Shahid Ahmed competed for Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas.  Last year Shahid was the ninth place finisher in International Extemp at the NFL National Tournament, placed third at the Harvard, was a participant in the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin, and made finals in United States and International Extemp at St. Marks.  Shahid was also a top fifteen finisher in last year’s Extemp Central National Points Race.  Shahid currently attends Texas A&M and is majoring in economics and international studies.

The St. Marks Heart of Texas Invitational is the premier extemporaneous speaking tournament in Texas. I first went to St. Marks my junior year participating in Congress (ughhhhhhhh). It wasn’t until my senior year that I competed in extemp at St. Marks. While St. Marks is not Harvard or Yale or NFLs, it has a vast pool of seasoned competitors from a plethora of powerhouse schools from many different states. St. Marks, for the most part is similar to most other national tournaments, though there are some striking differences. I have some pointers for general extempers and for those specifically attending St. Marks.

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