by Mirza Germovic
Mirza Germovic competed for Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa. He placed 3rd at the Catholic National Tournament last year and placed in finals at the St. Mark’s Tournament, George Mason Patriot Games and The Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC). Mirza now attends Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where he is studying International Politics with the hopes of working in journalism. He shares his thoughts on competing and performing well at the Catholic National Tournament in this article for Extemp Central readers.
CFL Nationals is not often viewed as prestigious as the NFL National Tournament – both for the number of schools that attend and the talent they bring – however, competing and doing well there is just as big of reflection on one’s extemp skills as it will be to do well in Dallas in June of this year. It is easy for competitors, coaches and entire teams at the CFL tournament to lose sight of the fact that national titles are at stake – thinking that you can coast by for one round is enough to guarantee a not-so-happy fate.
One of the biggest differences between CFLs and NFLs is that the former is only over the course of a weekend and not an entire week – but it is just as rigorous. In order to ensure that you compete at your highest potential I’m going to assume the role of coach (and probably parent for some of you): you MUST stay hydrated, fed and rested. Doing this will help you perform well in round because you will be more focused and your analysis will not be that of a hungry insomniac. If this year will mark your first time at CFLs, use it as a learning experience for future and more successful years. If this is not your first year, you probably have higher expectations. Remember: set goals for yourself. These do not have to be “win it all”, but can be as simple as telling yourself that you want to do better than the previous year.
For me, I only had one chance – my senior year. Roosevelt usually did not attend CFLs, but that year head coach Harry Strong felt it would be beneficial for NFLs practice. I knew that I would have only this one opportunity to showcase all of the extemp skills I had learned both from experience and amazing coaching to a tournament I had never visited before. I had clear intentions walking into every round: win. During prelims, I wanted to be consistent and in the top-half of each section. I knew if I broke to elimination rounds, the goal was to place in the top half of finals – there was no point in denying what my intentions were. While you may not have the same goals as I did, you should generally approach a national tournament like CFLs with similar determination. I found this to work best because I was actively working towards some end. And, it ended up working out well: I place 3rd overall in extemp. By achieving my goal, I knew that the weekend was well-worth all of my effort.
Looking back at CFLs, another important thing you should not forget is to have fun – especially if it is your last one (or only one, as it was for me). Coming to the tournament involves travelling for most competitors and being social with friends and fellow extempers is just as important as eating and drinking enough water. Often times, you find your best analysis comes after having a fun conversation with someone than sitting by yourself in the corner with The Economist trying to stay awake. If you have been active in forensics, you know it is a very social activity – so go be social.
Now let’s talk about what to do when you are in round. When competing at the national level or anytime on the national circuit, there are some inherent things that judges will expect you to be able to do. The first is to speak pretty – you may have the best analysis possible, but if you cannot articulate yourself fluently you are not asking for a very high rank in round. The second is that you will have at least 8-10 sources cited in your speech; the number varies from coach to coach, but most will tell you that if you have less than 8 QUALITY sources cited in your speech you are working off of personal rhetoric and not academic/professional theories or empirical example. Personal rhetoric, known in the extemp world as “BS”, is something that every extemper has done at some point or another. If you are looking to go far at CFLs, this is not the place to do it. Judges want concrete comparisons and extrapolations, not something that has a lot of filler words. The third thing your judges will expect you to be able to do is to move them in some way. By the end of your speech the judge should feel as if you have presented a new perspective on the question you answered, not something that has been presented to them by hundreds of extempers in previous tournaments before; be different. Your analysis and your points need to strive to convey a singular message, not two or three different ones. By having a thesis or central theme, you are showing the judge you know what you are taking about and that you are not falling in to the trap of “BS”.
As long as you can look back at the CFLs and say that you satisfied with your performance (even without a national title), then the tournament was a success. This tournament gets everybody ready and excited for NFLs, do not miss out on such an opportunity. And by taking care of yourself, being social and well-preapred, who knows, you may just walk away with a national championship before the big tournament in June. Good luck to all!
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