Game Faces: Ian Robert Summers

Forensics Phenom

Year: Senior
Team: Forensics, Cocaptain
Major: Communication and Economics

Claim to Fame: Summers consistently makes it to the finals in the Limited Preparation category and is one of the only students nationally to do so. Most recently, he was the only student to advance to four final rounds in the L. E. Norton Tournament, the largest and most competitive tournament of the fall season.

Area of Expertise: Limited Preparation events, such as Extemporaneous and Impromptu Speaking. Extemporaneous speeches are given on domestic politics and foreign affairs, and Summers and his teammates are expected to prepare in a matter of minutes. A recent topic was whether the United States should recommit troops to Somalia.

Average Time to Prepare to Speak: 45 seconds for Impromptu Speaking. “That’s the average for all the seniors on the team.”

Secret Weapon: Eight tubs of newspaper clippings on current events that he and his teammates have compiled and take with them to competitions around the country. “I couldn’t do it without the help of my teammates.”

Big Surprise: He was a walk on. “I was not recruited for the team. I walked on as a freshman with minimal experience. That’s a testament to the coaching staff. They saw potential in me. It was the best decision I ever made, and I didn’t even know what I was doing.”

Connoisseur of Fine Print: In his quest to keep current, Summers regularly reads newspapers from around the world. His favorites include the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the South China Morning Post, and the Financial Times. Name a continent and he can tell you the best news source there.

What He Does for Fun: Zombie and Quentin Tarantino movies, sports including Patriots basketball games, and Minnesota (that’s where he’s from) public radio.

Best Memory: His internship on Capitol Hill. Summers had the opportunity to work on the staff of Congressman Christopher Carney (D-Pennsylvania). “I was there for the Valerie Plame hearings and the first time they voted on the war in Iraq. The energy was palpable.”