Extemp Central

1. Should Uganda be sanctioned over its anti-LGBTQ+ bill?
2. What is the best way to hold those who committed war crimes in the Tigray War accountable?
3. Is the expulusion of Rahul Gandhi from the Indian Parliament a devastating blow to the Indian National Congress Party?
4. How can Brazil save the Yanomami group?
5. Will there be a major war in the Pacific in the next decade?
6. Twenty years after the U.S. invasion, is Iraq better off?
7. Does Iran’s economic future run through Central Asia?
8. What can the EU do to help Kosovo and Serbia normalize relations?
9. Does Israel need a written constitution?
10. Is the U.S.-Canada asylum agreement a win for Trudeau’s government?

1. Will the U.S.-Canada asylum agreement significantly reduce migrant flows into each nation?
2. Should Congress pass the Parents Bill of Rights Act?
3. Would a TikTok ban be unconstitutional?
4. Should parental consent be required for minors to use social media?
5. Is current federal monetary policy and fiscal policy in conflict with each other?
6. What should the U.S. do if Russia puts tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus?
7. How should U.S. schools handle chronically violent students?
8. Is the U.S. prepared for a war in the Pacific?
9. What impact will the repeal of Michigan’s “right-to-work” law have on the state economy?
10. Is firing squad a constitutionally permissible form of capital punishment?

1. How can GOP presidential rivals exploit Donald Trump’s legal woes to their advantage?
2. Should U.S. policymakers encourage Ukraine to take back Crimea?
3. Why has the U.S. failed to create peace in the Middle East?
4. Was the Silicon Valley Bank bailout warranted?
5. Should the U.S. restaurant industry adopt a surge pricing model?
6. Will President Biden’s recent pivot to the middle on various social issues spark a progressive primary challenge?
7. Should social media companies be held liable for damages to the mental health of younger users?
8. Is the U.S. economy becoming less capitalistic?
9. Should the FDIC insure all deposits regardless of size?
10. Will the Dominion lawsuit lead to the end of Fox News?

1. Did Macron err by unilaterally imposing French pension reform?
2. Are the chances of a war between Greece and Turkey rising?
3. Is El Salvador taking the wrong approach to reduce its violent crime rate?
4. What impact are rising U.S. interest rates having on the global economy?
5. Have there been enough international efforts to prevent an arms race in space?
6. Has Rishi Sunak changed the fortunes of Britain’s Conservative Party?
7. Can the EU’s recent accord with Serbia and Kosovo stabilize the Balkans?
8. Should Western intervention in the Syrian Civil War cease?
9. How effective will be AUKUS alliance be in checking China’s ambitions in the Pacific?
10. Who is the current frontrunner in Mexico’s presidential election?

1. Does NATO need Turkey?
2. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, what’s next?
3. Could a global carbon price system defeat climate change?
4. Is crime becoming Latin America’s biggest concern?
5. What is the significance of the Iran-Saudi Arabia accord for the Middle Eastern region?
6. Is China better positioned to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute than the United States?
7. What is the biggest challenge facing Mercosur?
8. Will the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank imperil the global financial system?
9. Does the defeat of Georgia’s “foreign-agent bill” strengthen or weaken the country’s bid to join the European Union?
10. Is Gabriel Boric’s presidency falling short of expectations?

1. Does the U.S. need China?
2. Who should lead Senate Republicans after Mitch McConnell?
3. Should Congress pass President Biden’s budget?
4. Is it time for the U.S. to join the International Criminal Court?
5. Should the parents of the Newport News school shooter be criminally charged?
6. Will the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank force the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates?
7. Should movie theaters embrace premium pricing?
8. Would a Kari Lake Senate bid ruin GOP hopes of regaining that seat in 2024?
9. Should President Biden approve the Willow Project?
10. What does China’s brokering of the Saudi Arabia-Iran accord illustrate about America’s diplomatic position in the Middle East?

The regular season of the National Points Race wrapped up in Apple Valley, Minnesota two weeks ago when Eastview High School played host to the Star Tribune Eastview Lightning Classic, a fifth tier event to represent the Midwest.

38 competitors entered International Extemp, which was won by Agrim Joshi of Shakopee High School (MN). Joshi took three of the five first place ranks in the final round, defeating Anatasia Koch of Eagan High School (MN) by five ranks. Koch took the other two available first place ranks in the round.

Medihin Daniel of Eagan and Rahu Balaji of Woodbury High School (MN) tied for third place but Daniel beat Balaji on a judges’ preference tiebreaker.

Louise Nguyen of Lakeville North High School (MN) was fifth and Raja Chinnakotla of Edina High School (MN) was sixth.

United States Extemp was much closer. Elisabeth Nielsen of Eastview High School (MN) won the championship against 30 other competitors, winning the final round in a judges’ preference tiebreaker over Srinath Hariharan of Woodbury High School.

Ava Roots of Stillwater Area High School (MN) placed third, two ranks behind Nielsen and Hariharan. She was four ranks clear of fourth place finisher Abiha Kashif of Eagan High School.

Izzy Parker of Woodbury High School finished fifth, one rank behind Kashif, and Darren Tanubrata of Eden Prairie High School (MN) was sixth.

All finalists will receive National Points Race points, with Joshi and Nielsen earning 40 points for their respective wins.

The finalists also earn a bid leg to the 2023 Extemp TOC at Northwestern University. The tournament was not a qualifier for the UK TOC in April.

Here are the results of the 2023 Star Tribune Eastview Lightning Classic (Click here for tab sheet):

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1. How can the U.S. best deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan?
2. Will Marianna Williamson constitute a major primary challenge to President Biden?
3. If he is indicted, do Donald Trump’s re-election aspirations vanish?
4. Have America’s big cities become ungovernable?
5. Should Fox News’ White House press credentials be revoked?
6. Is the U.S. on the verge of another Great Awakening?
7. Should it be illegal for senior executive branch officials to engage in stock trading?
8. What is the best way to save Social Security for future generations?
9. Are proposed anti-drag show laws unconstitutional?
10. Should the U.S. continue working with Kurdish fighters in Syria?

1. Should Britain exit the Brexit?
2. Will growing protests against judicial reforms topple Netanyahu’s government?
3. Is Pakistan’s government doing enough to solve the country’s economic crises?
4. Should India remain part of the BRICS group?
5. Are the world’s problems best solved by regional organizations than multiregional ones?
6. Will Elly Eschlein steer Italy’s Democratic Party further to the left?
7. Should the World Bank focus more on climate change or poverty eradication?
8. Will AMLO’s electoral reforms pass?
9. Should Indonesia become more of a power player in Southeast Asian affairs?
10. Is demographic decline a major threat to Russian national security?

When Harvard held its big national circuit event two weeks ago, the University of California-Berkeley was holding its own, returning to in-person competition after two years of having the tournament take place in a virtual environment.

In the cumulative tournament, Rohit Vakkalagadda of Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) emerged as the winner, outlasting a field of 138 competitors. Vakkalagadda’s victory was narrow as he defeated Nirja Trivedi of Westview High School (CA) by two ranks.

Vakkalagadda’s victory marks the third time in the last five years that Bellarmine College Preparatory has won the event. The last Bellarmine extemper to win was Kush Narang, who captured the 2020 title.

Trivedi won the tournament’s final round, where the top four competitors were separated by one rank. #25 Isaiah Sohn of Redlands High School (CA) placed third and Sophia Gerrans of George Washington High School (CO) finished fourth. Gerrans was the only non-California extemper to make it to the championship round of competition.

In terms of cumulative ranks, which Berkeley tabulates from preliminary rounds until finals, Gordy Sun of the Harker School (CA) finished a mere rank behind Gerrans. Six ranks back of Sun was sixth place finisher Ali Malik of Monta Vista High School (CA). Aadi Chauhan of Bellarmine took seventh.

Due to the large field, the California Invitational broke to octafinals, so competitors reaching the final round had to survive three elimination rounds to make the top seven. #22 Francis Olakangil of Bellarmine made a charge into quarter-finals but dropped there. The same was true of #25 Kashish Priyam of the Harker School. Stanford United States Extemp winner and 2021 California Invitational Champion Michelle Jin of the Harker School dropped in preliminary rounds.

Since the California Invitational is a third tier National Points Race competition, Vakkalagadda will receive 100 points for his victory. Since only the top six in a final round receive finalist points, Chauhan will receive the same points as a semi-finalist for being seventh.

All quarter-finalists at the tournament earned a bid leg to the 2023 Extemp TOC at Northwestern University. The same is true for the University of Kentucky TOC in April.

Here were the results of the 2023 California Invitational at Berkeley (Click here for tab sheet):

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