2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race: New Standings Released to Reflect the George Mason University Patriot Games & University of Texas Longhorn Classic!

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On December 9, 2021

In National Points Race

Updated standings for the 2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race have been posted!  You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.

The new standings reflect the results of the George Mason University Patriot Games, a third tier event, and the University of Texas Longhorn Classic, a fourth tier event.

These standings are the final ones for first semester and the National Points Race will resume at the Sunvitational in early January.

2021 University of Texas Longhorn Classic: Roberts Impresses in IX; Letterer Earns Narrow Victory over Ittycheria in USX

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On December 9, 2021

In National Circuit Results

Last weekend’s the University of Texas at Austin played host to the 24th Annual Longhorn Classic Tournament, which took place in person after the COVID-19 pandemic forced last year’s tournament to be online. The tournament allowed extempers to double in International and United States Extemp but no one managed to win both as #5 Cameron Roberts of Jack C. Hays High School (TX) and #16 Kyle Letterer of Plano West Senior High School (TX) split the titles.

Roberts dominated the International Extemp final, winning all three first place ranks available, and cruising to a five-rank victory over a bevy of Plano West extempers that were led by Phoena Lin. This marks Roberts’ first National Points Race win of the season in four opportunities.

In United States Extemp, Letterer enjoyed a narrow one-rank victory over Meghna Ittycheria of Lake Travis High School (TX) and also won his first National Points Race tournament of the season. Lin finished third, which made her the most consistent extemper at the tournament across both categories.

Other notable finishes at the Longhorn included a semi-finalist showing in United States Extemp for #2 McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ), who also reached the quarter-final round of International Extemp, a semi-finalist finish by #8 Charles Hou of Plano West in United States Extemp, and semi-finalist placings by #14 Gabriel Bo of Plano West in each extemp category.

The Longhorn Classic is a fourth tier tournament in the National Points Race, so all extempers who reached the semi-final round and beyond will earn points. So as to avoid double counting, Extemp Central will give points to an extemper’s highest finish across the two categories.

All quarter-finalists at the Longhorn receive a bid to the Extemp Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University, while all semi-finalists will receive a bid to the University of Kentucky TOC in each category because the Longhorn attracted seventy-two extempers in International Extemp and eighty-seven in United States Extemp.

Here are the results of the 2021 University of Texas Longhorn Classic (Click here for tab sheet):

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of December 6-12, 2021

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On December 8, 2021

In Quiz

Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

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2021 George Mason University Patriot Games: Kind Closes First Half of the Season With a Third Straight Victory; Solon High School Nets Another Strong Finish

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On December 7, 2021

In National Circuit Results

First semester tournaments have been kind to National Points Race leader Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory School (FL) whose momentum continued at last weekend’s George Mason University Patriot Games, hosted in an online setting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kind won his fourth major national circuit event of the season – and third in a row – against a final round field that included three other top ten extempers, although none of those competitors finished second as unranked Olivia Wetzel of Whitmer High School (OH) took second place.

With the win, Kind becomes the first extemper from Florida to win the George Mason Patriot Games since 2015, when Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School captured the championship.

Dev Ahuja of Solon High School (OH), who came into George Mason ranked third, finished in that same position when the competition was over. George Mason is the third time this semester that Ahuja has reached the final round of a National Points Race event. Teammate Vikram Sundaram, who is ranked eighth in the nation, finished fifth.

Seventh ranked Marc Zavarro of Western High School (FL) also notched a third National Points Race final, finishing fifth.

Isabel Brittin of the Potomac School (VA) rounded out the final round with a sixth place finish.

George Mason counts as a third tier tournament in the National Points Race, so all competitors who reached the quarter-final round will earn points. All quarter-finalists will also receive a bid to the Extemp Tournament of Champions (TOC). Since the tournament attracted a smaller field than normal, with only forty-three competitors participating, all finalists will receive a bid to the University of Kentucky TOC.

Here are the results from the 2021 George Mason University Patriot Games (Click here for tab sheet):

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 6-12, 2021

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On December 6, 2021

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. If Russia invades Ukraine, should China invade Taiwan?
2. Should Great Britain allow Scotland to hold another independence referendum?
3. Will Eric Zemmour be Macron’s runoff challenger in the next French presidential election?
4. How can Xiomara Castro improve Honduran democracy?
5. Did the BJP err by repealing India’s farm laws?
6. Will international powers fail to reach an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program?
7. Does Sudan’s military have too much control over the nation’s political transition?
8. Will Silvio Berlusconi become the next president of Italy?
9. Has Africa become the battleground of the West’s emerging rivalry with China?
10. Five years on, has Colombia’s peace deal lived up to the hype?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of December 6-12, 2021

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On December 6, 2021

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. To what extent should the United States defend Ukraine’s territorial integrity?
2. Is President Biden responsible for Vice President Harris’ poor poll numbers?
3. Are existing discipline guidelines making America’s schools less safe?
4. Will the omicron variant doom Democratic efforts to keep control of Congress in 2022?
5. What should the Biden administration do if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade?
6. Will Major League Baseball’s owners reach a new labor agreement with the players’ union by spring training?
7. Can Dr. Oz win Pennsylvania’s Senate seat?
8. Will a reduction of the Fed’s quantitative-easing program substantially lower inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy?
9. What role should the U.S. federal government play in fixing lead pipes throughout the country?
10. Will Stacey Abrams win Georgia’s governorship next year?

R&D from Prepd: The Omicron Variant

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On December 3, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D, U.S. Extemp

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers the omicron variant of COVID-19.  First discovered in South Africa, the variant is still under study and as of the time of this R&D’s creation, a handful of cases have been identified in the United States.  There are fears that the new variant might infected vaccinated individuals and be more contagious than the delta variant from India.

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NSDA National Champion Interview with Pranav Pattatathunaduvil

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On December 2, 2021

In Interviews

Pranav Pattatathunaduvil attended Plano West Senior High School in Plano, Texas. He was the 2021 NSDA National Champion in International Extemp, 2020 Champion of the Glenbrooks in Domestic Extemp, and runner-up at the 2021 Montgomery Bell Academy Round Robin, 2020 Harvard Invitational, and 2020 Tournament of Champions (TOC). He is currently a freshman at Yale University, studying Global Affairs and Economics.

Pranav graciously agreed to talk with Extemp Central about his career, sharing his thoughts on navigating the wild 2020-2021 national circuit season and the people who helped him along the way.

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Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of November 29-December 5, 2021

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On December 1, 2021

In Quiz

Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of November 29-December 5, 2021

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On November 29, 2021

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Will the omicron variant cause a new wave of COVID lockdowns in the U.S.?
2. How can the Biden administration convince Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema to vote for the Build Back Better Act?
3. What explains the decline of college enrollment in the U.S.?
4. Are equity policies doing greater harm or good to the groups they are intending to help?
5. Does the U.S. still have a role to play in Afghanistan?
6. Has the Biden administration done enough to help organized labor?
7. Will the release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve lower gasoline prices over the long-term?
8. How can California cities best prevent “smash-and-grab” thefts?
9. Does the U.S. need to do more to weaken kleptocracies across Latin America?
10. How can Glenn Youngkin position himself for higher office after his term ends in 2025?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 29-December 5, 2021

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On November 29, 2021

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Does China have too much influence over the WHO?
2. Are travel restrictions an effective tool in the fight against COVID variants?
3. Will cryptocurrency mining harm global efforts to mitigate climate change?
4. Should France grant autonomy to Guadeloupe?
5. Are the energy goals for Germany set by the Green Party unrealistic?
6. Should OPEC increase oil production?
7. Is the threat of a coup growing in Burkina Faso?
8. How can the Mexican government get criminal cartels under control?
9. Should Spain make changes to its Citizens Security Law?
10. Are Western efforts to ban arms sales to Myanmar’s military counterproductive?

R&D from Prepd: Chile’s Presidential Election

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On November 26, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers the Chilean presidential election.  Last Sunday the country voted in the first round of its presidential poll and right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast and left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric advanced to a runoff as neither won more than 50% of the vote.  The runoff will take place on December 19 and, as noted in this week’s quiz, the winner will inherit a messy social and economic situation as Chile is still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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National Circuit News: Date for the 2022 Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin Changes to March 4-6, 2022

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On November 25, 2021

In MBA Coverage, National Circuit News

Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin tournament director Adam Johnson would like to inform the extemp community that the dates for the 2022 Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin have changed.

The original tournament was scheduled for January 8-10, but has now been changed to March 4-6 in order to have more planning time.  The tournament will take place in person this year and will not be done virtually or in a hybrid setup.

Johnson has informed us that invites for the tournament will go out soon, so the selection process will not be altered by the later date.

2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race: New Standings Released to Reflect the Glenbrooks!

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On November 25, 2021

In National Points Race

Updated standings for the 2021-2022 Extemp Central National Points Race have been posted!  You can find them by clicking on the “National Points Race” tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.

The new standings reflect the results of the Glenbrooks, the season’s first third tier event.  Next week will feature two National Points Race competitions, the last of the first semester.  These will be the George Mason Patriot Games and the University of Texas Longhorn Classic.  George Mason will be an asynchronous event and a third tier tournament while the Longhorn Classic will be a fourth tier event occurring in person.

Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of November 22-28, 2021

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On November 24, 2021

In Quiz

Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

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