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!

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?

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.