Good morning,
This would be the time for new extemp questions to be posted. However, as the 2025-2026 season approaches I have made the tough decision to step away.
Even though I enjoy writing questions, I find that my enthusiasm for this activity is not at the level that is needed to sustain a constant churn of content. Extemp has changed a lot since 2000. There are no more file boxes, Internet access is allowed, and the activity now has to grapple with artificial intelligence. While change is constant in life, I also believe that activities can change into something that no longer resembles what you once loved about it. Couple this with some significant life changes over the last few years, as well as a waning desire to follow depressing news cycles, and I think it is best to step away.
Since 2006 Extemp Central has done some good for the speech and debate community. We provided free resources in a space where that was rare. None of this would have been possible without Corey Alderdice, who ran SpeechGeek and brought Extemp Central out of a GeoCities.com backwater and into a space where more people could access and use it. Without his generous financial support and website skills Extemp Central would not have lasted as long as it did. I also appreciate the work of past extempers and coaches who contributed ideas, wrote strategy pieces and topic briefs, sat for interviews, and/or provided reviews of final rounds. As I look back, this website was a bridge between the early 2000s of extemp.net, individualevents.org, and forensicsonline.net to newer resources like Extemper’s Bible and Equality in Forensics. I encourage our readers to check out these sites and support their work.
I will still be participating in the speech and debate world in varying capacities. However, maintaining this site will no longer be part of my weekly routine. I wish all extempers and their teams a great 2025-2026 season.
Logan Scisco
