The Extemper's Bible

For the UKTOC's return to an in-person tournament comes a new extemp champion! Kevin and Sruti join Pierce McDade for an interview that's long overdue. But no need to glaze him anymore—iykyk. Meet the Economist addict, PhD-level tag maker (on PhDs), and the embodiment of the HI-to-Extemp pipeline.

Sruti and Kevin chat with the other 2023 Harvard finalists: Amy Cao, McKinley Paltzik, Phoena Lin, and Taylor Burris. New Jersey extempers, beware (you'll see why very quickly). Other topics include: Instagram food accounts, Ice Spice in Info, canceling prom–and, oh yeah, the tournament itself!

A virtual tournament in 2023, that also happens to be split. Stanford Champions Michelle and Aidan join Kevin and Sruti to talk questions, and questionable practice strategies. Apart from a still wrapped magazine, there's the plague of senioritis, a rehash of the California circuit discussion, and of course, the upcoming span of nationals!

Topping the NSDA points race and making weekly national appearances, Teddy Gercken stands out despite being such a familiar face. The double champion of the James Logan MLK Jr. Invitational and finalist in (quite literally) countless others joins Kevin and Sruti to talk about his inspirations, his unreal prep strategy, and his... emotive tactics? Hear about regional divides, how you too can prep in under 5 minutes, and something about a war and a battle!

Akshita Krishnan guides extempers through maybe our greatest fear: showing emotion. Okay, maybe not for all extempers... Still, hear us (and her) out on why Interp will make you a better extemper!

In the inaugural episode of our new, semi-seasonal series, Kevin, Sruti, and Logan Scisco recap the significant tournaments of the season so far while looking forward to MBA. Congratulations to all 16 invitees!

New co-host and a new Potomac Champ! Join Kevin and Sruti as they talk to Taylor Burris, the champion of the GMU Patriot Games. From Virginia locals to Blue Key, to landing an invite to MBA, Taylor is charting her path on the national circuit. Just don't ask her any questions about education!

Florida: known for its harsh climate, harsher politics, and possibly an even harsher field of extempers. In this episode, Kevin and McKinley are joined by Blue Key champion and NSDA IX finalist Jack Ververis who, despite missing our last invite for the podcast, is finally on to tell us about a new tenet of his. Key to his success? Having fun, and hating on cryptocurrencies (Jack was right about FTX?!). A callback to Brazil, Georgia with the midterm moves, and looking forward to UT Longhorn are all included.

Perhaps no other school in recent history has had as much success and consistency on the national extemp circuit as Plano West Senior High School. So, what really goes on behind the scenes? Are extemper's just bigger (and better) in Texas? Is Plano running an extemp mill for middle schoolers? Or, do they just practice in a diligent manner?

Off the heels of the Yale University Invitational, McKinley Paltzik and Kevin Li are joined by Kyle Letterer, Phoena Lin, Gabriel Bo, Madeline Tsao, and Anirudh Prasanna in a group call that's sure to excite! Just don't mind the incessant mentions of rain, or travel, or funds, or chants, or...

If you didn't listen to part one, go do that now! Now that you're back for part two, McKinley and Kevin ask Scisco about the creation of Extemp Central, ongoing trends at the national level, and concerns over a post-pandemic world of speech and debate.

The man, the myth, and the legend Logan Scisco has been running Extemp Central for over a decade. So, what does it take to go from an NFL (now called the NDSA) Final Round champion to leading one of the largest websites for free extemp briefs? In part one, McKinley and Kevin dive into the days of early 2000's competition, Scisco's coaching style, and (of course) which national tournament has the best judge's lounge. Look out for part two, where the conversation shifts towards the upcoming season.

The best is saved for the last and 3rd episode of our national finalist series! Kevin and McKinley (!!!) talk to the 2022 NSDA USX finalists: Peter Alisky, Kush Narang, Ananth Veluvali, Kyle Letterer, Dev Ahuja, and William Chien. Kyle contemplates life on a long bus ride, Dev can’t figure out how to cross a particular someone, and Peter remarks on his winning speech! Warning: a third of this episode is dedicated to roasting layered analysis.

Treading our way into the 2nd episode of a 3-part series, Kevin rings up the 2022 NSDA IX finalists: McKinley Paltzik, Daniel Kind, Majid Shabbeer, Ajay Gupta, and Gabriel Bo (Jack Ververis low-key forgot about the call). The cross clash of two titans, complaining about this year’s (and next year’s) heat, and a now-infamous on-top moment are all included.

In the first of a 3 part series on national finalists, Kevin chats with the 2022 NCFL finalists in Extemp: Daniel Kind, Ananth Veluvali, Rhea Rajvansh, Siri Ural, Rishika Bansal, and Mukta Dharmpaurikar. Enjoy a dose of travel stories and extemp tips from the people at the very top of the game! Also, they wanted a laugh track at one moment in particular, so watch out for that…

Cross-ex catfights, DX slander, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Barring further hypotheticals, Kevin and surprise host McKinley Paltzik chat with the reigning Queen of ETOC, McKinley’s words I promise.

In a special spin-off episode of our news series, Kevin delves into the Russo-Ukrainian war just in time for you to absorb the info before TOCs. Take notes, simply memorize, whatever. Just don't use any of this if you hit Kevin or Chirag in a room.

The champion of Yale, Bronx, Arizona States, and (the most prestigious tournament in all of extemp) MBA, McKinley Paltzik herself goes over her extemp finesse with Chirag and Kevin. With a learning curve that probably matches her MBA graph, Paltzik talks about time and trophies in the 2nd-ever interview we've done with an MBA Champion!

In a surprise to the extemp community, Marc Zavarro ended up winning Harvard. Then, he added to his tally by being Florida's USX Champion. In this episode of the Extemper's Bible, Kevin chats with Marc about his victories and his thoughts on a couple of key events to America's future. P.S. Danny, we know you're already planning revenge.

In this episode, Chirag walks through the admittedly complicated conflict in Ukraine so far. Hopefully, the editing isn't bad this time!!

In this episode, Director of Content Mukta Dharmapurikar talks about the importance of Impromptu, despite the event frequently being the butt of jokes made by extempers.

Another month, another opportunity to complain about the world. In this episode, Chirag and Kevin talk about the retiring Supreme Court Justice, a military-led coup in Burkina Faso, and most dangerously, the whole Russia situation. Grab your dose of news and depressing impacts with The World Sucks and Here's Why, January Edition!

In the second part of a two-part series, Chirag offers his advice on doing your best in the dreaded and esteemed out rounds. We know it is hard to consistently break past your first out round, but hopefully this episode helps make breaking a bit easier. We believe in you!!

In the first part of a two-part series, Kevin gives some tips on approaching the preliminary rounds. A little bit of strategy, psychology, and more coming up! Be sure to check out the next part too!

Everyone's favorite segment of the Extemper's Bible Podcast is back! Today, Chirag and Kevin tackle the omicron variant and a number of elections to wrap up a conflicted and controversial year as we head into the second half of the extemp season.

Our holiday gift to the extemp community is an interview with the extemper at the top of pretty much every single results list. That’s right, in this episode, Chirag and Kevin have a chat with Daniel Kind and his experience in extemp. The winner of the Season Opener, Blue Key, and probably a dozen more, gives us insight into what it takes to be a great extemper and how much extemp can truly mean.

Learning extemp isn't easy. Today, we talk to Nick Blauz from Nova High School about how his connections with alumni have shaped his experience in extemp. Learn more about the importance of alumni to the extemp community in this interview!

Oil. Africa. High-profile American legal cases, and more. This isn't just a bad parody of Avatar, but our new series on the most applicable news for extempers: The World Sucks and Here's Why...

We've all had bad tournaments, but it's always important to bounce back. In this episode, Chirag and Kevin talk about ways to improve and come back better for your next competition.

Chirag and Kevin talk about the future of the podcast and reflect on the past year and a half of online extemp.

On this episode of the podcast, I'll take a deep dive into creating effective statements of significance in extemp, so you can maximize your extemp ethos! 

On this episode of the Extemper's Bible, I'll take a look at how to frame your question, depending on the exact wording of it. Then, we'll take a look at a few examples and some sample outlines: 

- What should Pete Buttigieg's biggest priority be as head of the Department of Transportation?

- Should the United States withdraw troops from Afghanistan?

- Will Iran develop nuclear weapons in the near future?

- Is peace possible in Yemen?

- How can _____ country grow their economy?

On this episode of the podcast, I interview the national champion Jimmy Gao. Check out our new website extempers.org for all-things extemp!

On this episode of the Extemper's Bible, I give some important updates about the future of this podcast, including a new camp that I am launching and three new podcast series that I'm really excited to host. Sign up for the camp below! https://forms.gle/MHGPGTBWWM8NKgMr9

No nonsense, and straight to the point :) 

On this episode, I go in-depth, explaining interest rates, the zero lower bound, fiscal vs monetary policy, factors to consider during a recession speech (including the distinction between a "how likely" & a "how to") question. Also, keep a look out for camp information & LMK if there are any other economic concepts you want me to cover, this is only part one of many! 

Today I interview Brian Zheng. He is a two-time TOC finalist, two-time MBA invitee, and NCFL champion. On the podcast, we discuss Brian's best advice, how to approach questions through a more creative lens, research strategy & his favorite sources, approaching topics you've never heard about, and more. Brian is an incredibly intelligent extemper, and, as you'll see, he fully answers each question, providing very helpful advice. 

In this episode, I explain what the coronavirus is, it's environmental, social, & economic impacts, and how to limit the spread of the disease. Considering how often we'll draw questions about the coronavirus, it is important that we understand the topic both as extempers and as civically-engaged citizens. Link to free extemp sessions: https://forms.gle/aAS1TDBNuXcw5oW89

On this episode, I interview Jack Silvers, champion of Harvard and two-time MBA invitee. Together, we discuss extemp strategy, keeping a calm composure during tournaments, great sources to read, and more. Jack truly offers a unique perspective on how to succeed in this activity! 

Over the weekend, I was competing at the online tournament of champions, where I had a blast of a time! On this episode of the Extemper's Bible, I dissect my experience with the tournament and what I think this means for online nationals. Intro: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM

In this episode, I interview the talented and impressive national champion René Otero, where we discuss mental health, extemp strategy, inclusion in this activity, and more. His philosophy on extemp presented me with a unique and new way of thinking, so hopefully it does the same for you! 

Today I interview MBA invitee, Bronx Champion, and Harvard and NSDA Runner-Up Pranav Pattatathunaduvil. On the episode, we discuss extemp strategy, his experience at nationals, his best pieces of advice, what makes a good extemper, and more. This is an episode you surely don't want to miss! 

After months of extensive campaigning, Senator Bernie Sanders has suspended his presidential campaign, leaving former VP Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee. In this episode of the Extemper's Bible, we'll take a look at what went wrong, what went right, and what this means for the general election and the ideological future of the Democratic Party.  

Keeping your analysis simple & concise, while simultaneously adding complex analysis that the judge can understand is one of the most difficult parts of any extemp speech. In this episode of the Extemper's Bible, you'll hopefully utilize the tips & tricks mentioned in order to become a more successful competitor. Intro and Outro Credits: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM. 

On this episode of the Extemper's Bible, I talk with Sinan Kassim, a truly inspiring extemper who founded the Kassim Legacy Foundation--an excellent non-profit. In the interview, we talk about the foundation and Sinan's experience with extemp and advice for other extempers. Check out the episode! 

On this interview we ask Samuel Padmanabhan about his newly-created book for extempers, his politics website, and his personal experiences with extemp. You won't want to miss it!  

On the episode of the Extemper's Bible, we'll help you decide if international or domestic extemp is the better choice for you.

A deeper look and explanation of the transformative June Medical Services, LLC v. Russo. case currently being heard by the Supreme Court. 

With the NSDA's recent decision to go online, for the time being, the future of extemp tournaments is virtual. The question now: how do we prepare?