446

On June 12, 2014

In Strategy, Tournaments

If you are an extemper headed to the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in a couple of weeks, you might find it helpful to read some past NFL Nationals strategy pieces by contributing authors to Extemp Central. All of the contributing authors below were either NFL national champions or final round winners (Jared Odessky, Dylan Slinger, Tyler Fabbri, Stacey Chen, and Logan Scisco) or NFL national finalists (Omar Qureshi, Michael Garson, and Mark Royce).

2011 NFL National Champions Share Their Views on the Tournament by Jared Odessky & Dylan Slinger Part I
2011 NFL National Champions Share Their Views on the Tournament by Jared Odessky & Dylan Slinger Part II

NFL National Tournament Strategy Guide by Tyler Fabbri

NFL Nationals Strategy by Stacey Chen Part I
NFL Nationals Strategy by Stacey Chen Part II

Extemporaneous Speaking at NFL Nationals by Mark Royce

National Tournament Psychology by Omar Qureshi

NFL Roundtable by Logan Scisco, Michael Garson, and Mark Royce

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Extemp Roundtable: 2011 NFL National Champions Share Their Views on the Tournament (Part 2)

By geniao44446

On June 5, 2012

In Interviews, Tournaments

Last year in Dallas, Texas, Dylan Slinger of Lakeville South High School in Minnesota and Jared Odessky of Nova High School in Florida were the National Forensic League National Champions in International and United States Extemporaneous Speaking. Both also won their respective final rounds at the tournament. Slinger also capped a unique season by winning the CFL and NFL national extemporaneous speaking titles, becoming just the third extemper to do so. In last season’s National Points Race, Slinger finished second and Odessky finished third. Both of them took the time to talk with Extemp Central about their high school careers and provide some advice for up and coming extempers and those attending this year’s NFL Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana.

This is part two of a two part interview.

2011 Yale Invitational Preview

By geniao44446

On September 21, 2011

In Tournaments

by Curan Mehra

Curan Mehra graduated from Scarsdale High School in Scardale, NY last spring and currently attends UC Berkeley. As an extemper he won the Yale Invitational, placed 6th at the MBA Round Robin, won the Columbia Invitational placed 2^nd at the Harvard Invitational, and placed 4^th in the International Extemp at NFLs. He’s incredibly grateful to his team, to his coach, and to the people who smiled at him in prep.

I sat down to type what I thought would be a succinct preview of the Yale Invitational. It turned into more of a morph between a preview and a general meditation on Extemp. I hope some of the tips are helpful, I think they apply to any level of extemper. Feel free to ignore much of the advice I’ve provided. Many of you are probably much smarter than I am or have tools that are wildly different and equally, if not, more effective. These are just some tricks of the trade I’ve picked up over four years of extemping. Apologies for any horrific grammatical mistakes.

2011 NFL National Tournament Strategy Guide

By geniao44446

On June 3, 2011

In Strategy, Tournaments

by Tyler Fabbri

Tyler Fabbri was last year’s NFL national champion in United States Extemporaneous Speaking and was a finalist in 2009. He provides some tips in this piece for extempers who will be competing at the 2011 NFL National Tournament in less than two weeks in Dallas, Texas.

With NFL Nationals creeping around the corner, I expect the anxiety is mounting a bit for everyone. Whether Dallas is your first or fourth NFL tournament, there are a few basic things to keep in mind to make this year’s trip the best it can be. This may be an incoherent rambling, but take from it what you can!

2011 Catholic Forensic League National Tournament Preview

By geniao44446

On May 20, 2011

In Tournaments

by Mirza Germovic

Mirza Germovic competed for Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa. He placed 3rd at the Catholic National Tournament last year and placed in finals at the St. Mark’s Tournament, George Mason Patriot Games and The Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC). Mirza now attends Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where he is studying International Politics with the hopes of working in journalism. He shares his thoughts on competing and performing well at the Catholic National Tournament in this article for Extemp Central readers.

CFL Nationals is not often viewed as prestigious as the NFL National Tournament – both for the number of schools that attend and the talent they bring – however, competing and doing well there is just as big of reflection on one’s extemp skills as it will be to do well in Dallas in June of this year. It is easy for competitors, coaches and entire teams at the CFL tournament to lose sight of the fact that national titles are at stake – thinking that you can coast by for one round is enough to guarantee a not-so-happy fate.

2011 Harvard National High School Invitational Forensic Tournament Preview

By geniao44446

On February 12, 2011

In Tournaments

by Michael Barton

Michael Barton competed for Regis High School in New York City. He was the 2010 Harvard Champion, as well as the 4th place finisher at the NCFL Grand Tournament and 13th in foreign extemp at the NFL Tournament. He currently attends Yale University, where he is studying political science. He also competes regularly in parliamentary debate for the Yale Debate Association.

Each year in February, hundreds of high school speakers and debaters flock to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend the massive Harvard Invitational. Although the tournament has attracted criticism in recent years for various inefficiencies and shortcomings, it undoubtedly constitutes one of, if not the, premier invitational tournaments on the circuit (Nationals and MBA aside). The tournament always attracts top tier talent, with three of the last four champions eventually going on to win NFLs (unfortunately I ended that streak). By and large, all criticisms considered, let me preface this by saying that I personally always enjoyed my time at the tournament immensely. I never had any complaints about the manner in which it was run, finding the prep room to be comfortable each year and the organizers approachable and helpful. That said, here are some things to keep in mind as you head into this year’s tournament:

Barkley Forum Preview

By geniao44446

On January 24, 2011

In Tournaments

by James Mohan

James Mohan competed for Danville High School in Danville, Kentucky. He was the 2010 Barkley Forum extemp champion, a runner-up at CFL Nationals and NFL Nationals in International Extemporaneous Speaking, last year’s Kentucky state champion in extemporaneous speaking and congressional debate, was a finalist at the George Mason University Patriot Games Tournament, an invitee to the 2010 Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin, and last year’s National Points Race runner-up . He currently attends Georgetown University, where he is majoring in international affairs.

The Barkley Forum for High Schools has become one of the top extemp tournaments in the country, and the field is always competitive.

So I have been asked to provide my thoughts on the tournament, and my advice is pretty simple:

George Mason University Patriot Games Tournament Preview

By geniao44446

On November 27, 2010

In Tournaments

by Oscar Wang

Oscar Wang competed for four years at San Marino High School in San Marino, California. He received third place in Domestic Extemp at the 2010 NFL Nationals and was a four-year qualifier to Nationals. Last year, he placed second at the California State Championships, second at the GMU Patriot Games, third at the TOC, and seventh at the MBA Southern Bell Forum. Over the course of his career, he accumulated over twenty tournament victories. His team, San Marino, finished first overall for the National Teams Points Race in 2010 while he placed fifth for the Individual Points Race. Oscar is currently studying political science and history at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Every year, there are a plethora of high school speech and debate invitationals held at various colleges and universities across the country. Many of these tournaments feature quality competition, gorgeous campuses, and (hopefully) beautiful weather. These invitationals are generally well attended because of what competitors see that they offer – everything ranging from the food to the location. However, what separates the great tournaments from the awesometastic* tournaments is what happens behind the scenes with running the entire show. (*Note: I believe Sarah Palin has given every American the right to combine two words that mean the same thing to form a new word that still means the same thing, so I have done so here)

A Look ‘Round the GMU Round Robin

By geniao44446

On November 26, 2010

In Tournaments

by Aaron Lutkowitz

Aaron Lutkowitz competed for Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to victories at the 2008 George Mason tournament and the 2009 Yale tournament, Aaron finished in 3rd place at the 2010 Southern Bell Forum and went undefeated in the preliminary rounds of the 2009 George Mason Round Robin, where he placed second. He was also a top ten finisher in last year’s National Points Race. Aaron co-attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University with plans to major in business and political science.

MY HISTORY

I love GMIF, and I always enjoyed competing in its round robin. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the institute, the camp, the staff, the Round Robin, the tournament, etc. I went to the summer camp all three summers of high school, and I send all the MBA youngins’ there too. At the tournament my junior year, I went 3-4 in 7 prelim rounds (tying 5 other competitors) and managed to earn 3rd place on individual ballot pick-ups. I then went on to win the tournament two days later. My senior year, I went 7-0 in prelims, but lost the final round 0-5. I then continued this trend to an early exit in quarters in the regular tournament. Emily B, Joe, Catherine, Ben, Emily M, Jason, Alex, and Nabeel, congrats on making the tournament. I hope to articulate the ins-and-outs of the Round Robin for you.

Glenbrooks Preview by Steven Elliott

By geniao44446

On November 12, 2010

In Tournaments

Steven Elliott competed for Lakeville North High School for four years. He was an NCFL Extemp Finalist in 2008, a three time Minnesota state finalist, the champion of the Glenbrooks in 2009, and placed 4th in International Extemp at last year’s National Tournament. He was also a participant in the 2010 MBA round-robin. Steven attends American University in Washington, DC where he is majoring in International Studies.

The Glenbrooks is one of the most competitive national circuit tournaments of the year, and was always one of my personal favorites. During my senior year, I discovered that the tournament also has a few…rather odd features that are worth addressing, as they affect one’s strategy going into the event. Without further adieu, here are some of the more unique things you’ll face at the Glenbrooks:

St. Marks Heart of Texas Invitational Preview by Shahid Ahmed

By geniao44446

On October 7, 2010

In Tournaments

Shahid Ahmed competed for Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas. Last year Shahid was the ninth place finisher in International Extemp at the NFL National Tournament, placed third at the Harvard, was a participant in the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin, and made finals in United States and International Extemp at St. Marks. Shahid was also a top fifteen finisher in last year’s Extemp Central National Points Race. Shahid currently attends Texas A&M and is majoring in economics and international studies.

The St. Marks Heart of Texas Invitational is the premier extemporaneous speaking tournament in Texas. I first went to St. Marks my junior year participating in Congress (ughhhhhhhh). It wasn’t until my senior year that I competed in extemp at St. Marks. While St. Marks is not Harvard or Yale or NFLs, it has a vast pool of seasoned competitors from a plethora of powerhouse schools from many different states. St. Marks, for the most part is similar to most other national tournaments, though there are some striking differences. I have some pointers for general extempers and for those specifically attending St. Marks.

The Yale Invitational Tournament Preview

By geniao44446

On September 16, 2010

In Tournaments

by Aaron Lutkowitz

Aaron Lutkowitz competed for Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to victories at the 2008 George Mason tournament and the 2009 Yale tournament, Aaron finished in 3rd place at the 2010 Southern Bell Forum and went undefeated in the preliminary rounds of the 2009 George Mason Round Robin. He was also a top ten finisher in last year’s National Points Race. Aaron co-attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University with plans to major in business and political science.

While Wake was always my first tournament of the year for three consecutive years (with diminishing returns each year), Yale was my one-hit wonder. It wasn’t even on my radar until a few months before senior year, but I’m extremely glad that I ventured up north to see friends and dip my competitive feet into the deeper end of quality extemp. I have a few tips, both for tournaments in general and for the Yale tournament specifically.

Wake Forest National Early Bird Preview

By geniao44446

On September 3, 2010

In Tournaments

by Rohan Bhargava

Rohan Bhargava competed for Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio. He was last year’s runner up at Wake Forest, a semifinalist at The Glenbrooks, and an invitee to the Montgomery Bell Academy Round Robin. Rohan was the Ohio State Runner Up in 2008 and the State Champion in 2009 and 2010 in international extemp. He broke three consecutive times at NFL Nationals, finishing twelfth in 2009 and third last season. Rohan will attend Princeton University this fall to pursue a degree in molecular biology with a certificate in finance.

NFL Nationals Strategy by Stacey Chen (Part Two)

By geniao44446

On June 11, 2010

In Tournaments

Stacey Chen competed for North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pennsylvania. She was last year’s NFL national champion in International extemp and was the first receipient of the Extemp Central National Points award after winning Glenbrooks, the George Mason University Patriot Games Extemp Round Robin, Harvard, and the Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions. Stacey now attends Yale University and is a contributor for Extemp Central. She shares her thoughts on the NFL National tournament in this article for Extemp Central readers.

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