The tournament in Washington was better than expected on the whole, but I wish we had gone a bit farther in extemp. The team placed in the Top 5 in Speech and the top 5 overall (speech + debate). We also had a finalist in prose/poetry and a national champion in Oratory. Tim only made quarterfinals in extemp (top 24) but I think I have a much better idea of the style which is required to do well there now.
I was going to stay an extra day, but I was unable to change my ticket. As such, I wasn’t able to see any sights. In our hotel, there was also a rally of Vietnam Veteran bikers who were there for a Memorial day ride from the Pentagon to the Mall. High school kids and bikers make for an interesting mix.
