1. Has Kamala Harris become the Democratic Party’s frontrunner for 2020?
2. Will there be another government shutdown by the spring?
3. Did the Covington Catholic episode deal another blow to the credibility of America’s mainstream media outlets?
4. How involved should the U.S. be in Venezuela’s ongoing political struggle?
5. Does the world need American leadership?
6. If Taiwan were attacked by China, how should the U.S. react?
7. Could Pete Buttigieg win the Democratic presidential nomination?
8. Has President Trump been more successful in domestic or foreign policy?
9. Should Harvard end its restrictions on single-sex organizations?
10. How should teachers’ unions respond to growing demands for school choice?
Last weekend James Logan High School in Union City, California hosted its MLK Invitational, the first West Coast tournament in this year’s National Points Race. The tournament usually features a vast array of California competitors with a few out of state extempers sprinkled in and this year one of those extempers, Nikolas Kirk of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ), captured its international extemp championship. Kirk defeated Rubin Roy of Monte Vista High School (CA) by two cumulative ranks, a margin helped by Kirk’s five rank victory in the final round. Nicholas Panyanouvong of James Enochs High School (CA) placed third.
Kirk’s victory was his second at a National Points Race event this season as he was credited with a victory for being the best overall extemper at the University of Texas Longhorn Classic last month. That makes he and Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) as the only extempers with more than one National Points Race victory in 2018-2019. Kirk earned forty points for winning the MLK, moving him into fifth place in the National Points Race.
In the United States Extemp portion of the tournament, Roy triumphed over teammate Arham Habib, who was a semi-finalist at the Glenbrooks in November, by one rank despite losing the final round by six ranks. Habib won the final round with two first place ranks but an errant fourth place rank put him one behind Roy when the cumulative ranks were tallied. Arshia Mehta of Dougherty Valley High School (CA) was the third place finisher.
The top six finishers in each extemp category earned National Points Race points and Roy was credited with a victory in USX, giving him his first points of the season. However, he will not receive points from the IX portion of the tournament to prevent double counting in the standings.
Here are the results of the 2019 James Logan MLK Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):
1. Should Democrats accept President Trump’s compromise to end the government shutdown?
2. Did Beto O’Rourke’s Washington Post interview sink his presidential hopes?
3. Should the U.S. implement economic ideas in keeping with modern monetary theory?
4. Are U.S. corporations too vulernable to higher interest rates?
5. Is it wise for the U.S. to continue its military operations against al-Shabaab?
6. Have scientific developments called Roe v. Wade into question?
7. Has the Democratic Party embraced a neo-liberal foreign policy outlook?
8. Should the U.S. entertain an exit from NATO?
9. How should the Supreme Court rule in Carpenter v. Murphy?
10. Should the FDA ban all e-cigarettes?
1. Can the Democratic Republic of the Congo resolve its electoral impasse?
2. Will China’s persecution of the Uighur’s produce a backlash that will threaten its national security?
3. Have international efforts to create a democratic Africa failed?
4. After her massive defeat in the House of Commons, should Theresa May resign?
5. Is populism holding back Indonesia’s economic growth?
6. Are “the Troubles” returning to Northern Ireland?
7. Should Cuba extradite ELN rebels to Colombia?
8. Is Evo Morales becoming an autocrat?
9. What steps can Mongolia take to better combat corruption?
10. Under what circumstances should the EU admit Serbia?
Last weekend, the NSU University School in Davie, Florida hosted eighty extempers as part of its annual Sunvitational. The tournament is a fourth tier event in the Extemp Central National Points Race due to its regional reputation, and in this year’s competition Joseph Mullen of Cypress Bay High School (FL) demolished the final round, going straight 1’s to secure the championship. Mullen defeated teammates Jose Quinones, Susana Davis, and Tristan Wertanzl in the final round, with Quinones taking second, Davis finishing fourth, and Wertanzl placing fifth.
The only non-Floridian in the final round was Avi Gulati of the Harker School (CA), who placed third.
Marco Munoz of A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts (FL) rounded out the final round field in sixth place.
Mullen will earn seventy points in the National Points Race for his victory and all extempers who finished in the semi-final rounds and beyond will earn points. The biggest mover after the tournament was Quinones, who now occupies the third position in the National Points Race behind Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) and Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA). Updated National Points Race standings will be released near the end of the week.
Here are the results of the 2019 Sunvitational (Click here for tab sheet):
1. Should more Latin American states recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful president?
2. Is Zimbabwe stumbling towards another economic crisis?
3. Should Gulf states seek to rehabilitate Bashar al-Assad?
4. Has the Syrian Civil War bolstered Iran’a position in the Middle East?
5. What will the post-American world economy look like?
6. Is Imran Khan failing to bridge the gap between promises and reality in Pakistan?
7. If Belarus forms a closer relationship with the West, how should Russia react?
8. Should Latin American nations demand reparations from the United States in exchange for stopping migrant caravans?
9. Will recent protests force Omar al-Bashir from power?
10. Is there a West-East split in the EU?
1. Will the government shutdown create a significant fissure between President Trump and the Republican Party?
2. Should the GOP see Rick Scott as a future presidential candidate?
3. Have the Oscars become too political?
4. Can New York City afford its “healthcare for all” initiative?
5. How high should America’s tax rates be?
6. Can the U.S. resolve the Qatar diplomatic crisis?
7. Should America’s divorce laws be overhauled?
8. Could identity politics make it difficult for Democrats to unify for the 2020 presidential election?
9. What legal actions should California take against the Pacific Gas & Electric Company?
10. How can the U.S. best protect its innovation advantage relative to the rest of the world?
Sixteen of the nation’s best extempers, including a good number of the top ten extempers in this year’s Extemp Central National Points Race, converged on Nashville, Tennessee as part of the twenty-first edition of the Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) Extemp Round Robin. The Round Robin features ten rounds of competition with extempers paired off into four rooms of four. The tournament is staggered so that each competitor gets two rounds against another and each round features three minute cross-examination.
When the tournament finished on Sunday evening, reigning National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) United States Extemp National Champion Jacqueline Wei of Plano West Senior High School (TX) defeated National Points Race leader Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) by six ranks. Wei’s victory, her second major championship, keeps the title in Plano as her teammate, Nikhil Ramaswamy, triumphed in last year’s tournament. This is the third time that Plano West has walked away with the Round Robin title, matching Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) and Milton Academy (MA) for the most victories at the prestigious competition.
MBA only recognizes the top six competitors at awards, with the others receiving participation trophies. Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ), who finaled at the Yale Invitational in September, took third, while Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) was credited with her fifth National Points Race final round appearance this season by placing fourth. Nikolas Kirk of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ), who shared first place points in the National Points Race with Vivian Zhao of Plano Senior High School (TX) at the University of Texas Longhorn Classic, was fifth. Yale semi-finalist Jack Silvers of Scarsdale High School (NY) also surprised national circuit observers with a sixth place finish.
Wei will receive 150 points for her victory in the Round Robin, which was the first of three second tier tournaments during the second semester. National Points Race standings will be updated near the end of the week so extempers know where they stand heading into the Sunvitational.
Here are the results of the 2019 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin:
1. Should Democrats seek to implement Ocasio-Cortez’s “Green New Deal”?
2. Will Donald Trump face a serious primary challenge in 2020?
3. Should writers and journalists be forced to sign morality clauses as a condition of employment?
4. Will Nancy Pelosi do a better job controlling her majority than Paul Ryan was able to do during his tenure as Speaker of the House?
5. Are the Kurds America’s best ally in the Middle East?
6. How will the government shutdown be solved?
7. Does President Trump have the legal authority to remove the head of the Federal Reserve?
8. Will Gavin Newsom maintain California’s budget surplus?
9. Should states increase gas taxes?
10. Will the increasing number of streaming services prove to be hurtful to consumers?
1. What is the worst Brexit option?
2. Are neoliberal policies to blame for many of Latin America’s economic woes?
3. Is the world witnessing a new “Scramble for Africa”?
4. Should Europe embrace blasphemy laws?
5. Would a Guyana-Venezuela war lead to downfall of the Maduro regime?
6. Has Europe done a better job guarding against jihadist terrorist attacks?
7. Are ethnic tensions re-emerging in the Balkans?
8. Would greater privatization of state owned assets and industries bolster Brazil’s economy?
9. Is Thailand’s king becoming the political power center of the country?
10. To what degree can international institutions protect the integrity of democratic elections around the world?
The University of Texas-Austin hosted its Longhorn Classic on December 7-10. The tournament attracted its usual Texas-heavy field, with 104 extempers competing in international extemp and 102 extempers competing in United States Extemp.
In International Extemp, Anurima Mummaneni of Westwood High School (TX) defeated Nikolas Kirk of Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) via judges preference when both competitors tied with cumulative scores of eight. Mummaneni captured two first place ranks in the final round, allowing her to avoid a loss when the other judge in the final round gave her sixth place. Angela Wang of Jasper High School (TX) took third.
In United States Extemp, Vivian Zhao of Plano Senior High School (TX) emerged victorious over Pranav Pattatathunaduvil of Jasper High School (TX) by a mere one rank. Zhao did not capture a first place rank in the final round, but her consistency of scores, which included two second place ranks and one third place rank, helped her triumph in a fractured room where no competitor assembled more than one first place score. Mackenzie Matheson of Lake Travis High School (TX) finished third.
Due to the fact that the Longhorn Classic allows extempers to compete in both extemp categories, the scoring system used for Florida Blue Key was used to determine National Points Race points. UT was a fourth tier tournament and when the results of both competitons were assembled, Zhao and Kirk tied for first place. Both competitors will share first and second place points in the National Points Race and the top twelve competitors at the tournament will receive points in the competition.
Here are the results of the 2018 University of Texas Longhorn Classic (Click here for tab sheet):
(Note: We do not have extemp round robin results from this year’s Patriot Games. If you have these results, please send them to us at [email protected])
George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia hosted its 15th Annual Patriot Games Classic on December 1-2. Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) captured three first place scores in the final round to triumph by three ranks over Jose Quinones of Cypress Bay High School (FL), thereby allowing her to also seize control of the National Points Race. She also became the first sophomore to win the tournament and the first Virginia to accomplish the feat since at least 2006.
Cypress Bay extempers appeared in four National Points Race final rounds before the Patriot Games and they nearly doubled that total at the tournament since they took up half of the final round field. In addition to Quinones runner-up finish, Gus Lanz finished third and Blue Key international extemp winner Tristan Wertanzl finished fifth.
Another notable in the final round was Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA). Marks entered the Patriot Games in fourth place in the National Points Race and her tournament result mirrored that placing.
Kishan Gandham of Ridge High School (NJ) rounded out the final round with a sixth place finish. This was his first National Points Race final round appearance for the year.
All of the extempers who cleared to elimination rounds earned National Points Race points. Rollins earned 100 points for her victory because GMU is a third tier tournament. Semi-finalists earned twenty-five points and quarter-finalists earned fifteen points.
Here are the results of the 2018 George Mason University Patriot Games (Click here for tab sheet):
The Glenbrooks, a third tier event in the National Points Race, took place at Glenbrooks North and South High School in Northbrook, Illinois between November 17-19. Brian Zheng of Naperville North High School (IL) used home field advantage to its maximum extent to win the tournament and move into the top spot in the National Points Race. Zheng won by two ranks over Tristan Wertanzl of Cypress Bay High School (FL). Wertanzl won the international extemp portion of the Florida Blue Key several weeks before the Glenbrooks.
Zheng only took one first place rank among the five judges in the final round, but no judge ranked him lower than third. This helped him triumph over Wertanzl who took two first place ranks but also took one fourth and one fifth place rank, thereby hurting his composite score.
Daniel Chao of Kent Denver School (CO) made his first National Points Race final round this year and took third.
The final round had a significant number of other National Points Race notables as Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) finished fourth, Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA) finished fifth, and Jose Quinones of Cypress Bay High School (FL) finished sixth.
All of the competitors who reached elimination rounds earned National Points Race points.
Here are the results of the 2018 Glenbrooks (Click here for tab sheet):
(Note: This is a corrected write up because Blue Key had a tabulation error in IX that altered the original placings)
The University of Florida played host to the 2018 Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament, a fifth tier event in the National Points Race, on October 26-28, 2018. The tournament attracted its usual bevy of Florida extempers, with Kay Rollins of the Potomac School (VA) and Tristan Wertanzl of Cypress Bay High School (FL) winning the United States extemp and international extemp categories, respectively.
Wertanzl was initially announced the tournament’s sixth place finisher in international extemp, but a tabulation error was later uncovered that made him the winner. Rollins ended up winning U.S. Extemp by one rank over Wertanzl’s teammate, Jose Quinones.
Rollins performance was the second time that she reached the final round of a National Points Race event this season, having made the finals of the Yale Invitational in September. The same was true of Brian Zheng of Naperville North High School (IL), who placed fifth in international extemp and third in United States extemp and moved into a tie for second place in the National Points Race with Rollins after this event (although Rollins owned a tiebreaker for having a victory).
Due to the fact that Blue Key had an international and United States extemp portion, competitors were awarded points based on a formula that calculates how well they did across both halves of the competition. This prevents an extemper from earning double points at one tournament. Rollins had the best performance across both categories of any extemper at the tournament and received the forty National Points Race points for the event. Quinones and Zheng were awarded second and third place points. Fourth place points were given to Mo Marks of Theodore Roosevelt High School (IA), who was a semi-finalist in the United States extemp half and was a fourth place finisher in the international extemp portion. Wertanzl got fifth place points as he was a quarter-finalist in the U.S. Extemp portion. Finally, sixth place points ended up as a three way tie between Max Pinkiert of NSU University School (FL), New York City Invitational winner Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL), and Rehan Rupawalla of Tompkins High School (TX). All three of these competitors were semi-finalists in each category.
Here are the results of the 2018 Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):
The second event in the 2018-2019 Extemp Central National Points Race, the New York City Invitational, took place at the Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx on October 12-14. In the cumulative tournament, Juliette Reyes of American Heritage School (FL) defeated Rayhan Murad of Ridge High School (NJ) by one rank. Reyes won the final round by one rank over Murad, which solidified her first national circuit victory of the season. Reyes was a runner-up finisher at the University of Kentucky National Season Opener.
Aside from Reyes, two other Floridians made the final round. Gustavo Lanz of Cypress Bay High School was third and Eli Finkelstein of Trinity Preparatory School was fourth.
Ridge High School also had two competitors in the final round. In addition to Murad’s runner-up finish, James Gao placed fourth.
For winning the tournament, Reyes earned forty points in the National Points Race because the New York City Invitational was a fifth tier event. Her victory moved her into fifth place in the National Points Race standings. Murad moved into third place as he was a semi-finalist at the Yale Invitational.
Fifth place finisher Louis Savoia of Xaverian High Schol (NY) also moved up the National Points Race standings, earning sixteen points at this event to go with the eighteen he received for being a Yale semi-finalist. After this tournament he was seventh in the national rankings.
Defending champion Christopher Maximos of the Delbarton School (NJ) did not attend the tournament.
Here are the results of the 2018 New York City Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):