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Here is the second part of a two part piece that previews the sixteen extempers participating in the 2014 Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin next week in Nashville, Tennessee. You can read part one by clicking here.
The profiles of the sixteen extempers attending are listed in alphabetical order and today’s preview provides details about eight of the extempers in the field. These profiles are meant to illustrate the credentials of those extempers who made this year’s event.
Since Extemp Central did not do a National Points Race this season (although it will likely return next season), we used the rankings provided by debaterankings.com.
Key: DNA = Did Not Attend; DNC = Did Not Clear (Break); DNF = Did Not Final; NR = Not Ranked
DAVIS LARKIN
*School: Parish Episcopal School (Dallas, Texas)
*Class: Junior
*Previous Invites to MBA: None
*Top School Finish at MBA: Participant (Cyrus Ghaznavi)
*National Ranking: 9th
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: Crestian – 3rd; George Mason – 5th; Villiger – Semifinalist; St. Mark’s – Quarterfinalist (IX), Quarterfinalist (USX)
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-DNA; NFL-DNC (IX)
*Notes: The lone Texas extempers in this year’s field, which is unusual since the Round Robin has traditionally invited more than one Texas extempers…Is the second bid for Parish Episcopal School in as many years…Is coached by Round Robin runner-up (2000) and two-time Exhibition Round participant Jason Warren…Likely earned his bid into the field based on a strong finish at the George Mason University Patriot Games Tournament, where he placed fifth in a field of 161 competitors…His finishes have also been on an upward trajectory at TOC tournaments since October…Finished fifteenth in Impromptu at last year’s NFL National Tournament.
LILY NELLANS
*School: Des Moines Roosevelt High School (Des Moines, IA)
*Class: Senior
*Previous Invites to MBA: 1st (2012, 2013)
*Top School Finish at MBA: 1st (Lily Nellans – 2012, 2013)
*National Ranking: 3rd
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: Blue Key – 1st (USX), 2nd (IX); Extemp TOC – 1st; George Mason – 1st (Round Robin); Glenbrooks – 1st; Harvard – 1st; Schwan’s Speech Spectacular – 1st; St. Mark’s – 2nd (IX), 2nd (USX); Yale – 3rd
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-DNA; NFL-5th (IX)
*Notes: Comes into this year’s Round Robin as the two-time defending champion after becoming the first two-time winner of the Round Robin last season…A victory would tie Kevin Troy’s record for most career major victories with six…Has more career national circuit victories than any other competitor in the field…Despite not clearing at Wake Forest and George Mason, where she was defending champion this season, still put together an impressive first semester resume by winning the Glenbrooks, a segment of the Florida Blue Key, and defending her George Mason University Round Robin championship against many of the competitors she will see at the Round Robin (Harrison, Saffran, Anderson, and Wartel)…Des Moines Roosevelt has accumulated the most bids in Round Robin history with ten, which is one more than Newton South High School. Roosevelt has accumulated these bids in an eight year period dating back to 2007…A three-time Iowa state champion in extemporaneous speaking, winning International Extemp in 2011 and United States Extemp in 2012 and 2013…Will be the two-time defending champion of the Extemp TOC this spring…Nearly won the Extemp Grand Slam as a sophomore in 2012, only failing to win NFL Nationals, where she placed third in International Extemp. If she were to win NFL Nationals this season she would become the second extemper in history to win the career Grand Slam.
JASPER PRIMACK
*School: Newton South High School (Newton, Massachusetts)
*Class: Junior
*Previous Invites to MBA: None
*Top School Finish at MBA: 1st (David Tannenwald – 2003, Becca Goldstein – 2008)
*National Ranking: 4th
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: George Mason – 1st; Villiger – 3rd; Yale – 5th; Blue Key – Semifinalist (USX), Quarterfinalist (IX); Harvard – Quarterfinalist
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-DNA; NFL-13th (USX)
*Notes: The first Newton South extempers to attend the Round Robin since 2009, which gives the school nine collective bids, which is the most in Round Robin history. In the fifteen year history of the Round Robin, Newton South and Eagan High School are the only schools that have had different extempers win the Round Robin…Has acquitted himself well on the Northeast extemp circuit this season, notching final round placings at Villiger and Yale…Won the largest tournament of the first semester by besting 161 extempers in the George Mason University Patriot Games Classic. The victory was the first major national circuit title for Newton South since Becca Goldstein won Harvard in 2008. He did not compete in the tournament’s Round Robin…The only United States Extemp semi-finalist in the field from last year’s NFL National Tournament, but he will have a chance to test his skills against three competitors (Rende, Jordan, and Harrison) that finished in the United States Extemp final round.
AREL RENDE
*School: Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa, OK)
*Class: Senior
*Previous Invites to MBA: None
*Top School Finish at MBA: First appearance for school
*National Ranking: 6th
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: St. Mark’s – 1st (USX), 3rd (IX); University of Texas – 1st (IX, USX); Extemp TOC – Semifinalist; Harvard – Quarterfinalist
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-DNA; NFL-1st (USX)
*Notes: The only national champion in this year’s field and the first reigning NFL national champion to compete at MBA since Spencer Rockwell, who won the 2006 NFL International Extemp title and competed at the 2007 tournament…Is the first Oklahoma extempers to be invited to the Round Robin…Has backed up his NFL victory with a domination of major Texas tournaments this season, winning three out of the four available championships at St. Mark’s and the University of Texas-Austin Longhorn Classic… Will be joined by fellow NFL finalists Christopher Jordan and Chase Harrison in this year’s field…Two-time 6A Oklahoma state champion in United States Extemp…Has to decide whether he will defend his United States title at NFL Nationals this year, where he would try to become the first defending champion in United States Extemp since James Hohmann last accomplished the feat in 2005, or whether he will enter International Extemp and try to become the second extemper in NFL history to win both extemp categories. Kevin Troy became the first to do that in 2005.
MILES SAFFRAN
*School: Trinity Preparatory School (Winter Park, FL)
*Class: Senior
*Previous Invites to MBA: 4th (2013)
*Top School Finish at MBA: 4th (Miles Saffran – 2013)
*National Ranking: 1st
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: Barkley Forum – 1st; Blue Key – 1st (IX), 2nd (USX); George Mason – 3rd (Round Robin), 4th (Patriot Games); Wake Forest – 1st; Yale – 1st; Sunvitational – 4th; Glenbrooks – Semifinalist; Harvard – Octofinalist
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-Quarterfinalist; NFL-Quarterfinalist (IX)
*Notes: Making his second appearance at the Round Robin after finishing fourth in last year’s competition…Enters the tournament as the highest ranked extempers in the nation according to debaterrankings.com…Began the season with a four tournament winning streak by taking championships at Wake Forest, Yale, the New York City Invitational, where he successfully defended his 2012 championship, and the International Extemp title at the Florida Blue Key…Victories at Wake Forest and Yale made him the first extemper to win both tournaments since at least 1999…Will be the defending Barkley Forum champion this January and will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the tournament since at least 2000…Finished behind Lily Nellans and Chase Harrison in the George Mason University Round Robin competition in early December…Was a third place finisher in International Extemp at last year’s Florida Forensic League State Tournament.
GABE SLATER
*School: Denver East High School (Denver, Colorado)
*Class: Senior
*Previous Invites to MBA: None
*Top School Finish at MBA: First appearance for school
*National Ranking: 14th
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: Glenbrooks – 2nd; Harvard – Quarterfinalist
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-DNA; NFL-Quarterfinalist (IX)
*Notes: One of two Colorado extempers in this year’s field and his bid is the first that Denver East High School has received to the tournament…Runner-up finish behind Lily Nellans at the Glenbrooks is what helped him get an invitation to this year’s event. Defeated MBA invitees Christopher Jordan and Will Walker in the Glenbrooks final round…Although his 2013 national circuit resume is smaller than other competitors, his Glenbrooks finish indicates that he is worthy of an MBA invitation…Has made the quarter-final round of the NFL National Tournament in International Extemp the last two seasons…Finished sixth at the 2012 New York City Invitational Tournament.
WILL WALKER
*School: Fullerton Joint Union High School (Fullerton, CA)
*Class: Senior
*Previous Invites to MBA: None
*Top School Finish at MBA: First appearance for school
*National Ranking: 27th
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: Glenbrooks – 4th; Harvard – Semifinalist
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-DNA; NFL-Quarterfinalist (IX)
*Notes: Is the first Fullerton Joint Union extempers to be invited to the Round Robin…In the field due to a solid showing at NFL Nationals last year in International Extemp and a fourth place finish at the Glenbrooks this season…Will be a California counterweight to Bellarmine College Preparatory, which has received the bulk of California’s extemp invites to the Round Robin in recent years…One of three quarterfinalists from last year’s NFL National Tournament in International Extemp in the field. This may not look as impressive as the United States Extemp finishers, but considering the depth of talent in last year’s International Extemp final it is not an accomplishment to take lightly…Quarterfinalist at the 2012 Glenbrooks.
JOSH WARTEL
*School: Lake Braddock Secondary School (Burke, Virginia)
*Class: Junior
*Previous Invites to MBA: 6th (2013)
*Top School Finish at MBA: 6th (Josh Wartel – 2013)
*National Ranking: 6th
*2013 TOC National Circuit Finishes: Villiger – 1st; Wake Forest – 2nd; Barkley Forum – 3rd; Blue Key – 3rd (IX), 4th (USX); Extemp TOC – 4th; George Mason – Semifinalist (Patriot Games), Participant (Round Robin); Harvard – Quarterfinalist
*National Finishes Last Season: CFL-Octofinalist; NFL-5th (USX)
*Notes: Was a sophomore invitee to last year’s Round Robin and finished one spot outside of the tournament’s Exhibition Round…Had a strong finish to last year’s season by making the final rounds of the Barkley Forum, the Extemp TOC, and NFL Nationals in United States Extemp…Is one of six NFL National finalists in this year’s field and will be competing against Arel Rende, Christopher Jordan, and Chase Harrison, who he faced in last year’s United States Extemp final round…Won this year’s Villiger Tournament and thwarted Harrison’s attempt to win consecutive titles…Will look to rebound from a disappointing Patriot Games outing, where he finished an elimination round shy of the final. He placed fifth at that tournament in 2012.