Oklahoma Academic Bowl contract

[bdavery]

I received in the mail this week Oklahoma's request for a state Academic Bowl question provider, beginning in 2009-10 and for 2 more years after that.

If someone would seriously like to bid, I will mail the paper copy of everything to you (but since I only have one copy, first come-first served). Deadline is Dec. 1, 2008.

The most important info:

1) Each game has 43 tossups (not to be "lengthy and burdensome") [counting tiebreakers/extras] and six 60-second (lightning) rounds [each with 12 answers, again counting extras]. Tossups are 20% SS, 20% math, 20% science, 20% English, 20% all else [each of these also has their own specific requirements].

2) 23 games total; the entire set must be sent not only electronically (or on floppy), but also printed out once. They have a specific format they want for this, which is shown on the paper copy.

3) To bid, send 20 tossups and 3 lightning rounds to Ed Sheakley, c/o OSSAA, PO Box 14590, 7300 N. Broadway Extension, Oklahoma City OK 73113-0590, along with a brief history of your writing experience and 3 past references.

[JackGlerum]

(not to be "lengthy and burdensome")

lol.

[David Riley]

Great.....another Missouri in the making...

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

Oklahoma has always had this crappy format. The difference between an Oklahoma and a Missouri is that Oklahoma has a group of college people/Eric Bell who go out of their way to host a full season's worth of NAQT events, and because they have been doing this for a while those tournaments all draw decent numbers of teams. Another difference is that plenty of coaches take their team seriously enough to patronize the HSNCT multiple years, recognizing that good quizbowl is good. There are still none of the rules that Missouri has punishing people for playing far away or with colleges either, so I'm not totally sold on Oklahoma being lost yet.

[at your pleasure]

(not to be "lengthy and burdensome")

Of course, this wouldn't be a issue if they a)used fewer tossups, and b) had fewer math questions.

[Mechanical Beasts]

Using fewer tossups would require the removal of gardening from social science. Imagine!

Anyway, now that we know that we're probably not going to get sued for discussing it, who's the typical question provider and what do they bid?

[lasercats]

Using fewer tossups would require the removal of gardening from social science. Imagine!

Anyway, now that we know that we're probably not going to get sued for discussing it, who's the typical question provider and what do they bid?

I'm pretty sure it has been some guy from Arkansas (not sure of his name) for as long as I remember.

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

I'm pretty sure Bob Brown of Question Bank "fame" wrote the Oklahoma State tournament for ages.

[the return of AHAN]

I'm pretty sure rabid St. Louis Cardinals fan, and therefore a good guy, Bob Brown of Question Bank "fame" wrote the Oklahoma State tournament for ages.

FIXED
Did he really have the OKlahoma contract? Huh. When I met him (at a Cards-Cubs game that the Birds won in 10 innings, thankyouverymuch), he was trying to break in to the business.

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

That's what I heard through a third party source.