Extemp Central

The National Points Race resumed on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville last weekend for the 40th edition of the Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament. 76 extempers from eight states battled it out over three days of competition, which included five preliminary rounds and three elimination rounds.

Charlotte Reitman of the University School (FL) won her second career National Points Race tournament, edging out last year’s George Mason University Patriot Games winner Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA) by one rank.

Burris was a sixth place finisher in last year’s Blue Key.

The three-judge panel for finals each gave their first place ranking to different competitors and rarely agreed, creating a situation where all of the final round competitors from Reitman to sixth place finisher Chloe Leng of the Hawken School (OH) were separated by one rank.

#9 Ronak Patel of the American Heritage School – Broward (FL) was the only ranked extemper to reach the Blue Key final round. Patel placed fourth.

Third place was earned by Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) and fifth place was awarded to Kate Liu of Plano East Senior High School (TX).

#5 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) was in the field but dropped in quarter-finals. Cheng was trying to get back to finals as he placed third at last year’s event.

Siddharth Sudhakar of Nova High School (FL), who finished fourth last year, was also eliminated in the quarter-final round.

All of the extempers who reached the final round will earn National Points Race points. Since Blue Key was a fifth tier tournament, Reitman will earn 40 points for her win. New standings will be posted on our website this weekend.

Here are the results of the 2023 Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

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The season’s third National Points Race tournament took place last weekend in New York City when the Bronx High School of Science hosted its annual New York City Invitational. 53 extempers attended this year’s competition, which was won by Eshaal Ubaid of Stuyvesant High School (NY).

The tournament was cumulative from preliminary rounds through the final round, which cost #5 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) a victory. Ubaid won the cumulative assessment of the tournament by one rank but Cheng won the final round by five ranks.

This is the second runner-up finish for Cheng at a National Points Race tournament this season as he finished runner-up at the University of Kentucky National Speech and Debate Season Opener last month.

Third place was earned by Charlotte Reitman of the University School (FL), who finished two ranks behind Ubaid. Reitman was one of the top seeds after preliminary rounds. She finished 18th in the National Points Race last season and this was her first National Points Race earning performance of the year.

Lishore Kumar of Tumball Memorial High School (TX) finished fourth and Valerie Gu of Milton Academy (MA) placed fifth. Kumar finished ahead of Gu by one rank.

#8 Akshaya Karanam of Mount Saint Mary Academy (NJ), who finished sixth at the Yale Invitational, took the same placing at this tournament.

Since the New York City Invitational was a fifth tier event, all of the extempers that reached the final round earned points. Ubaid earns 40 points for winning.

An update to the National Points Race will occur after the Florida Blue Key as New York City Invitational produced little movement in the standings.

Here are the results of the 2023 New York City Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

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