1. Does the European Union need an army?
2. Has Brazil effectively handled the aftermath of its January 8, 2023 protests?
3. Does the United Kingdom need to adopt more effective knife control?
4. What impact will the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance have on German politics?
5. Will Ecuador’s war on gangs create greater migrant flows to North America?
6. Should Iraq push for the removal of U.S. military forces?
7. Which election in 2024 is the most significant for the international community?
8. What impact will the election of Lai Ching-te have on Sino-Taiwanese relations?
9. Is diplomacy a better option for stopping Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping?
10. What is the right way for the world to regulate AI?
1. Is there a Biden doctrine for U.S. foreign policy?
2. How will the Labor Department’s new rules affect the gig economy?
3. Is Liz Cheney having any effect on Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy?
4. How should U.S. localities handle demands for reparations?
5. Would a Haley victory in the New Hampshire primary “reset” the GOP race?
6. Will the rise of ads on streaming services create a new boom for the cable industry?
7. How will Chris Christie’s exit affect the Republican presidential primary?
8. Should members of Congress be given a raise?
9. How much longer should the U.S. allow Israeli operations in Gaza continue?
10. Should the U.S. welcome the election of Lai Ching-te to the Taiwanese presidency?
Updated standings for the 2023-2024 Extemp Central National Points Race have been released. Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.
The new standings feature another shakeup of the top ten after the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin.
The next National Points Race competition will take place this weekend in Union City, California as James Logan High School hosts its MLK Invitational. For the first time the MLK will be a fourth tier event, awarding 70 points to the winners of International and United States Extemp.
The first major tournmament of the season, the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, took place last weekend on the campus of Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee. The tournament is one the most prestigious on the calendar as sixteen of the nation’s best extempers are invited to compete each year.
As expected, this year’s tournament went down to the wire. #13 April Zhang of Neuqua Valley High School High School (IL) became the first extemper from her state to win the Round Robin, defeating #3 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) by two ranks. Peddi made a spirited charge over the last two rounds of the tournament, collecting four first place ranks from six judges. However, Zhang never earned a rank lower than a two over those last two rounds, blunting Peddi’s momentum.
It was the second National Points Race top six placing for Zhang this year after finishing runner-up at the Yale Invitational.
#17 Rohit Vakkalagadda of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) was the tournament’s third place finisher. After a rough start in the tournament, Vakkalagadda found his footing and tore through the last three rounds of the tournament with six first place ranks. He “picket fenced” his eighth and ninth rounds but was not able to do so in round ten. In the last round his cumulative score was eight ranks and that prevented him from winning the title.
Meghana Kunapareddy of Tompkins High School (TX) was unranked going into the Round Robin but will be after earning a fourth place finish. Kunapareddy tied Vakkalagadda’s cumulative score of 60 ranks at the end of the tournament but lost out on a standard deviation and reciprocal tiebreaker.
National Points Race leader Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) took fifth, nestled in his own spot with 67 ranks between Kunapareddy and #4 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA). Zhang finished three ranks ahead of Cheng.
What made this year’s Round Robin unique compared with past edition is that the top six was made up of extempers who did not place in the top six at the previous year’s tournament.
At the award’s ceremony, Dr. Steve Moss and Sandip Gupta, who have judged and assisted in prior Round Robins were recognized as honorary participants of the tournament. This is the first time that honor was bestowed.
April Zhang will earn 150 points for winning the season’s first major tournament. All of the extempers who placed in the top six, which were recognized at MBA’s award ceremony, will receive National Points Race points. Due to the fact that the old Round Robin rules advanced the top five to an Exhibition Round, the top five will receive credit for “finaling,” which could become useful in tiebreakers near the end of the season.
Here are the results of the 2024 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin:
Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz!
1. Is the U.S. doing enough to protect trade in the Red Sea?
2. Does the National Rifle Association still have significant political influence?
3. What characteristics should Harvard University look for in its next president?
4. Is Detroit in the midst of a comeback?
5. Should Clarence Thomas recuse himself from President Trump’s ballot eligiblity case?
6. Will New York City’s lawsuit against Texas bus companies thwart Greg Abbott’s migrant policy?
7. How can the U.S. make its elections more secure?
8. Should states tighten their school truancy rules?
9. Is Barack Obama still the leader of the Democratic Party?
10. Should Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin resign?
1. Is Justin Trudeau serving his last term as Canadian prime minister?
2. What reforms does Britain need to make to its power grid?
3. Will autocratic regimes be able to control AI like they have the Internet?
4. Is the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty?
5. Will the Palestinian Authority govern Gaza after the Israel-Hamas War?
6. Has the Russo-Ukrainian War become a stalemate?
7. How should Iran respond to ISIS’ recent attack on Kerman?
8. Will Tshisekedi’s victory increase tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda?
9. Should Israel expand its ongoing war to include Hezbollah?
10. Is it in Mexico’s best interest to work with the United States to curb migrant flows?
Here is the first Extemp Central news quiz for 2024. Good luck!
1. Are Xi Jinping’s purges of China’s senior military officers weakening the People’s Liberation Army?
2. What was the biggest global news story of 2023?
3. Is the UNIFIL failing to fulfill its mission in Lebanon?
4. What could long-term disruptions of shipping in the Red Sea do to the Egyptian economy?
5. Has Israel mismanaged its war against Hamas?
6. Will Germany’s coalition government survive 2024?
7. What strategic pivots should Ukraine make in its war with Russia?
8. Will the Democratic Republic of Congo’s recent presidential election worsen the country’s instability?
9. What should Chile do after the rejection of a second constitutional draft?
10. Has World War III already begun?
1. Will the Supreme Court overrule state decisions to keep Donald Trump off the presidential ballot for 2024?
2. Would the removal of Donald Trump from presidential ballots make the 2024 presidential election illegitimate?
3. Why was 2023 such a great year for the American stock market?
4. Is U.S. military spending too high to meet the new demands of 21st century warfare?
5. What was the biggest news story of 2023?
6. Will U.S. military operations to protect Red Sea trade expand the Israeli-Hamas war?
7. Should New York City and Chicago revoke their “sanctuary city” status?
8. Is Texas’ migrant arrest law unconstitutional?
9. Should Ron DeSantis end his presidential campaign?
10. What is the best way for the U.S. to build a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles?
Updated standings for the 2023-2024 Extemp Central National Points Race have been released. Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.
The new standings, which reflect the results of the University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Classic and the George Mason University Patriot Games, have a new leader and a lot of new names in the top 25.
The next National Points Race competition will be the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, taking place during the first weekend of January in Nashville, Tennessee. As of right now, nine of the top ten competitors in the National Points Race will be attending that tournament. MBA is a second tier tournament and will award 150 points to the winner.
This year was the silver anniversary of the University of Texas-Austin’s Longhorn Classic. Held on December 1-3, the tournament drew a wide field of extempers from Texas, Louisana, Utah, California, and Florida.
In International Extemp, Katherine Lee retained the title for Plano West Senior High School (TX), beating #6 Brandon Cheng of Flintridge Preparatory School (CA) by three ranks. Lee’s is the fourth Plano West extemper to win the Longhorn Classic’s International Extemp title since 2019. She was also the only extemper at the tournament to final in both extemp categories, taking fifth in United States Extemp.
Cheng was appearing in his third National Points Race final round of the season. He last appeared in a National Points Race final at the New York City Invitational in October.
Plano East Senior High School (TX) had two finalists in the International Extemp category. Kate Liu took third and Ishika Kothari took fourth.
Two ranks behind Kothari was Daniel Rupawalla of Tompkins High School (TX). The sixth place finisher was Pranav Kalakuntla of Plano West.
Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX) won the United States Extemp category. Haider tied #4 Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) with a composite of seven at the end of the final round and was awarded the title via judges’ preference 2-1. It was Zhang’s third final round appearance at a National Points Race tournament that he has attended.
Haider’s win broke a three-year winning streak by Plano West Senior High School in the category.
#8 Tyler Crivella of Seven Lakes High School (TX) finished third, two ranks behind Haider and Zhang. Crivella had a path to win with two judges awarding him second place ranks but a fifth place rank from the third final round judge doomed his title hopes. It is the second time that Crivella finished behind Zhang in a National Points Race contest as the two also clashed at the Glenbrooks.
Glenbrooks winner #2 Lishore Kumar of Tomball Memorial High School (TX) placed fourth. Kumar has made three National Points Race final rounds this season.
Sophia Wei of Plano West Senior High School (TX) reached her first National Points Race final round of the season, taking sixth.
#11 Ronak Patel of American Heritage School – Broward (FL) was in the field as well. He was a semi-finalist in United States Extemp and a quarter-finalist in International Extemp
All of the elimination round participants will earn National Points Race points because the Longhorn Classic was a third tier event for the first time. Lee and Haider will be awarded 100 points for their victories. To avoid double counting, an extemper’s highest finish will be credited for points, so Lee will not receive points for her finish in United States Extemp.
Here are the results of the 2023 University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Classic (Click here for tab sheet):
Note: This is the last news quiz for the next two weeks. The news quiz will return after the winter holiday on January 3.
Here is this week’s news quiz! Good luck!
George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia hosted 55 extempers for its annual Patriot Games tournament on December 2 and 3. Siri Ural of Shrewsbury High School (MA) denied #14 Taylor Burris‘ attempt to repeat as champion, winning the final round by three ranks to take the title.
Ural is the first extemper from Massachusetts to win the Patriot Games title in seven years. Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy won the championship in 2016.
Burris, who competes for the Potomac School (VA), finished runner-up for the second time at a National Points Race tournament this season. She was runner-up at the Florida Blue Key in October. Burris was also the only final round finisher who is ranked in this year’s National Points Race.
Navya Raju of Ridge High School (NJ) finished third, one rank ahead of Meredith Vorndran of the Potomac School. Vorndran took one of the five available first place ranks in the final round, with the others going to Ural (three) and Burris (one).
Jack Anderson of Lincoln Southwest High School (NE) and Logan Mitchell of Martin County High School (FL) finished further back in the final round. Anderson’s final round composite was 12 ranks behind Vorndran but was enough to beat Mitchell by one rank for fifth.
#3 Amy Cao and #20 Aparna Iyer of Ridge High School (NJ) were in the field but dropped in quarter-finals.
All of the finalists earn National Points Race points as the Patriot Games is a fifth tier tournament. Ural will receive 40 points for winning.
Here are the results of the 2023 George Mason University Patriot Games (Click here for tab sheet):
Note: These will be the last questions for two weeks due to the winter holiday. New questions will be posted on January 1, 2024.
1. Did Ron DeSantis improve his presidential hopes in his debate with Gavin Newsom?
2. Have academic standards become too low in American schools?
3. Should Alaska Airlines be allowed to merge with Hawaiian Airlines?
4. Why are Democratic attacks warning of Donald Trump’s threat to democracy failing to resonate with voters?
5. Should media outlets use AI to write stories?
6. What must the U.S. do to contain jihadist violence in West Africa?
7. Are Vivek Ramaswamy’s attacks on Nikki Haley sexist?
8. If New York City Mayor Eric Adams is indicted in an FBI probe, should he resign?
9. Does the Biden administration need to rethink its Ukraine strategy?
10. Should the next healthcare reform focus on better mental health coverage?