After a bit of a delay, the next edition of The Ex Files is here. The national invitational portion of the 2008-2009 season is finished and many competitors are currently preparing for national tournaments, national qualifiers, and/or state championship competitions. The staff of The Ex Files wishes competitors doing each of these the best of luck. For those who have had their season ended, The Ex Files hopes that you will still read this, and future editions, to learn more about extemporaneous speaking and can better hone your performance for the 2009-2010 season.
This issue provides a recap of that national invitational season, with a heavy focus on the new Extemp Central National Points Race standings, which have included four national circuit tournaments: the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin, the Barkley Forum, the Harvard Invitational, and the California Invitational Forensic Tournament.
Also contained in this issue is an interview with Matt Arons, the champion of the 2009 MBA Extemp Round Robin. Arons breaks down his experience at the Round Robin and how he emerged victorious against tough competition in Nashville.
Rounding out this issue are three topic briefs, an extra one provided this month for extempers still competing at national qualifiers or state competitions. The first is by Sarah Anand who discusses the concept of leftism in Latin America, a topic that extempers might find more questions on in the upcoming months due to the election in El Salvador. The second concerns the ICC arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. Then, for a change of pace, there is a small topic brief concerning space junk.
The next issue of The Ex Files will be a Extemp TOC and CFL Nationals preview, which will feature some strategy articles and most importantly, a topic area analysis, with accompanying practice questions that can help extempers prepare for these two important tournaments. Also, an interview with Michael Garson, the co-tournament director of the Extemp TOC will be included.
As always, the staff of The Ex Files thanks you for your support of this magazine and Extemp Central. Good luck in the prep room!
End of 2009 Regular Season Edition (Volume 1, No. 5)
Complete End of Regular Season Edition (.pdf file)
Extemp Central National Points Race by Logan Scisco
2009 Montgomery Bell Academy Champion: An Interview with Matt Arons by Logan Scisco
Leftism in Latin America by Sarah Anand
Omar al-Bashir Arrest Warrant by Logan Scisco
Space Junk by Logan Scisco