2008 TJIAT (10/18/08) at TJHSST

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA, is pleased to announce the TJIAT on Saturday, 18 October 2008. As with previous TJIATs, we will be using timed NAQT, set IS-79 with geographic exclusivity for Virginia and Maryland. We will be capping the field at 48 teams, so sign up early if you wish to be guaranteed a spot. In addition, we will be using the card system that proved successful at last year's Housh Classic.

And now for some pricing:
$60 for the first team from each school.
$50 for subsequent teams.
-$10 for the first set of buzzers
-$10 if you're at least 200 miles away
$20 for a copy of the questions.
$30 for dropping a team after Wednesday, 15 October

We had a big problem with teams dropping out at the last minute. That was not fun, especially since it completely messes up the tournament format. Therefore, we have the fee.

To sign up, go to http://activities.tjhsst.edu/itsacademic/tjiatreg.php. If you have any questions, e-mail me (hwhite@tjhsst.edu) or Greyson Lewis (greydude13@gmail.com).

[closesesame]

Thomas Jefferson Invitational Academic Tournament, or, if you prefer,

T.J. (Houshmandzadeh) Is a Touchdown

[Carangoides ciliarius]

The NAQT website says you're using IS-79.

http://www.naqt.com/schedule.jsp

Which is it?

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

First post updated with awesome goodness.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

To celebrate the Daytona Cubs winning the Florida Summer League, we are pleased to announce that we are officially a qualifier for PACE. Also, have a field update. Remember, they look much better with your team on it:

Bishop Ireton High School (1)
Churchill High School (2)
Dorman High School (1)
Fairfax (1)
Georgetown Day School (2)
South County (1)
State College Area High School (2)

Total: 10 teams

[MLWGS-Gir]

So is a PACE-affiliated tournament run on an IS-set a qualifier for both NSC and HSNCT? Just to be clear...

Also, Harry, we'll probably register 2-3 teams at some point.

[Jeremy Gibbs Freesy Does It]

Yes, that is standard practice for NAQT and PACE qualifiers.

[MLWGS-Gir]

Yes, that is standard practice for NAQT and PACE qualifiers.

Cool. Thanks, Dees.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

Here's Caesar Rodney's unofficial announcement that we will likely be bringing 1 or 2 teams. Maybe more likely just 1. We don't want to be embarrassed too much.

I'll send an official e-mail soon.

[closesesame]

You know you guys want to come to this. Seriously, be there or be an equilateral, equiangular quadrilateral. Register today and you'll receive two sets of Blow Pens, a $19.95 value, FREE! Not really, but you will get amazing quizbowl fun.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

Also, this will probably be your only chance to be at a timed NAQT tournament until the HSNCT. Feel free to take advantage of that as much as you can.

[Ukonvasara]

Also, this will probably be your only chance to be at a timed NAQT tournament until the HSNCT. Feel free to take advantage of that as much as you can.

It's never too early to start complaining about clocks, kids!

[every time i refresh i have a new name]

yeah, with good readers, you should be getting through all 24 questions in each packet anyway (well, unless you want to leave one for tiebreaker purposes)

[closesesame]

We will indeed be getting through all 24 questions for the most part, as everyone's favorite Ada-bada-vada Malayali is rockin' the house at Vandy.

[Robbie Ram]

J. W. Robinson Secondary will be bringing one team for sure, more likely two teams, and possibly even three (!)-- pending the outcome of our It's Academic "newbies" meeting this Monday. We will "officially" register... um... eventually. Soon, even. Honest.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

FIELD UPDATE:

Bishop Ireton High School (1)
Churchill High School (2)
Clover Hill High School (2)
Dorman High School (1)
Elizabeth Seton High School (1)
Fairfax (1)
Georgetown Day School (2)
Gonzaga (1)
James Madison High School (2)
South County (1)
State College High School (2)
W. T. Woodson High School (1)
Walter Johnson (1)
Woodrow Wilson High School (1)

Total: 19 teams

Also, several teams have shown interest, including but not limited to Gov, Robinson, Caesar Rodney, Wilmington Charter, and Dunbar.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

I sent a registration e-mail a week ago.

[closesesame]

To register, please fill out the form on our website at the following URL:

http://activities.tjhsst.edu/itsacademic/tjiatreg.php

Apologies for the confusion!

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

To register, please fill out the form on our website at the following URL:

http://activities.tjhsst.edu/itsacademic/tjiatreg.php

Apologies for the confusion!

Yeah, I probably should say that on the first post. Also, ninja edit on the field update.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

That page wasn't up/didn't work when you first posted it. But, yeah, replying to the e-mail would have alleviated that.

Anyway, yes, signing up one (1) team.

[MLWGS-Gir]

We'll be registering as soon as we determine how many teams we're bringing (probably 2, hopefully 3).

[Salt Lake Dream]

Whitman will attend and take a buzzer.

[closesesame]

Again, please register at the website listed above. Simple posts on the message board or e-mails to Harry will not be counted as registration. Thanks.

[Terrible Shorts Depot]

Harry or Naren or anybody really-
Will there be a TJ winter tournament this year?

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

Yes there will, on January 10th. If I'm feeling not lazy, I might actually make a post about it.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

Because I'm bored:

Bishop Ireton High School (1)
Caesar Rodney High School (1)
Churchill High School (2)
Clover Hill High School (2)
Dorman High School (1)
Elizabeth Seton High School (1)
Fairfax (1)
George C. Marshall HIgh School (2)
Georgetown Day School (2)
Gonzaga (1)
James Madison High School (2)
Maggie Walker (2)
Mercersburg Academy (2)
South County (1)
State College High School (2)
The Calverton School (2)
W. T. Woodson High School (1)
Walter Johnson (1)
Woodrow Wilson High School (1)

Total: 28 teams

Note that we are probably going to cap the field at 48 teams, as we wish to have enough moderators.

[chatt_r]

Having no e-mails nor the capabilities on this particular laptop to find them, I'd just like to write down here that RM will be sending 2-3 teams, and that we'll get a proper count by the 7th For Sure.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

FIELD UPDATE:

Bishop Ireton High School (1)
Caesar Rodney High School (1)
Churchill High School (2)
Clover Hill High School (2)
Cosby High School (2)
Dorman High School (1)
Elizabeth Seton High School (1)
Fairfax (1)
George C. Marshall HIgh School (2)
Georgetown Day School (2)
Gonzaga (1)
J.E.B. Stuart HS (1)
James Madison High School (2)
Maggie Walker (2)
Mercersburg Academy (2)
South County (1)
State College High School (2)
The Calverton School (2)
W. T. Woodson High School (1)
Walter Johnson (1)
Whitman (1)
Wilmington Charter (6)
Woodrow Wilson High School (1)

Totoal: 38 teams

Remember, the field is capped at 48 teams, so sign up if you haven't done so already.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

FIELD UPDATE AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFOS:

Bishop Ireton High School (1)
Caesar Rodney High School (1)
Churchill High School (2)
Clover Hill High School (2)
Cosby High School (2)
Dorman High School (1)
Elizabeth Seton High School (1)
Fairfax (1)
George C. Marshall HIgh School (2)
Georgetown Day School (2)
Gonzaga (1)
Howard High School (1)
J.E.B. Stuart HS (1)
James Madison High School (2)
Maggie Walker (2)
Mercersburg Academy (2)
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1)
Richard Montgomery High School (3)
South County (1)
St. Annes - Belfield School (1)
State College High School (2)
The Calverton School (2)
W. T. Woodson High School (1)
Walter Johnson (1)
Whitman (1)
Wilmington Charter (6)
Woodrow Wilson High School (1)
blake (2)

Total: 46 teams

Please note that the team cap is at 48 teams, which means that if you want to take part, you need to sign up soon. However, teams do have this magical tendency to drop out at the last minute, so even if the field is full, please post on this thread if you are interested in signing up, and we will let you know if a slot opens up for you.

More details including tournament structure and times coming soon.

[closesesame]

Well, folks, it seems we hit the magic 48 team cap today. As Harry said, we do expect a few teams will drop out, so don't hesitate to sign up for the waiting list (so to speak) by posting your info here. That being said, we do not guarantee anything.

We're working out the tournament structure, which will most likely end up as some sort of two-bracket round robin (for at least the top 12 teams or so) or something modeled along the lines of PACE NSC. More details to follow.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

I feel like a broken record from the Princeton thread, but... consolation rounds?

[closesesame]

We are definitely going to have consolation rounds. We want to give you your money's worth of quizbowl, of course, and I think we want to guarantee that every team plays a certain number of rounds.

Would everyone be up for round robins for consolation (i.e. more quizbowl and more time) or some sort of single/double-elim (less quizbowl, a lot less time, and bad IMO)?

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

Also, we've been considering a card system-like deal, sort of what PACE had a few months ago.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

As long as everything is efficient, round-robin consolation would rock. And if the rounds are timed (as we've been told), there's no reason to think that it everything wouldn't be efficient. So, yes.

[SHP Pirate]

As I posted on the Princeton thread ... is Caesar Rodney playing at Princeton, TJ, or both? They are registered for both tournaments.
Just curious ...

[SHP Pirate]

Mea culpa. I had the TJ tournament on 10/11 ... not 10/18.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

Yep. :)

[flylikeaneagle]

Centennial is indefinitely bringing two teams. Chances are we will have only one team. We will let you know ASAP how many teams we're bringing.

[closesesame]

Okay, that would be excellent. We have you signed up on our website to bring 2 teams as of today. If you do plan to drop, please let us know before next Wednesday so we can avoid chaos and you can avoid the drop-out penalty.

[Robbie Ram]

Well, folks, it seems we hit the magic 48 team cap today. As Harry said, we do expect a few teams will drop out, so don't hesitate to sign up for the waiting list (so to speak) by posting your info here.

I thought we registered early in September, but I see we're not on the "registered teams" list. Hmmmmm. (If you don't *want* us to attend, just say so!)

That said, we *were* expecting to bring 1 team, 1 buzzer set, and to purchase questions. Please put us on the wait list, and if you can let me know (Michael DOT Campana AT fcps DOT edu) by close of business (i.e. 4PM) on Thursday, October 16 whether any spots have come open, we would certainly love to attend. Thanks.

[chatt_r]

When does the tournament/registration start?

[closesesame]

Hey everyone,

I have some important tournament updates for all of you. First off, in response to Raj's question, the tournament usually starts at 9. Secondly, we have tentatively settled upon the following format for our tournament structure, modeled after this year's PACE NSC:

The 48 teams are bracketed into 6 brackets of 8 teams each. After these 7 rounds of round-robin play, one of two things happens depending on a team's record.

EDIT: 1) The top 12 teams enter into a playoff round-robin, this time in 2 brackets of 6. If the top team in a bracket after 5 rounds has cleared the field by at least 2 games, it advances automatically to the final. If the top team is 1 game ahead, it plays an advantaged semifinal against the 2nd place team. If the top two teams are tied in record, they play a 1 game semifinal to advance to the final. The winners of each bracket then play each other in a 1 game final. At the same time as the final, the 2nd place team from one bracket plays the 2nd place team from the other bracket for 3rd/4th place, 3rd place teams play for 5th/6th, and so on until the ranking of the top 12 teams is determined. The top 8 qualify for the HSNCT, but while we're at it, we might as well determine the full ranking of the top 12.

2) The bottom 36 teams enter into consolation rounds governed by some sort of a card system to be determined by our resident math genius and tournament director, Harry White.

Any ties (other than for winning a playoff bracket) will be broken by PP20TUH. All rounds will be timed NAQT. We feel that with this sort of a format, all teams are guaranteed the most quizbowl for their money. The top 12 teams will be guaranteed 13 rounds, and consolation teams will get to play a similar number. I look forward to seeing all of you this Saturday, and if you've got any questions/comments/concerns regarding this proposed structure or tournament logistics, please don't hesitate to reply to this post.

Naren

[Isaacbh]

Important question: Last year, before the tournament, people were playing N64 Smash Bros. There was a Gamecube, but no Melee. Should I bring a disc this year?

[dschafer]

Important question: Last year, before the tournament, people were playing N64 Smash Bros. There was a Gamecube, but no Melee. Should I bring a disc this year?

The fact that N64 Smash Bros. apparently remains a TJ tradition fills me with joy.

[Bad Boy Bill]

I want to be devil's advocate just to get this clarified in my head, and to find out if I want to use this system at tournaments I direct, assuming I've got the moderators.

Let's say you are the 4-1 team in one of the five team playoff brackets, and you took your loss to the 5-0 team. As far as I can tell, you've been "singly eliminated" from competing for first place.

Is this playoff system preferred because it gives more games? (which of course if things are running on time is good) Do you like it because there's always that chance that someone will come along and upset the team you lost to?

I'm not saying this system is bad at all, I like it. I just want to people to clarify for me how these playoff brackets represent a step up from single elimination.

EDIT:

The top 8 qualify for the HSNCT, but considering that Charter A and Gonzaga have already qualified, we really need to know the top 10 to determine who gets to qualify out of our tournament. While we're at it, we might as well determine the full ranking of the top 12.

I don't understand this remark. The "magic number" is the same whether or not teams at the tournament have already qualified. If I understand the system correctly, teams 9 and 10 won't qualify if Charter A and Gonzaga A are in the top eight. If this were the case, wouldn't the, say, 22nd highest team become eligible by end of year events?

[closesesame]

I actually have no idea what I meant by that top 8 comment. I brought that up because our TD mentioned something about that. I don't think it works quite the way I explained it.

I also forgot that NAQT sends us 15 rounds, not 14. Therefore we can do a "2 games up = clear the field, 1 game up = advantaged semifinal, tie = 1 game semifinal" format for the playoff brackets that avoids the "singly eliminated" issue. That's why the whole system made sense in the first place. Thank you for being devil's advocate and clearing up my Allegra-induced confusion My post above has now been edited to fix these things.

[Wurzel-Flummery]

Important question: Last year, before the tournament, people were playing N64 Smash Bros. There was a Gamecube, but no Melee. Should I bring a disc this year?

Personally, I prefer the original Super Smash Brothers.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

The top 8 qualify for the HSNCT, but considering that Charter A and Gonzaga have already qualified, we really need to know the top 10 to determine who gets to qualify out of our tournament. While we're at it, we might as well determine the full ranking of the top 12.

I don't understand this remark. The "magic number" is the same whether or not teams at the tournament have already qualified. If I understand the system correctly, teams 9 and 10 won't qualify if Charter A and Gonzaga A are in the top eight. If this were the case, wouldn't the, say, 22nd highest team become eligible by end of year events?

That was me being stupid. For some reason I got it in my head that that was the case.

Also, we have a tentative schedule:

8-9 AM: Registration
9-9:15 AM: Rules Meeting
9:15 AM: First round starts
12:45 AM: End of round 7, start of lunch
1:45 PM: Return from lunch, rebracketing announcement
2:00 PM: Start of round 8
4:30 PM: End of round 12, awards, playoff announcements, etc.
4:45 PM: Start of round 13
6:15 PM: Worst-case scenario for end of Finals.

Of course, with all the rounds being 18 minutes long (in theory), we should be able to move a bit faster than this, but I prefer pleasant surprises to nasty ones. Of course all this is subject to change, depending on what happens, including but lot limited to teams showing up and the number of moderators (which is what we've had problems with in previous years, *coughcough*).

[Frater Taciturnus]

depending on what happens, including but lot limited to teams showing up and the number of moderators (which is what we've had problems with in previous years, *coughcough*).

if number of moderators is going to be an issue, I could possibly ride up from Richmond for the day. If a team coming from, say, Richmond, gives me a ride, they could count that as a moderator discount.

[The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio]

Also, three teams have dropped, so if you wish to sign up, you can now.

EDIT: Also, if you need directions, here is TJ on Google Maps.