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The 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) United States Extemp final round has concluded. Here is Extemp Central’s brief summary and analysis of this year’s final round. Awards are scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. EST this evening and they will be streamed at this link.
Note: 252 extempers competed in U.S. Extemp at this year’s national tournament.
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This year’s International Extemp final round at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament will feature the top three competitors in the National Points Race, one of whom is attempting to become just the fourth extemper in history to win the NCFL and NSDA national championships in the same calendar year. The round also features the winners of two of the year’s major tournaments and four state champions. Whereas United States Extemp is dominated by Southwestern states this year, International Extemp is heavily populated by extempers from the East Coast.
The International Extemp final round will follow the U.S. Extemp final, scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. EST tomorrow. The NSDA will live stream the competition and Logan Scisco and Josh Wartel will break down the round after it concludes. Extempers are also invited to make their comments about the round when tomorrow’s post-round commentary is posted.
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Tomorrow’s United States Extemp final round holds great potential tomorrow, as all six competitors are ranked in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race. The round will feature the winners of some of the year’s biggest national circuit competitions and four state champions. All of the participants were also competitors at this year’s Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, producing what might be the first all-MBA final in National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) history.
The round will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST tomorrow, with the NSDA live streaming the competition. Extemp Central will provide a recap once it concludes, with Logan Scisco and Josh Wartel, both of whom were U.S. Extemp final round national champions (2003 and 2015), providing insight. Additional comments are welcome in the comment section.
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The field for Friday’s final rounds of International and United States Extemp at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament have been set in Salt Lake City, Utah with six competitors in each category outlasting more than 200 of their fellow competitors.
International Extemp made history as the top three competitors in the National Points Race – Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), and Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) – all advanced to Friday’s finals. This is the first time since the National Points Race debuted in 2008-2009 that an NSDA final round will include the top three ranked extempers. Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) successfully went one round farther than she did last year, breaking through into the NSDA final round for the first time. Also advancing were Charlie Barton of Regis High School (NY) and Nikhil Ramaswamy of Jasper High School (TX). Ramaswamy and Sloane are the two non-senior extempers in the final round.
United States Extemp is also shaping up to be a tough, competitive round in its own right. In fact, all of the extempers in the final round are in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race, which is the first time that this has occurred. Those advancing were Glenbrooks champion Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), two-time St. Mark’s winner Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Extemp TOC champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), and Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA). Hu, Thompson, and Xu are the non-seniors competing in the USX final. Webb will be making his second appearance in an NSDA final round.
One of the notables that did not advance was Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC). Sunkara was ranked seventh in the National Points Race and was trying to make the final rounds of both national tournaments this year. Graham was the only extemper to accomplish that feat this season. However, Sunkara will have another crack at finaling next year as she is not a senior.
According to the NSDA’s final round schedule, the final round of U.S. Extemp will take place at 11:30 a.m. EST and International Extemp will follow at 1:00 p.m. EST. The final rounds will be streamed live and extempers can watch them at this link. Extemp Central will provide a recap of the final rounds after they conclude, and as we announced on our Facebook and Twitter pages, Josh Wartel, two-time major champion and last year’s U.S. Extemp final round national champion, will provide additional insight into the rounds.
Check back late tomorrow afternoon for Extemp Central’s preview of each final round.
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After ten rounds, International and United States Extemp have only fourteen competitors remaining. Six competitors will be left standings after the next two rounds and will be this year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) national finalists for 2016. The next two rounds will feature five judge panels and two minute cross-examination.
The top three competitors in this year’s National Points Race stayed alive in International Extemp. Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), who was a semi-finalist in IX two years ago, returns to the round of eleven, while Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA) is in the midst of his deepest run at the NSDA National Tournament. Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) also advanced. In addition, Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX), who placed seventh at last year’s nationals in IX, returns to the semi-final round for the second consecutive year. However, quarter-finals was not as kind to other members of the National Points Race as Jarrek Holmes of Kent Denver School (CO), Christopher Mayer of Montville Township High School (NJ), and California Invitational winner Matthew Zheng of Mira Loma High School (CA) failed to advance. Also, Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ), who placed eleventh in IX at last year’s nationals, was eliminated.
United States Extemp also had its fair share of notable eliminations, with two of the biggest coming from Trinity Preparatory. National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) finalist Varun Bhatia was knocked out, as was Nathaniel Saffran, who was a seventh place finisher in USX at last year’s nationals. Major names remained alive, though, such as Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), who is seeking another opportunity to speak in the final round, Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Extemp TOC champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA), and last year’s semi-finalists Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX) and Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK).
Texas is the state with the most semi-finalists, with five competitors advancing to round eleven. California had the second-largest contingent with four.
Ten non-seniors qualified for the semi-final round, meaning that they will receive automatic qualifications to next year’s NSDA National Tournament. These competitors, who are listed in blue below, will also receive automatic qualifications to the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC) next year in Lexington, Kentucky.
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For our East Coast readers it is a very late night, but quarter-finalists in International and United States Extemp at the 2016 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament have just been announced in Salt Lake City, Utah. These competitors have a grueling day ahead of them tomorrow, with every round carrying significant meaning for overall placing. There will be two quarter-final rounds, with the top fourteen competitors advancing to two rounds of semi-finals. The announcement of the six Friday finalists in each event will take place late tomorrow afternoon, so tomorrow is “moving day” at the national tournament as extempers will want to position themselves into the top six, but also within striking distance to take home the national title on Friday.
Some extempers in the top twenty-five of the National Points Race were eliminated after round eight in International Extemp. Andrew Langford of Lake Highland Preparatory (FL) and Olivia Shoemaker of Lakeville North High School (MN), ranked seventeenth and twentieth, respectively, in this year’s rankings ended their run in this year’s national tournament. Last year’s finalist Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory (FL) continues his quest for a “double crown” of national championships, while last year’s semi-finalists Roman Shemakov of McClintock High School (AZ) and Shreetika Singh of Seven Lakes High School (TX) remain alive and will hope to reach the final round stage tomorrow.
The big news on the U.S. Extemp side was the elimination of Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ). Kant placed fourth at last year’s national tournament and was ranked twenty-ninth in this year’s National Points Race. Several major names advanced in the category, though, with Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), and Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) all clearing to tomorrow’s elimination rounds.
All of the underclassmen that reached the quarter-final round have earned one of two qualifying legs for next year’s Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. Underclassmen that cleared to quarter-finalists – there were twenty-seven in total – are identified in blue below.
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According to Extemp Central’s unofficial calculations, 242 extempers competed in International Extemp and 252 extempers competed in United States Extemp at this year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah. The fields of both categories have now been reduced to sixty for the tournament’s octo-final rounds. An announcement of the thirty extempers in each event that cleared to quarter-finals will be made later this evening.
The biggest news from the first break is that Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), who is competing in International Extemp, has clinched the 2015-2016 National Points Race by virtue of clearing to the octo-final round. Graham was joined in the International Extemp break by other National Points Race notables such as Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ), Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA), and Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC).
In United States Extemp, two of last year’s finalists remain alive as Shawn Kant of Ridge High School (NJ) and Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) advanced. They have significant company in the field, though, as Extemp TOC Champion Brian Xu of San Marino High School (CA) is competing in the category, as are other major competitors of the national circuit such as Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School (OK), Harvard winner Katherine Hu of Plano Senior High School (TX), Jacob Thompson of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA), Neil Patel of Plano West Senior High School (TX), and Nathaniel Saffran of Trinity Preparatory.
International Extemp will receive the bonus for the National Points Race at this year’s NSDA National Tournament as well, as more extempers in the top twenty-five are competing in that category.
There were quite a few underclassmen – fifty-eight in total – that qualified for elimination rounds at this year’s nationals. Thirty-three underclassmen cleared in International Extemp and twenty-five cleared in United States Extemp. They are highlighted in blue below.
Competitors that are currently ranked in the National Points Race have their ranking designated by their name. A competitor without this designation was unranked before NSDA Nationals. All of the competitors that made octofinals will receive National Points Race points.
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Due to our coverage of this week’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament, our weekly content schedule will be changed. Questions will not be posted, but they will return the following week (the week of June 20). Quizzes and R&Ds will resume on August 1.
Here is the content schedule for this week:
Monday: Random NSDA Updates (if they arise)
Tuesday: Release of Octofinalists & Quarterfinalists
Wednesday: Release of Semifinalists & Finalists
Thursday: Final Round Preview Pieces for IX & USX
Friday: IX & USX Final Round Recaps
Saturday: NSDA Tournament Results Write-Up
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Prepd – the startup behind popular Extemp and Congress software – has just unveiled the next version of its debate technology: Generation 3.
“Prepd Generation 3 is a complete rebuild of our technology,” Prepd founder, Ian Panchèvre, explains. “We’ve completely reimagined what debate software should be.”
Since graduating from Yale last spring, Panchèvre has visited dozens of schools to see how students and teachers were using Prepd in a live classroom environment, embarking on what he describes as “a customer empathy journey.”
“Instead of thinking about Prepd as a former debater, building what I would have wanted to use, I wanted to understand and channel the needs of the community directly into our product.”
Ultimately, he and his team arrived at a number of key insights that informed their thinking. In true Extemp fashion, Panchèvre lists three points:
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After finishing runner-up at the last four major championships, Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) finally broke through by winning the 2016 National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament in Sacramento, California. The tournament was never in doubt as Graham captured twelve first place ranks (of fourteen available) from octofinals through the final round, thereby turning in one of the most dominant performances in NCFL history. Benjamin Hoffner-Brodsky of Davis Senior High School (CA) took advantage of the home field conditions and placed second.
Aside from Graham, Samhitha Sunkara of Ardrey Kell High School (NC) reached the NCFL final round for the second consecutive season. Sunkara finished three spots better than last year, ending the tournament in third place.
Trinity Preparatory continued its run of solid performances in recent years, placing two competitors in finals. Along with Graham, Varun Bhatia of Trinity made it into the final round and placed sixth.
Kevin Bi of East Ridge High School (MN) and Justin Kang of Syosset High School (NY) rounded out the final round, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. It was the first national final round appearance for both competitors.
All of the competitors that reached the quarter-final round will receive National Points Race points. Graham will receive 100 points for his victory and he created more separation between himself and rivals Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School (NJ) and Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA). Balaji and Sloane were both eliminated in the quarter-final round. Balaji is the only competitor that can catch Graham in this year’s points race, but all Graham has to do at next week’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament is clear to octofinals to clinch the title.
Here are the results of the 2016 NCFL Grand National Tournament (Click here for tab sheet):
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
Here is our weekly survey of news stories to round out the week of June 6-12, 2016.
In survey, economists peg odds of recession at 21%, which seems too low. Via @JoshZumbrun https://t.co/3CY7GQODTg pic.twitter.com/kfuvCIhFU7
— Greg Ip (@greg_ip) June 9, 2016
Ban Ki-moon says he went soft on Saudi Arabia for human rights in order to avoid a cut in aid. @columlynch reports https://t.co/uROhVEeYlT
— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) June 10, 2016
Bernie signals the end https://t.co/km66w6zRBa pic.twitter.com/LqlMmfPTJ9
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) June 10, 2016
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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
To acces
s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
Here is a collection of major news stories for June 9, 2016.
Nearly 10% of Salvadorans, Guatemalans, & Hondurans have left their countries. Find out why: https://t.co/69soK4MDjy pic.twitter.com/adhU7qGTS0
— CFR (@CFR_org) June 8, 2016
The A.P.’s early nomination call for Hillary Clinton had a trigger effect on newsrooms. https://t.co/Ggp8ByW8p3 pic.twitter.com/lhooo040eV
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) June 8, 2016
Pres. Obama, Bernie Sanders to meet at the White House on Thursday at Sanders’ request, press sec. says in statement pic.twitter.com/On6vk3EuuM
— Nightline (@Nightline) June 8, 2016
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For the last thirty-two years Turkey has been in conflict with Kurdish separatists. These separatists, of which the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is most prominent, desire to create an autonomous Kurdish republic, arguing that Turkey represses Kurdish culture. In fact, the Kurds are the world’s largest ethnic group that lacks a state, with peoples scattered across Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. Since 1984, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 20,000 soldiers and civilians and although some Turkish governments have attempted to solve the conflict, either to create more domestic stability or win favor with the European Union (EU), the conflict has resumed due to disputes over Turkey’s handling of the Islamic State and the Turkish government’s crackdown on Kurdish activists. Human Rights Watch has criticized both sides for violating the rights of civilians and combatants, and ending the conflict is in the Turkish government’s best interest for the sake of its international reputation and economy.
This topic brief will provide some important vocabulary on the Turkish-PKK conflict, sources of tensions that exist between the two sides, and the implications of the conflict for Turkey domestically and internationally.
Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.
Note: With the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament taking place next week, this will be the last topic brief for the 2015-2016 season. Thank you for subscribing to Extemp Central’s premium content for this school year.
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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on Turkey’s war with the PKK.
Turkey keeps trying to fight the Kurds. And each campaign is less successful than the last. https://t.co/Pq5aLsmtYB
— Foreign Affairs (@ForeignAffairs) June 7, 2016
Have Turkey-PKK clashes crossed fatal threshold? – Al-Monitor https://t.co/KLMCdEBXim
— Helicopter News (@ChopperNews) June 2, 2016
US alliance with Syrian #PYD alienates #Turkey https://t.co/ll4yqsMnVK #PKK #Syria #Manbij #YPG #SDF
— Burak Yıldırım (@bYildirim5) June 2, 2016
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