Extemp Central

The 2021-2022 National Points Race resumed at the New York City Invitational last weekend, taking place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixty-nine extempers competed, representing a diverse field that stretched from coast-to-coast.

McKinley Paltzik of Phoenix Country Day School (AZ), this year’s Yale champion and the number two ranked extemper in the National Points Race, won the tournament, defeating last year’s CFL national champion Ananth Veluvali of Edina High School (MN). Paltzik and Veluvali were tied at the conclusion of the cumulative tournament, but Paltzik won the tiebreaker on final round ranks fourteen to seventeen to take the title.

National Points Race leader Daniel Kind of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) reached a third final round in as many National Points Race tournaments, placing third, three ranks behind Paltzik and Veluvali. This finish will help Kind retain the leadership of the National Points Race.

Peter Alisky of Smoky Hill High School (CO) reached a second National Points Race tournament final round, placing fourth overall. Alisky finished second in the final round behind Paltzik.

The state of Texas kept rolling nationally as some familiar names reached the final round. Cameron Roberts of Jack C. Hays High School, who placed fourth at Yale several weeks ago, finished fifth. Roberts ended up one cumulative rank ahead of Charles Hou of Plano West Senior High School, who finished ahead of Roberts at Yale.

Other notables competed but fell short of the final round. Dev Ahuja of Solon High School (OH), ranked seventh in the National Points Race, reached the semi-finals before bowing out. Marc Zavarro of Western High School (FL), who won the Nova Titan Invitational two weeks ago, reached the quarter-final round.

Although it is not a qualifier for the Extemp TOC, the New York City Invitational is a qualifier for the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) in April. Based on the number of entries, all participants in the final round earn a qualifying leg for that event.

The next major National Points Race event will take place in two weeks online when the University of Florida hosts the Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament. That tournament, like New York City, will be a fifth tier event.

Here are the results of the 2021 New York City Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):

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