by Logan Scisco
With the 2009-2010 season underway it appears as if we are in for a wild ride. With three national circuit tournaments completed there is no clear favorite for who will claim the NFL National Championship in Kansas City, Missouri. As the National Points write up in this edition will show, there has not been a competitor so far this season to accumulate points at multiple national circuit tournaments, although some competitors have attended more than one. Whether this differences are due to different geographic norms, inconsistency, or lack of travel due to the economy it is too early to tell. However, the Ex Files staff sends out a large congratulations to all of the finalists in this year’s national circuit tournaments and to Emily Martin, Aaron Lutkowitz, and Dillon Huff for their victories at Wake, Yale, and St. Mark’s.
As most loyal readers can attest, this year has already seen some changes at Extemp Central, especially in the last month. We hope that you enjoy our daily “top five” news stories and an expansion of the weekly questions offered from ten to twenty, being divided on Tuesday and Wednesday between United States and International topics. Also, we hope that you are finding the weekly news quiz helpful so that you can brush up on events that happened during the previous week. Extemp Central also looks forward to offering live coverage of the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin in a few months and at the Extemp TOC later next semester. We are also looking into the possibility of offering live coverage at NFL Nationals, although logistics are still being worked out.
In this issue, The Ex Files has a Glenbrooks preview with last year’s champion Stacey Chen, describes major events taking place in the National Points Race, provides an editor’s corner column on what significance statements are, and provides an updated topic brief on the healthcare debate. The staff of The Ex Files wishes everyone good luck who is competing at Glenbrooks and George Mason as the semester draws to a close. After George Mason, stay updated to Extemp Central for the release of the MBA Sweet Sixteen and a breakdown of the competitors who will be attending.