Extemp Central

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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1. Are global politics moving in a more leftist direction?
2. What can Southern European nations do to revive flagging birthrates?
3. Should Saudi Arabia seek a rapprochement with Syria?
4. Will the Qosh Tepa Canal lead to greater regional conflict in Central Asia?
5. Is South Africa making a mistake by forming closer ties to Russia and China?
6. What reforms do Latin American nations need to make to their prisons?
7. Is it in Russia’s best interest to get into a new nuclear arms race with the West?
8. Should the Iranian government sacrifie its nuclear program in exchange for a reduction of Western sanctions?
9. Will growing debt problems in the developing world create a global economic crisis?
10. Could Chinese weapons assistance make Russia turn the tide in Ukraine?

1. If President Biden runs for re-election, will he face a significant primary challenge?
2. Would a significant breakdown of globalization make American inflation worse?
3. Who will win the Chicago mayoral election?
4. Should there be an expansion of the Medicaid program?
5. Is the Democratic brand “damaged” with blue collar workers?
6. Will the federal government have to do more work beyond Biden’s infrastructure bill to help the adoption of electric vehicles?
7. Would it be a mistake for the U.S. to give fighter jets to Ukraine?
8. Is the U.S. in a new nuclear arms race with Russia?
9. Should states prioritize teacher recruitment or teacher retention?
10. Is gun violence in the U.S. a public health problem?

For the first time in three seasons Harvard held its National Forensics Tournament in person. The switch did not dampen numbers. In fact, the opposite occurred as 232 extempers entered this year’s tournament, 58 more than the previous edition.

#1 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ) continued her undefeated march through the season, defeating an impressive cadre of extempers to become the first Arizona extemper to win Harvard since Bill McDonald of Brophy College Preparatory did it in 2012. Her win also ends a two-year winning streak at the tournament by the state of Florida.

#6 Sruti Peddi of BASIS Scottsdale (AZ) did not make Paltzik’s road to the title easy, coming within two ranks of dethroning her in the championship round. Paltzik and Peddi each earned two first place ranks from the final round panel’s five judges but Paltzik’s ability to capture two second place ranks versus Peddi’s one proved decisive.

Paltzik and Peddi put some distance between themselves and the rest of the round as Amy Cao of Ridge High School (NJ) and #5 Phoena Lin of Plano West Senior High School (TX) ended up seven ranks behind them. Cao and Lin tied for third with a final round total of 18 ranks. Cao won the first tiebreaker, judges’ preference, three to two.

#21 Kevin Li of Ridge High School (NJ) reached his third National Points Race final round of the year and finished fifth, five ranks behind Cao and Lin.

George Mason University Patriot Games winner Taylor Burris of the Potomac School (VA) was the sixth place finisher.

Several extempers in the top 25 of the National Points Race had their Harvard runs cut short of the final round. #3 Kyle Letterer and #4 Gabriel Bo of Plano West were eliminated in semi-finals, with Letterer dropping to Cai in a judges’ preference tiebreaker. #12 Siddharth Sudhakar of Nova High School (FL) and #17 Tyler Crivella of Seven Lakes High School (TX) went out in quarter-finals. And #7 Jonathan Tubb of St. Mary’s Hall (TX) was eliminated in octa-finals.

All of those who reached elimination rounds at Harvard will earn National Points Race points since the event is a second tier tournament. Paltzik will receive 150 points for her victory, her second at a second tier event this season.

In terms of TOC qualifications, all extempers who reached the quarter-final round earn a bid leg to the Extemp TOC at Northwestern University and the University of Kentucky TOC.

Here are the results of the 2023 Harvard National Forensics Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

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The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) held its State Speech Final last weekend in Peoria, Illinois. In a close final round, Luke Fosdick of Neuqua Valley High School scored an upset victory over #8 Pierce McDade of Normal University School and defending state champion Ajay Gupta of Hinsdale Central High School.

After a competitor’s high and low rank in finals was dropped, Fosdick’s scores of 2-2-2 were enough to defeat McDade’s 1-2-4 tally and Gupta’s 1-3-4 showing.

David Izzo of York Community High School and Hugo Pletcher of Downers Grove South High School tied for fourth with a composite score of 13. However, Izzo won the judges’ preference tiebreaker 3-2.

Avani Rai of Normal Community High School finished sixth.

Fosdick is the first Neuqua Valley winner since Saumya Jain won the title as part of a unique three-way tie at the Illinois State Speech Final in 2014.

All of the finalists earn an automatic qualification to this year’s Extemp TOC at Northwestern University.

Here are the results of the Illinois High School Association State Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):

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1. Should Senator Tim Scott seek the Republican presidential nomination?
2. Is the federal government mishandling the Ohio toxic train derailment?
3. Do rising auto loan delinquencies indicate that the U.S. economy is in trouble?
4. Should standardized testing requirements for public schools be eliminated?
5. Why does the percentage of the American workforce that is unionized continue to decline?
6. Should there be federal regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI)?
7. What should the U.S. do if China provides lethal supplies to Russia in Ukraine?
8. Should qualified immunity for police officers be abolished?
9. How would an upending of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act affect the operations of online companies?
10. Should there be an age-based competency test to be a federal officeholder?

1. Will anyone be held accountable for crimes against humanity in the Russo-Ukrainian War?
2. Can the UN create an effective ocean’s treaty?
3. Will North Korea’s increased missile tests ignite an arms race in Asia?
4. Is Russia trying to destabilize Moldova?
5. Who will win Nigeria’s presidential election?
6. How will the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon affect the Scottish independence movement?
7. Are South Asian nations doing enough to combat air pollution?
8. How can South American nations improve the lives of indigenous peoples?
9. Are Israel’s proposed legal reforms a significant threat to the nation’s democracy?
10. Will leftist battles with central bank authorities throughout Latin America undermine the region’s economic potential?