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History was made last weekend at the Glenbrooks, the first third tier National Points Race tournament of the season, as Jack Glaser of George Washington High School (CO) became the first Colorado extemper to win the tournament. Glaser, a participant at last year’s Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin and finalist at this year’s New York City Invitational, took two of the three available first place ranks in the final round and defeated Davis Larkin of the Parish Episcopal School (TX) by two ranks to claim the title. Giancarlo Musetti of Cypress Bay High School (FL) finished three ranks behind Glaser and took third.
The final was dominated by traditional extemp powers as Texas and Florida each had two finalists. Andrew Langford of Lake Highland Preparatory School (FL) participated in his second National Points Race tournament final of the season and took fourth, while Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX) placed sixth.
The lone Northeast representative in the final round, Marshall Sloane of Milton Academy (MA), who is the defending Massachusetts state champion, placed fifth.
One of the bigger stories that came out of Glenbrooks, and one that is sure to shake up the National Points Race, concerned the extempers who did not reach the final round. Justin Graham of Trinity Preparatory School (FL), who received credit for winning Florida Blue Key, and Wake Forest winner Yijia Liang of Upper Arlington High School (OH) did not make the final round. Neither did 2014 NSDA United States Extemp finalist and two-time California state USX champion Brian Yu of Monte Vista High School (CA) and last year’s Barkley Forum winner Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY). All of these competitors were eliminated in the semi-final round.
National Points Race leader Eitan Sapiro-Gheiler of Durham Academy (NC) was in the field, but did not break into the quarter-final round.
All of the extempers reaching quarter-finals at the Glenbrooks earned a qualifying leg for the 2015 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. All of the finalists also earned an automatic qualification to the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC). Two extempers – Oscar Larraza of Nova Senior High School (FL) and Musetti – finalized their TOC qualification by earning their second leg, while eleven other extempers earned their first leg at the tournament. All of the extempers earning a qualifying leg for the TOC are indicated in italics below.
The National Points Race and TOC calendar resume in two weeks. The George Mason University Patriot Games will be a third tier National Points Race event as well as a TOC qualifier. Other TOC tournaments on the calendar include the George C. Armstrong Heart of Illinois Invitational at Bradley University, the University of Texas Longhorn Classic, and the Princeton Classic.
Here are the results of the 2014 Glenbrooks (Click here for tab sheet):