Tag: 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race

The final standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted!  These reflects the results of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament.  Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.  Near the bottom of that page is a Google sheet that shows the complete rankings of the more than 200 extempers that earned points in this year’s competition.

As noted on our Facebook and Twitter social media, Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) became the winner of this year’s race by virtue of winning United States Extemp and its final round at the NSDA National Tournament.  He is the first Texas extemper to win the title in its ten-year history.

Four of the top five finishers in this year’s race were non-seniors, setting up an exciting race for the eleventh National Points Race title next year.

Note that new content will roll out for Extemp Central starting on Monday, August 4.  August will mostly feature weekly questions, along with a breakdown of next year’s National Points Race structure.  The first news quizzes will be posted on Wednesday, September 3 and continue through May.

We will be curating our state champions list this summer.  If you have champions from your state, please e-mail them to logan.scisco@beechwood.kyschools.us so that I can update those lists.  It would save me some time and effort, so I would appreciate the help!

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted!  These reflects the results of the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament.  Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) re-established himself as the National Points Race leader due to a semi-finalist showing at NCFL.

The final National Points Race tournament will take place next week at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.  Like last year, the tournament will decide the National Points Race champion.  Due to 12 of the top 25 extempers participating in International Extemp, that category will receive a 50 point bonus and a 10 point final round bonus, meaning that the winner of the category can earn up to 300 points.  In contrast, U.S. Extemp’s champion can only earn up to 250 points.

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted!  These reflects the results of the various Tournament of Champions (TOC) events in April and May:  the University of Kentucky TOC, Extemp TOC, and the National Individual Events TOC.  Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

There is a new National Points Race leader as Extemp TOC champion Daphne Kalir-Starr of the College Preparatory School (CA) now has a slim 2 point lead over former points leader Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX).  Zhang was inactive during the TOC swing, contributing to his fall from the top spot.

No rest exists for the weary in the post-season as this weekend’s National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament takes place in Chicago.  It is the second to last stop in this year’s National Points Race, awarding 150 points to the national champion and points to all elimination round participants.

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted!  These reflects the results of the Harvard National Speech & Debate Tournament and the California Invitational.  Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) is still leading after his win at Harvard, the last regular season tournament for this year’s competition.  The National Points Race now shifts to the post-season which will feature five tournaments:  the University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions (TOC), the Extemp TOC, the National Individual Events TOC, the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) Grand National Tournament, and the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament.

The UK TOC is the next National Points Race competition and will take place in late April in Lexington, Kentucky.  It will be a third tier event and will be the second major championship on the calendar.  #11 Charlotte Reitman of NSU University School (FL) will be defending champion.

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted!  These reflects the results of the past month of tournaments that include the James Logan MLK Invitational, the Barkley Forum, the Apple Valley Minneapple, and the Stanford Invitational.   Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) retains the first place spot but Waleed Haider of Hendrickson High School (TX) is drawing closer.

The National Points Race concludes this weekend when nearly 300 extempers will attend Harvard’s National Speech and Debate Tournament and more than 150 extempers will compete that the University of California-Berkeley’s California Invitational.  As second and third tier events, respectively, these competitions could provide a big shakeup in the standings before postseason tournaments begin.

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted to reflect the results of the early December tournaments that included the University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Classic, the Princeton Classic, and the George Mason University Patriot Games.  Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

As was noted in the Longhorn Classic recap, Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) regained the National Points Race lead as a result of winning International Extemp.

This weekend will feature the first major tournament of the season as Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) in Nashville, Tennessee hosts its annual Extemp Round Robin, inviting what it deems to be the best 16 extempers in the country. Points will be given to the top six finishers. The winner will receive 150 points.

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted to reflect the results of the Florida Blue Key.  Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

There is a new leader in the National Points Race as Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (FL) grabbed the top spot after a third place finish at Glenbrooks.

This weekend features the first triple header in National Points Race history.  The University of Texas-Austin’s Longhorn Classic, the Princeton Classic, and the George Mason University Patriot Games will close the first semester, offering points to extempers from different regions of the country.  The Longhorn Classic will be a third tier event, the Princeton Classic will be a fourth tier event, and the Patriot Games will be a fifth tier event.  The outcome of these tournaments has the potential to significantly shake up this year’s standings and will be the last chance for extempers to impress for bids to the 2025 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin.

New standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are have been posted to reflect the results of the Florida Blue Key.  Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) still leads the competition but his lead has been trimmed considerably after Al Zaidi of Holy Trinity Episcopal School (FL) finished runner-up at the Blue Key.

The next National Points Race event will be the Glenbrooks, taking place next weekend.  It will be the first third tier tournament in this year’s National Points Race, awarding 100 points to its winner and points to all extempers who reach the quarter-final round.

The first standings for the 2024-2025 Extemp Central National Points Race are up! Check them out by clicking here or the “Natl Points Race” tab above.

Robert Zhang of Elkins High School (TX) has the lead after winning two of the first three National Points Race tournaments.  17 extempers have earned points in this year’s competition.

The next National Points Race event will be the Florida Blue Key, hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville.  Blue Key was upgraded in the offseason, so this year it will be a fourth tier event, awarding points to finalists and semi-finalists.  Charlotte Reitman of NSU University School (FL) will be defending champion.

Next month the 2024-2025 national circuit season will begin online when the University of Kentucky hosts its annual National Speech and Debate Season Opener.  And that means the return of the Extemp Central National Points Race, which is entering its tenth year.

The Extemp Central National Points Race is a season-long competition that seeks to identify the top extempers across a select group of prestigious national circuit events.  Extemp Central recognizes that in some years the top extemper in the nation may not win the National Points Race due to the inability of some competitors to travel extensively.  Still, seven national champions are among the nine previous National Points Race winners.

Read More