Re: First tournament « Result #1 on Mar 5, 2009, 6:07pm »
The Economist is your BEST FRIEND. In Massachusetts, almost every school brings the latest Economist to tournaments, my school included.
Other good sources: -For Middle East/Israel: Ha'aretz, Jerusalem Post, Al-Jazeera is good but you should read it for reference, not citing. -General stuff: Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Globe & Mail, The Guardian -Asia Pacific: South China Morning Post, Daily Yomiuri, Singapore Business Times -The Daily Show (jk)
Re: Remembering everything... « Result #3 on Feb 13, 2009, 7:56pm »
I find that in my state, Indiana, where we are allowed to use notecards, there is no discrimination about whether or not you use a notecard so long as you don't depend on it all the time. I was the only speaker to use a notecard at my last meet and I still won against two 4-year members. I don't know how, but I did! I too have trouble using so many sources. One of the 4-year members on our team, who is an FXer never cites sources and usually places first or second just because he is such a good speaker. Go figure!
Re: First tournament « Result #4 on Feb 13, 2009, 7:50pm »
I know this post is old, but if you still need the advice, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, US News & World Report, Time Magazine, and Newsweek are also very good resources for extemp. They are used almost exclusively in our district as sources. It may also be a good idea to take a quote book or almanac to the tournament, even though you can't take it into your rounds, it will give you something to do between rounds and you may learn something you can use during your speeches. hope this helped!
I have a question- I am a freshman and first year extemper, and I have problems with nerves. I get up in front of the room to do my speech (more so in impromptu, but also in extemp) and I get nervous and I start swaying back and forth, and my coaches have pointed out that I say 'so' too much. But I have trouble making myself aware of it and correcting it. I realize after the fact that I have done it, but I can't focus on it during my speech. Is there a way to recognize and correct this and get over my nerves? thanks! by the way, I really like this website!
In your opinion, which cross-x strategy is better: asking for expansion of analysis, or outright attacking the speech? Any other effective strategies? (There was an interesting article in the rostrum on this a while ago. . .)
Re: First tournament « Result #9 on Oct 10, 2008, 6:14am »
Those are some VERY strange rules, as I don't really understand how your supposed to do extemp without materials to consult for you to cite in your speech. From what I've always experienced in my 9 years of competing/coaching the event, you always need to include citations, but I am honestly at a loss for how you can do so without materials to consult. You could read a few articles and try to burn their main points into your head with the appropriate citation, although that would be tedious. If this place doesn't let you consult materials, I seriously question whether they even know what extemp is. It seems they are trying to do "extemporaneous impromptu" moreso than extemp.
You've got a good source list but I would also recommend reading the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, a German magazine called Der Spiegel, a bi-monthly magazine called Foreign Policy, and a bi-monthly journal called Foreign Affairs (which costs $30 per year). I'm not sure where you are from, so I don't know what local papers you are using, but usually local papers are not as good unless they are nationally recognized. For example, being from Kentucky I did not cite any Kentucky papers ever in my extemp career.
I'd also look into reading some books about international relations such as Henry Kissinger's Does America Need a Foreign Policy and Diplomacy . Also Thomas L. Friedman's books The Lexus and the Olive Tree and The World is Flat are interesting reads as well. Books come off as a great way to diversify your source material.
Also, look into reading some papers from groups like the International Crisis Group or the Heritage Foundation to increase your knowledge of international/domestic issues. They are very insightful and very useful in extemp.
Great questions and I'm glad to know that your finding the site helpful!
Re: Montgomery Bell Academy RR « Result #10 on Oct 10, 2008, 6:03am »
Yes, they do. Most times, NFL finalists get an automatic invite and semi-finalists are also placed into a place of high consideration. The selection process takes into account both the previous year's nationals (with an emphasis on NFL) and some national circuit tournaments, but I find it to be fair.
For example, I got a late invite my junior year and only had a semi-finalist placing in US Extemp from 2002 to back me up. I got an earlier invite senior year when I finaled in US Extemp at NFL the next year.
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