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The Extemp Central Topic Analysis will review each of the 10 possible Commentary areas for the 2011 National Tournament. The brief will be delivered via email on Saturday, June 4, 2010.

Extemp Commentary 2011 Topic Areas

• 2000 vs. 2010: A Decade of Differences
• The Budget Crunchies
• Campaign 2012: Contenders and Bit Players
• Looking for Unions and Their Labels
• Notable Deceased Since 2010 Nationals
• Rogue Nations and Nations Ruled by Rogues
• Social Media vs. Actual Socializing
• Tea for Two Parties
• Who’s Afraid of Foreign Trade?
• Wicked Wikis and Lamentable Leaks

Spend your time working toward your main event. If that doesn’t pan out, we’re here to help you be as competitive as possible in Extemp Commentary!

Purchase the brief at DebateChamps for the low price of $15!

Hate getting stuck with just one case option? No worries! The files contain multiple plan text options to suit your needs. Each plan text is accompanied by advantage/contention outlines as well as detailed links to outside research, making Nationals preparation quick and easy. On the Negative? We’ve got you covered. The briefs contains both generic and case specific disadvantages and case turns to make prepping on the negative easier. Nationals is stressful. Make prepping simple.

The SpeechGeek Topic Analysis will review each of the 22 possible Supplement Debate resolutions for the 2011 National Tournament. The brief will be delivered via email on Saturday, June 4, 2010.

Supplemental Debate Topic Resolutions

• This House believes that the US is safer after the death of Osama bin Laden
• This House would end oil subsidies in the United States
• This House would lift the debt ceiling
• This House would transition Medicare to private health care plans
• This House would withdraw troops from Afghanistan
• This House would prefer the use of tax credits rather than vouchers to preserve school choice
• This House believes that the parent who pressures least, parents best
• This House believes that the US economy is improving
• This House would use tax increases rather than spending cuts to reign in deficit spending
• This House believes the US should take a more active role in the Arab-Israeli compromise
• This House would ban fraternities and sororities on college campuses
• This House would end government support of the mortgage market
• This House believes that a college education is a good investment
• This House would ban corporal punishment in schools

Spend your time working toward your main event. If that doesn’t pan out, we’re here to help you be as competitive as possible in Supplemental Debate!

Earning School of Excellence awards for holistic squad performance were Sidney Lanier Middle School (Houston, TX), Northwest Junior High School (Coralville, IA) and Clay Middle School (Carmel, IN). Earning School of Excellence awards for performance in debate were Sidney Lanier Middle School, Capitol Debate (Woodstock, MD), Kugnus ACTS (Closter, NJ), The Harker School (San Jose, CA), and The Kincaid School (Houston, TX). Earning School of Excellence awards for performance in speech events were Sidney Lanier Middle School, Ockerman Middle School (Florence, KY), The Pike School (Andover, MA), Milton Academy (Milton, MA), and Rowan County MS (Morehead, KY).

Champion students in each of the events included:
Policy Debate: Devansh Srivastura and Michael Koo, Capitol Debate, MD
Congressional Debate: Peter Oathout, Sidney Lanier MS, TX
Lincoln Douglas Debate: Naomi Whitney-Hirschmann, St. Louis Park, MN
Public Forum (Co-Champions): Ardash Battu, Arjun Kumar, Claudia Tischler, Shilpa Yarlgadda, The Harker School, CA
Prose: Claire Russell, Milton Academy MS, MA
Poetry: Bridget Kim, Rowan County MS, KY
Humorous Interpretation: Scott Diekema, Northwest Junior HS, IA
Dramatic Interpretation: Caroline Ford, Sky Academy, KY
Impromptu: Sarah Muse, Milton Academy MS, MA
Extemporaneous Speaking: Gregory Ross, Sidney Lanier
Original Oratory: Caroline Ford, Sky Academy, KY
Duo Interpretation: Bobby Turnbough & Nicole Hickok, Raymore-Peculiar MS, MO
Declamation: Willow Curry, Sidney Lanier MS, TX

Click here for a full results packet. Next year’s tournament will be held in Dallas, Texas. Stay tuned for more information on dates and specific details.

The tournament received generous assistance from Brent Hinkle of The Joy of Tournaments registration and tab room management software.

The NJFL was founded by the National Forensic League in 1995 to extend speech and debate opportunities to students in grades 6-8. Upon enrollment at an NFL member high school, students can convert a fraction of junior merit points earned for speaking activities to high school points toward advanced levels of NFL membership. This creates a great feeder program for high schools, and motivation for students to participate more.

IDEA was established in 1999 to promote mutual understanding and democracy globally by supporting discussion and active citizenship locally. Central to IDEA’s values are tolerance, international cooperation, and freedom of expression. This tournament instills and nurtures in younger students an appreciation for divergent viewpoints and diverse cultures.

Kris Kracht isn’t a sports guy, but he’s made a habit of describing his life’s work in sports terms.

Kracht coaches the speech team at Gustavus Adolphus College, a private liberal arts school in Minnesota with a former football coach as president. And that president likes it when he can say Gustavus is No. 10 in the nation, just like a Division I football team.

Kracht explains speech recruiting in the terms of football recruiting, and he does it in similar ways as well — calling students he’s interested in, showing up at their tournaments and, most recently, attending the National Forensic League’s national tournament in Kansas City.

Kracht’s parallels between forensics and sports ring true.  At the nation’s most competitive collegiate programs, forensics can take up a large portion of a student’s time.  Many colleges value their forensics programs as hallmarks of student academic and competitive achievement.  While there are many high school coaches who would discourage continued participation in college forensics, I think it is certainly an avenue that more high school competitors should explore.  Membership in the American Forensic Association and National Forensic Association are growing.  You can check out the results from the 2010 NFA National Tournament, which highlights colleges and universities with successful programs.

Read the Full Article

The 2011 National Forensic League National Tournament (Web site) and the 2011 National Junior Forensic League National Tournament (Web site) will be held in Dallas, TX in June of 2011.  By the great start in place, it looks like things are going to be a blast.  What’s particularly interesting is that the NFL and NJFL Tournament will run parallel for the first time.

NFL Nationals: June 13-18
NJFL Nationals: June 16-18

The competition for all events, as well as the awards, will take place at one venue: The Dallas Sheraton (www.sheratondallashotel.com)  Consider this concept for a moment: one venue.  If your mind is not yet blown, click past the jump for a video produced by the host committee.

SpeechGeek Staff Report

This season, all eyes are on the fashion hubs of the world. Tokyo. Paris. New York. Kansas City. The city known for its smooth music and smoky barbecue is playing host to the most well-dressed group of people under the age of 18 in the nation this week. Nowhere is the couture more haute and the threads more avant-garde than in the rounds of Duo Interpretation. Great minds may think alike, but great performers dress to impress.

What is it about this event that makes dressing complimentary draw so many compliments? Perhaps it is the appearance of coordination and unity that inspires so many partners to color coordinate. Before competitors utter their first lines and the first ‘swish’ of shoes popping in character takes place, the first thing judges and audience members notice are the partners’ appearances. After spending nine months working on blocking and character development ensuring that every gesture and emotion is in sync, coordinating tournament attire adds the final touch of polish to the overall effect. Much in the same way that sports teams wear matching uniforms, complimentary Duo partner attire shows that both individuals are focused on creating a unified, seamless performance. The last thing anyone wants is for a judge to be distracted by your hot pink and olive green suits.

Click through the slide show to see a sampling of some of this week’s most colorful (and coordinated) Duo partners.

Keep reading to access the final results.

Below you’ll find the names of the National Finalists.  We’ll update these sections with ranks and final round winners as they happen.  You will need to refresh this page.

NFL Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award

Nadine Strossen (Former National ACLU President)

Bro. Renee Sterner Alumni Lifetime Service Award

Judy Woodring (Director of Forensics at Western Kentucky University)

Schools of Excellence

Debate
Bellaire High School (Texas)
Brophy College Prep (Arizona)
Perry Creek High School (Colorado)
Damian High School (California)
Delbarton High School (New Jersey)
Desert Vista High School (Arizona)
Eagan High School (Minnesota)
Ft. Lauderdale High School (Florida)
George Washington High School (Colorado)
Ladue High School (Missouri)
Lelan High School (California)
Monte Vista High School (California)
Park Hills South High School (Missouri)
Park View High School (Missouri)
University School (Ohio)
Walt Whitman High School (Maryland)
Winston Churchill High School (Texas)

Speech
Bellarmine College Prep (California)
Cardinal Mooney High School (Ohio)
Eagan High School (Minnesota)
Holy Ghost Prep High School (Pennsylvania)
James Logan High School (California)
Blakedale North High School (Minnesota)
Nova High School (Florida)
Plymouth High School (Indiana)
Roseville Area High School (Minnesota)
Sioux Falls–Lincoln (South Dakota)

Combined
Eagan High School (Minnesota)
Cardinal Mooney High School (Ohio)

Pi Kappa Delta–Bruno E. Jacob Founder’s Trophy

Neosho High School (Missouri)

Bruno E. Jacob Commendation

David Watkins, Neosho High School (Coaches are honored if 50% of the rounds are accumulated under a coach)

Albert S. Odom Commendation

David Watkins, Neosho High School (Given to the current Director of Forensics at the Jacob-winning school)

Gustavus Adolphus College NFL National Student of the Year

Finalists

Zach Beattie (Heart of America District)
Sonia Chokshi (Florida Sunshine District)
John W. Ford (Gulf Coast, Texas District)
Jane Kessear (Chesapeake, Maryland District)
Todd Wells (West Kansas District)
Cory Williams (Mississippi District)

Winner

Cory Williams (Hattiesburg High School, Mississippi District)

Storytelling

6.  Erica Bridge
5.  Yusef Ungamidi
4.  Jody Carki
3.  Tosh Alexander Hall
2.  Dana Masters

National Champion:  Zachary Cantic (Brookings East High School)

Impromptu

6.  Cat Hilbert
5.  Nicky Sekdavah
4.  Sophina McLay
3.  Mitchell Madra
2.  Nicholas Hall

National Champion:  Adam Conner  (Loyola Blakefield High School)

Prose

6.  Robert Jackson
5.  Michael Mosella
4.  Zachary Einstein
3.  Jon Reynolds
2.  Jahari Mackey

National Champion:  Nat Zeigree (Portage Northern High School)

Poetry

6.  James Videl
5.  Andrea Platt
4.  Malcolm Minor
3.  Taylor Walker
2.  Durrell Jameson

National Champion: A. J. Talluah (Blue Springs High School)

Expository Speaking

6.  Alexandria Deliva
5.  Emily Huxmann
4.   Alexandria Y. Diaz
3.  Lindsey Elizabeth Olsen
2.  Tim Borren

National Champion:  Karen Zhou (Lakeville North High School)

Extemp Commentary

6.  Trevor Griffin
5.  Davis L. Maddock
4.  Louis Lee
3.  Nathaniel Haas
2.   Eli Bernstein

National Champion:  Rohan Palli (Ridge High School)

Supplemental Debate

5.  Chris Watkins
5.  Dana Leeb
5.  Carl Bennecoff-Junct
3.  Brittney Marie Donaland
3.  Patrick Wilkey
2.  Erin Morris

National Champion:  Tejas Pradhi  (Regis High School)

Public Forum Debate

6.  Pickett/Peters
5.  Rao/
4.  Kelsey/Sallers
3.  Wilson/Strang
2.  Majeune/Marsden

National Champions:    Michael P. Domino and Bardia R. Rahmani (University School)

Congressional Debate — Senate

6.  Florence Chen
5.  Danneile Davis
4.  Adam F Potrzebowski
3.  Rylan Schaeffer
2.  Anna Tsiotsias

National Champion: Benjamin J Tyler (Presiding Officer)

Senate Leadership Bowl: Benjamin J Tyler

Congressional Debate  – House

Stephen Kui (Presiding Officer)

6.  Joseph Puma
5.   Evan Ribot
4.  Frances Rodriguez
3.  Erik Bakke
2.   Sebastian DeLuca

National Champion:  Louise Lu (Bellaire High School)

House Leadership Bowl Winner: Sebastian DeLuca

Policy Debate — Top Speakers

5.  Drew Scott-Bonnett
4.  Richard Day
3.  Caitlyn Morrie
2.   Laura Johnson

Top Speaker:  Max Burnbaum

Policy Debate

6.  Will Tebow and Richard Day
5.  Sharon Khan and Tracey Cook
4.  Will Miller and Andrew Carmel
3.  Venay Sridharan and Alexis Shklar
2.  Mario Fiola and Andrew Arch

National Champions:  Misael Gonzales and Kevin Hern (Whitney Young Magnet HS) 5-4 Decision for the Negative

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

6.  Anna Lyons
5.   Salman Hussein
4.   Ted Elsworth
3.  Eric Keith Legree
2.   M. Blake McCracken

National Champion:  Benjamin Sprung-Kaiser (Harvard Westlake School) 9-2 Decision for the Negative

United States Extemp

6.  Meera Sury
5.  Haley Wheat
4.  Alexis Elliott
3.  Oscar Wang
2.  Dylan Slinger

National Champion:  Tyler D Fabbri (Chesterton High School)

President’s Bowl:  Dylan Slinger (Lakeview South High School)

International Extemp

6.  Sesenu Woldemariam
5.  Jonathan A Lewallen
4.  Steven Elliott
3.  Rohan Bhargava
2.  James Mohan

National Champion:  Jacob F Baker (Bellarmine College Prep)

Mehta Bowl:  Jacob F Baker (Bellarmine College Prep)

Original Oratory

6.  Joe Nelson
5.  Chris Moncrief
4.  Alphonce Mshomba
3.  Amy Shackleford
2.  Miles Bridges

National Champion:  Vinay Nayak  (Hensdale Central High School)

President’s Bowl:  Miles Bridges (James Logan High School)

Humorous Interp

6.  Harris Alterman
5.  Andrew Langdon
4.  Adam DeGonda
3.  Tyler Rife
2.  Zade Shakir

National Champion:  Lindsey White  (Eastview High School)

Bama Bowl:  Lindsey White (Eastview High School)

Dramatic Interpretation

6.  Cory Williams
5.  Jedidiah Duarte
4.  Bryan Porter
3.  Michael Dahlgren
2.  Sarah Brazier

National Champion:  Michael Carone  (Monsignor Farrell High School)

Bama Bowl:  Michael Dahlgren (Holy Ghost Prep)

Duo Interpretation

6.  EVANS/STOPFER
5.  WILLIAMS/POUGH
4.  SULAM/PHILLIPS
3.  SCHMITTO/ROCERO
2.  GEOGHAN/MARCEL

National Champions:  Austin Groves and Darius Wilson (Blue Springs High School)

Bama Bowl:  Austin Groves and Darius Wilson (Blue Springs High School)