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)
The competition’s administration is where the tournament makes a name for itself. The entire operation is run by one of the top college speech and debate programs in the entire nation (up there, of course, with Logan’s beloved WKU J).
Last year at the American Forensic Association (AFA) National Championships, the George Mason University extemp team established itself as one of the most dominant forces in collegiate forensics. GMU swept the final round of Extemporaneous Speaking, placing first through fourth in an unprecedented show of talent.
Yes, this is the team that will be running the Patriot Games Classic on December 4th.
Therefore, you can expect…
…the questions to be expertly written. Because GMU extempers will be writing the questions, don’t think you can just waltz into prep and draw an easy question on whether or not Joe Biden talks too much (answer: he does). I will admit that I do not remember every question I spoke on last year, but I do remember being challenged round after round. Your knowledge of both national and international topics will be tested, so please, do not put off reading until the night before Round 1. These questions will dig deep and expect that you’ve been keeping up with the news. The only bulletproof piece of advice I can give here is to a) read, read, read and b) go back and make sure you can answer a good majority of Logan’s questions for IX and NX over the past month or so.
…a judging pool that knows what its doing. A good majority of my judges last year were GMU team members and coaches. Most of them are up to date on current events and know extemp. Obviously, you should never BS your way through a speech, but if you do, know that these guys will catch you, drop you, and make you famous. Make sure to cite reasonable sources; CNN and GlennBeck.com will not pass here. Show that you not only know how to analyze a topic, but that you can also deeply analyze your sources and authors. As a disclaimer, you should know that not every single one of your judges will be affiliated with George Mason. You will get coaches from various schools, hired judges, and yes, possibly even parents. That being said, the same standards should apply to all; make your speech smart, funny, analytical, and deep for any audience you draw.
…an ordered prep room. GMU team members will run the prep room. And because the people that run prep know what prep is, have been competing in extemp, and possibly have experience with noticing fellow competitors engage in unethical conduct, you should be on your best behavior! Throughout my career, I witnessed quite a few instances of people breaking the rules for no good reason. Please, please – don’t be that person who gets their team kicked out of a tournament. Then, all you’ll have to show for the trip to GMU will be a $5 lousy, tourist-y Washington D.C. t-shirt.
Now, because you are a good extemper and read Extemp Central, you can honestly expect a fantastic prep experience. Rules are laid out very clearly before draw and there are always people willing to help you with logistics, codes…etc. The coolest thing about prep at GMU (and I hope they bring this back this year) is an innovation that I first saw at the TOC in 2007: virtual online stopwatches projected onto a giant screen so every speaker knows how much time s/he has left!
…a well oiled machine. The Patriot Games team knows how to run a tournament. My experience last year (as well as the year before) left me very impressed. Rounds were on time, the tournament staff was very helpful, and food was in good supply. I cannot predict what will happen this year, but even if slight hiccups occur, I know that the always-dedicated staff will be working on the problem.
So, there you go! A few minor tidbits about what makes the Patriot Games Classic such a…classic! This is one tournament that is truly set apart from the rest because of what happens behind the scenes. However, I still believe that what you will be able to experience and see outside of the competition venue is extremely important. After all, tournaments are also about bonding and having fun! One of the big draws of George Mason as a tournament and a college destination is its proximity to Washington D.C., the most important city in the world where nothing gets done. Now that I am a “resident” of D.C., I can claim to know a bit more about the city. Therefore, here are a few suggestions and tips:
– Fly into Dulles International Airport! Washington National (Reagan) is great, but Dulles is way closer to GMU and is generally considered to be a more flexible, better run airport. If you fly into Washington National or BWI (in Maryland), expect a much longer commute. Also, BWI and Reagan are said to be fully equipped with those new “full body scanners”! Dulles is still slowly phasing them into select terminals. If that is of concern to you, or if you really really really want to experience the new “enhanced pat-downs” in a private room, take that into consideration.
– Fly with Virgin America! No, this is not a shameless plug for my favorite airline that features free TV on board, mood lighting, superb customer service (that once allowed me to check in extemp tubs for free), good rates, and (from now until mid-January) FREE WI-FI! Okay, this is a shameless plug…but really…FLY VA!
– Be Dressed, Ready to Walk! No trip to D.C. is complete without visiting all the monuments (and the White House)! Be warned, however, that the weather will be very cold in early December. For a California kid like me, D.C. winters are freezing. For my good friends from states like Iowa, D.C. winters are an extended summer. Wherever you are from, be ready for the cold!
When you visit the monuments, be ready to walk long distances. The march from the WWII Memorial to the Lincoln is longer than it seems. If you want to visit FDR’s or Jefferson’s Memorial, you’ll essentially get a day’s worth of exercise in! Be sure to grab a map and plan your trip accordingly. (But believe me, any walk is worth it!)
– If you are on an escalator, especially on the Metro (subway), stand on the right side if you want to ride the escalator up or down and let people who want to walk move on the left side. I’ve figured out that this is a huge pet peeve of D.C. natives. So…respect it! J
– Speaking of the Metro…(and remember, its called the Metro! D.C. residents hate the term “subway” for whatever reason…maybe they all had a bad experience at the sandwich shop) Take it whenever you can! Fares are cheap and it’s the easiest way to explore D.C. Lines are open late on the weekends!
– Cool Places to Eat include… Good Stuff Eatery, We The Pizza, Ben’s Chili Bowl, Mandu, Kramer’s (Afterwords), Mai Thai, and countless others…check Yelp for complete listings!
I hope that everybody has a blast at GMU! I’ll be at the tournament all weekend, so find me if you want to chat! I would like to thank Logan for giving me this opportunity to join the ranks of my good friends Rohan, Aaron, Shahid, and Steven (HEY GUYS!) who have all provided fantastic tournament previews.
Good luck to all! Speak on!
Oscar Wang
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