2014 NHBB Nationals Draw Size / Wild Card Teams

[Great Bustard]

The 2014 National History Bowl National Championships field size has now been confirmed at 132 Varsity teams and 84 Junior Varsity teams for a total of 216 (last year was 132 and 66 respectively for comparison). Currently, we have exactly 132 Varsity teams in the field, but only 81 Junior Varsity teams. The remaining three spots in the JV still need to be filled, and are still open for registration, as is the waitlist for Varsity, and the standby team list for both divisions according to the criteria outlined below:

If you are interested in registering for the JV, being added to the Varsity waitlist, or the standby list for either division, please contact me asap. I will wait until Saturday afternoon to begin the actual JV draw, so NHBB teams have until 12pm Eastern on Saturday to contact me if they wish to be considered for a wild card. After that, any team (even if you didn't play NHBB at all this year) is welcome to apply for the standby list or openings in the JV field, if any. Between now and Saturday, the slots in the JV will be filled along the following lines:

1. First come, first served, if teams did in fact qualify, but haven't signed up yet.
2. Among NHBB teams, wild card bids from now through noon Saturday will be considered according to various factors, including how close a team came to qualifying, performances in quizbowl events, whether a team realistically only had 1 or 2 chances to qualify, and strength of the field a team was up against at regionals. Teams of three or more students are also given priority.
3. After 12pm on Saturday, slots will go on a first come, first served basis to whoever contacts me, or has contacted me if they aren't yet full. Non-NHBB teams should wait until 12pm Eastern on Saturday to email me - I will not consider earlier bids as valid. After that, I will accept registrations from any team.

Also, final Madden rankings will be updated for both Varsity and Junior Varsity on Sunday (barring last minute drops or adds). The draw itself will likely be released around April 20. As in past years, it will be publicly available in advance of the tournament.