ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michigan

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ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michigan

Post by t-bar »

The full announcement is here. It includes the distribution and an adjustment of the packet deadlines. --mlw

The packet tracking post is here.

Update 8/11/14: ACF Nationals 2015 will be on April 18-19, 2015 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Hello all! ACF is currently seeking a host site for ACF Nationals, to be held on either the weekend of April 18-19 (our preferred date) or the weekend of April 11-12 (if necessary). You can now bid to host ACF Nationals using this form. We are looking to receive as many bids as possible from many different institutions. Completing the bid form should take about 30 minutes of your time. Please provide as much of the requested information as you can; the more we know, the better we will be able to make our decision. If you have any questions or concerns about the bidding process, feel free to contact me at [email protected].

The benefits to hosting, as outlined on the ACF website, are as follows:
ACF hosting guidelines wrote:For ACF Nationals, the host school will receive $20 per team in attendance for use of the rooms, $10 per staffer provided, and the right to enter one house team for free. If the house team would normally be required to write a packet, then they must do so by the no-penalty deadline. Additional house teams will also be free, but will be allowed only if the tournament has adequate staff, and still must write packets by the no-penalty deadline if required to do so under the packet guidelines.

If ACF Nationals is officially designated as being “co-hosted” by multiple teams, then the other teams, besides the one at whose school the tournament is physically occurring, will also receive $10 per staffer provided.
We look forward to receiving your bids!
Last edited by t-bar on Mon Aug 11, 2014 12:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: seeking host bids

Post by Frauny Von Smiley »

Is there a deadline for submitting a bid?
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: seeking host bids

Post by t-bar »

Frauny Von Smiley wrote:Is there a deadline for submitting a bid?
We would prefer to have all bids in by August 10 so that we have time to pick one and get logistics sorted out by the beginning of September. However, if an especially strong bid comes in before then, we reserve the right to close bidding and go with that site.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by t-bar »

ACF Nationals 2015 will be on April 18-19, 2015 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Final details are still under discussion.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by t-bar »

EDIT: These deadlines have been superseded by Matt Weiner's post below.

Here are the packet submission deadlines for ACF Nationals:

-$100 discount: January 18
-$50 discount: February 1
-$25 discount: February 15
no penalty: March 1 (host teams must write a packet by this deadline to secure their autobid; note that this is also the last day to confirm your attendance at ACF Nationals, per these rules)
+$25 penalty: March 8
+$50 penalty: March 15
Last edited by t-bar on Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by minusfive »

Since the first deadline is before ACF Regionals determines qualifiers, is there any impact of an early submission on the qualification process? I assume not, but just thought I'd ask. Also, if a team does not qualify for ACF Nats but has sent in a packet, will there be any compensation (as in, reduced fees for a future tournament) or is it simply a complete write-off? I hesitate to ask, but writing a Nats pack is a significant time commitment. Finally, will there be any deadline modification for teams who qualify automatically at ACF Regionals (that is, a week's grace to meet a recently passed deadline, or something?).
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by No Rules Westbrook »

If you submit a packet at the first deadline, you are simply taking a slight risk that you may not be selected to attend the tournament. I think the risk at this point is quite slight (because I think that demand has a very low chance at being large enough to make it a factor), but obviously, I can't guarantee anything.

I'd be open to some suggestions to avoid making this unfortunate situation a "complete write-off" - and I think ACF folks would look at some suggestions (ones that don't involve actually cutting a check to a team)
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by naan/steak-holding toll »

Has the final editing team for this event been established yet? I've heard Ryan's name mentioned as head-editor, and I know Ike Jose and Rob Carson are signed on as editors, but who else will be editing?
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Amizda Calyx »

Hmm...I'd like to staff this. To whom do I talk about doing that?
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by No Rules Westbrook »

Will - The people set to edit Nats are myself as head editor with a team of Rob Carson, Ike Jose, and Billy Busse.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by The Time Keeper »

To tag along with Joelle because I also don't know specifically where to inquire, I am offering my UNBELIEVABLE services as either moderator or scorekeeper.

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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by t-bar »

Joelle wrote:Hmm...I'd like to staff this. To whom do I talk about doing that?
Bob Ducca wrote:To tag along with Joelle because I also don't know specifically where to inquire, I am offering my UNBELIEVABLE services as either moderator or scorekeeper.

Skills include: knowing what words are and how numbers work.
Please contact tournament director Matt Weiner if you're interested in staffing.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Kouign Amann »

At some point, could someone familiar with Ann Arbor post a little travel guide for the rest of us? I'm sure there are teams who are wondering about the best way to get to campus from the airport and the easiest places to stay nearby. Options that don't involve renting a car, if they exist, would be especially appreciated. Thanks!
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by coldstonesteveaustin »

Kouign Amann wrote:At some point, could someone familiar with Ann Arbor post a little travel guide for the rest of us? I'm sure there are teams who are wondering about the best way to get to campus from the airport and the easiest places to stay nearby. Options that don't involve renting a car, if they exist, would be especially appreciated. Thanks!
From searching online, I came upon an annoying ad on YouTube for AirRide, a shuttle bus between Ann Arbor and DTW, which is $12 one way if you reserve online at myairride.com and $15 one way if you walk on. It also seems that the best lodging in Ann Arbor is the Ann Arbor Bed and Breakfast, but they only have 9 rooms. The typical hotels (Hilton, Sheraton, Holiday Inn, etc.) all have decent reviews, but Red Roof Plus+ near North Campus and Red Roof Inn near South Campus seem the cheapest four-star lodging available.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

From experience I can recommend one or both of the Hampton Inns near campus.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Steeve Ho You Fat »

Michigan Flyer/AirRide is clearly the best option for getting from the Detroit Metro Airport to anywhere; it can either drop you off in a shopping mall on the outskirts of town near some reasonably priced hotels (a city bus runs from there to the main campus) or downtown about two blocks from the main campus.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Also, general lodging recommendation protip: hotel star rating is a classification system indicating the quality and level of amenities provided by the hotel and, while conveying similar information, is not the same thing as, like, Travelocity rating. The Red Roof Inn is in fact rated four out of five stars on many websites, but it's not quite correct to call it a "four-star hotel".
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Cheynem »

The Red Roof Inns suuuuck.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Harpie's Feather Duster »

From personal experience: the Red Roof Inns are pretty barebones, but are dirt cheap and certainly clean enough that you won't fear for your health or anything. Not too terrible of an option if you're on a tight budget, I've certainly stayed in much worse hotel rooms.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Bartleby »

I have stayed at the Microtel, which is something like four or five miles away from campus, was less than $70 a night, and was clean, had wifi, and a free continental breakfast.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by t-bar »

Hello everyone! Here is the full description for how the new A-value qualification system will work.

All teams that play ACF Regionals will be ranked on their “A-value.” The A-value is based on NAQT’s D-value outlined here, with the following changes:
  • The TPPTH_opp factor will be computed using only games not involving the team whose A-value is being computed. For example, consider a four-team Regionals site with teams A, B, C, and D. To compute TPPTH_opp for team A, compute the average TPPTH scored by B only in its games against C and D, by C against B and D, and by D against B and C. Average these values together, weighting by the number of times that A played each of B, C, and D, to obtain the TPPTH_opp for A.
  • A minimum value for the strength of schedule (“SOS”) factor will be set at 0.8. If TPPTH_opp/TPPTH_field for any team is less than 0.8, that team will be assigned an SOS of 0.8.
  • Since there is not a separate “Division II,” the DC_T and DC_B correction factors will not be used.
  • As a consequence of the above, “Adjusted PPB” is the same as regular PPB. Furthermore, “Adjusted TPPTH” and “Adjusted BHPTH” are just equal to the SOS times TPPTH and BHPTH, respectively.
Under these simplifications, the A-value is equal to:

[(10 + PPB) × (number of tossups converted) – 5 × (number of negs)] × SOS / (number of games played).

Please email me or post here if you have any questions about how qualification will work.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Mewto55555 »

Will there still be the averaging procedure if a team with a lower value places above a team with a higher one?
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by minusfive »

Can we get a formal, official articulation of the distribution, please? A note directing us to the ACF website won't be sufficient, since, for example, I assume the moratorium on trash at Nats is still in effect (but won't show up from the ACF website)?

Also, I too am curious about Max's question. And to add a further (largely theoretical) question, what will happen in case of S-value exact ties?
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by t-bar »

Mewto55555 wrote:Will there still be the averaging procedure if a team with a lower value places above a team with a higher one?
Yes.
minusfive wrote:Can we get a formal, official articulation of the distribution, please? A note directing us to the ACF website won't be sufficient, since, for example, I assume the moratorium on trash at Nats is still in effect (but won't show up from the ACF website)?

Also, I too am curious about Max's question. And to add a further (largely theoretical) question, what will happen in case of S-value exact ties?
Expect a fuller announcement about this soon.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Cody »

Please also update http://acf-quizbowl.com/tournaments/201 ... -schedule/.

Given that the packet deadline is in less than 2 weeks and VCU is well over half complete with their packet -- as, I assume, other teams must be -- it would be nice to have that full announcement w/ a distribution for the 2/2 that is normally Geo/Trash/CE/YC. Last year the distribution was announced by like, September, and was:

1/1 Geography/Current Events: These questions should be about different parts of the world. Geography questions that incorporate cultural and environmental clues instead of purely discussing physical features are particularly welcome.

1/1 Other Academic: This includes questions from every preceding category, as well as answers that don’t quite fit into any of the preceding categories.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by grapesmoker »

This is the announcement for this year’s Academic Competition Federation national championship tournament.

ACF Nationals this year will be held at the University of Michigan in colorful Ann Arbor, MI. The tournament will be held on the weekend of Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2015.

The tournament will most likely convene and be entirely held within the Mason/Angell/Haven complex of buildings on the Central Campus. Full details about buildings used will be made available shortly, but this is where most UM tournaments are held.

All teams will need to check in by 8:00 AM on Saturday the 18th and be prepared to play until at least 7:00 PM. We will finish from 8 AM to about 2 PM on Sunday the 19th.

Ryan Westbrook will be the head editor of this tournament, assisted by Rob Carson, Ike Jose, and Billy Busse. Matt Weiner will be Tournament Director. Nationals will once again be a fully staffed, efficiently run tournament with a sensible format that remembers to award the Undergraduate and Division II trophies.

There are many affordable hotels in the area, including within walking distance. On-street parking is sometimes available and there is a pay garage close to the tournament site. Detroit Metropolitan Airport is about thirty miles east of Ann Arbor and is the recommended airport for those flying in. There is a bus route from the airport to the town that you can plan to use if not renting a car, and there are also taxi services.

Feel free to post here if you need any more specific travel advice from Michigan residents. Post here or e-mail Jerry Vinokurov at [email protected] with tournament operation inquiries. We’re looking forward to a healthy field and a great event.

There will be a web-based registration system opening shortly which you should use instead once it becomes available.

Packet submission, eligibility, and fee schedule:

Information on who is eligible to play ACF tournaments and details regarding packet submission can be found at the ACF Packet Submission Guidelines.

This tournament will use the qualification system announced and discussed earlier in this thread. The packet deadlines have been adjusted such that everyone will know where they stand with regards to qualification before the first deadline arrives. The issue of submitting speculative packes is now moot.

Fee schedule:

Base fee: $260
-$100 discount:February 1
-$50 discount: February 15
-$25 discount: March 1
No penalty:March 15
+$25 penalty: March 29
+$50 penalty: April 5

After the $50 deadline, you will owe the editors an additional $10/day up until the point when they choose to drop you from the tournament. If you are required to submit a packet and you do not do so by April 5, you risk either being dropped from the field or charged a lot of money, at the discretion of the editors; the only way to be sure to avoid this is to get your packet in by April 5.

If your team brings (fully pays for/does not claim any reimbursement from the tournament for) a qualified moderator, you will receive a $100 discount. Qualified moderators are people who can properly complete an ACF Nationals round in thirty minutes. I, Matt Weiner, will be the sole judge of who is qualified, both prior to and during the tournament, and will not award the discount if your staffer fails to meet this requirement. You may, theoretically, claim this discount as many times as possible until your fee reaches $0.

This year, ACF will continue the $50 dollar discount for teams who write at least 20/20 that doesn’t need any major editing and submit their packet by the no penalty deadline. By major editing, we mean things like having to change many of the clues and/or answerlines and having to fix many grammatical errors.

We would much rather give out lots of hefty discounts for excellent early packets than rake in money for late ones, so please take advantage of them.

There is a field cap of 44 teams for this tournament, and the qualification system is in place. After auto-qualifiers are determined, teams will be offered spots in the tournament in the order of their A-value. If every team who played ACF Regionals, and thus has an A-value, is offered a spot in the Nationals field and there are still fewer than 44 teams registered, then any team eligible to play ACF will be allowed to fill the remaining spots on a first-come, first-served basis. Any team who is required to write a packet under the packet submission deadlines must do so to in order to play and will be subject to the above fee schedule, regardless of how or when the team enters the field.

Please stay in touch with me or other ACF members if we are trying to verify your attendance at this event.

Dropping of teams who do not communicate about their registration or packet will be done without remorse -- this is a separate issue from late packets and comes down to the possibility that some other team may wish to take your spot and we need to recruit adequate staff and plan a schedule for the event. If we send you an e-mail asking if the team you said was "interested" two months ago is actually coming, and you ignore the e-mail and tell us nothing for several days on end, we may have to assume you are not coming and forfeit your spot in the field. Make sure you give valid contact information when you register and check it on at least a weekly basis.

Distribution:

5/5 Literature: This includes 1/1 American, 1/1 British, 1/1 European, 1/1 World, and 1/1 Other (which can include any of the preceding categories). Please vary your questions by time, place, and genre (for instance, please don’t submit 5/5 on French literature or 5/5 poetry).

5/5 History: This includes 1/1 American, 2/2 European, 1/1 World, and 1/1 Other (which can include any of the preceding categories). Please make sure that your questions aren’t all from the same time period or place and aren’t all one type of history (for instance, try not to submit 5/5 political history or 5/5 military history).

5/5 Science: This includes 1/1 Biology, 1/1 Chemistry, 1/1 Physics, 1 math or computer science, 1 astronomy, Earth science, or other science, and 1/1 other science (see below)

3/3 Arts: This includes 1/1 Painting, 1/1 Classical Music, and 1/1 Other (including Architecture, Sculpture, Opera, Jazz, Ballet/Dance, Art Film, and Photography). Please vary your questions by time, place, and genre.

3/3 RMP: This includes 1/1 Religion, 1/1 Mythology, and 1/1 Philosophy. Please do not write both religion questions on the same religion or both mythology questions on the same myth system.

1/1 Social Science: This includes Psychology, Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Linguistics, and Social Criticism. Please write your tossup and bonus on different areas of social science.

1/1 Geography/Current Events: These questions should be about different parts of the world. Geography questions that incorporate cultural and environmental clues instead of purely discussing physical features are particularly welcome.

1/1 Other Academic: This includes questions from every preceding category, as well as answers that don’t quite fit into any of the preceding categories.

Keep in mind that ACF Nationals does not have trash; if you submit any trash questions, they will simply be sent back.

To reiterate, please vary the distribution of your questions. In past years, we had teams submit packets with both chemistry questions about the same narrow area, to present one example, and it would prevent many headaches if you make sure your questions are reasonably distributed. Also, please remember that while the goal of ACF Nationals is to determine the best team in the nation, writing primarily about extremely difficult topics is not the best way to achieve this, so please try to keep your fellow players in mind while choosing your answer lines.

All packets should be sent to Ryan Westbrook's retro hipster email address, [email protected]. If you have any questions about packet writing, you can send them to that email address also.
Last edited by grapesmoker on Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by njsbling »

t-bar wrote:Here are the packet submission deadlines for ACF Nationals:

-$100 discount: January 18
-$50 discount: February 1
-$25 discount: February 15
no penalty: March 1 (host teams must write a packet by this deadline to secure their autobid; note that this is also the last day to confirm your attendance at ACF Nationals, per these rules)
+$25 penalty: March 8
+$50 penalty: March 15
The dates that Matt listed are different by a week. Which is correct?
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by t-bar »

njsbling wrote:
t-bar wrote:Here are the packet submission deadlines for ACF Nationals:

-$100 discount: January 18
-$50 discount: February 1
-$25 discount: February 15
no penalty: March 1 (host teams must write a packet by this deadline to secure their autobid; note that this is also the last day to confirm your attendance at ACF Nationals, per these rules)
+$25 penalty: March 8
+$50 penalty: March 15
The dates that Matt listed are different by a week. Which is correct?
The more recent post is correct. I have updated my post accordingly.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

Matt Weiner wrote:5/5 Literature: This includes ... 1/1 World
Is the intention here to override the usual ACF requirement that teams only have to submit either 1/0 or 0/1 of World literature, with the option of up to 1 more World lit question as part of the 2/1 miscellaneous/additional lit?
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by No Rules Westbrook »

I'd like to see 1/1 world lit included in every submitted packet, but nobody will be penalized if they do 1/0 or 0/1, using the traditional ACF rubric.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Cody »

Please update http://acf-quizbowl.com/tournaments/201 ... -schedule/ w/ the new deadlines.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Whiter Hydra »

For comparison, this is what the A-values looked like last year. Note that this does not take into account the Mid-Atlantic site which didn't upload full stats or cases where a team finished ahead of another team with a higher A-value.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Good Goblin Housekeeping »

Public safety diving wrote:For comparison, this is what the A-values looked like last year. Note that this does not take into account the Mid-Atlantic site which didn't upload full stats or cases where a team finished ahead of another team with a higher A-value.
this appears to be missing the michigan mirror of regs
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Whiter Hydra »

The Man Whose Pharynx Was Bad wrote:
Public safety diving wrote:For comparison, this is what the A-values looked like last year. Note that this does not take into account the Mid-Atlantic site which didn't upload full stats or cases where a team finished ahead of another team with a higher A-value.
this appears to be missing the michigan mirror of regs
I parsed the stats from this page. If a site didn't list 2014 ACF Regionals as their question set, I did not include it.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by minusfive »

Just submitted Ottawa's pack. While this is likely not an unmatched record, I'm pretty happy with having been the earliest submission to each ACF tournament this competition year with a solo-written packet each time.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by No Rules Westbrook »

I have received the following packets for the early deadline of February 1st, 2015:
Ottawa
VCU A
Harvard
Minnesota
WUSTL
Illinois A
McGill
Penn A
Penn B
UCF
Rice
Berkeley A
Dartmouth

Received by second deadline of February 15 2015:
Penn C
Waterloo
William & Mary
Washington

Received by third deadline of March 1, 2015:
Toronto

Received by upcoming deadline of March 15, 2015:
Berkeley B

Please let me know if you're not on this list, and you believe you submitted a packet by these deadlines.
Last edited by No Rules Westbrook on Fri Mar 06, 2015 1:10 am, edited 9 times in total.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by touchpack »

Hey guys,

I've consulted with the other editors, and we've decided to change the science distribution required for submitted packets to the standard ACF distribution, which I have copy-pasted below. This means that rather than requiring that teams submit 2/2 other science, they are only required to submit 1/1 other science, and the remaining 1/1 can be on any science topic. Please do not combine clues from different subdisciplines for your questions on "any science." To clarify what I mean by that, questions that straddle the line between say, chemistry and physics (many thermodynamics questions do this), or physics and astronomy (many astrophysics questions do this), are ok. However, questions like say, a common link on the letter Kappa using clues from the Kappa mechanism in variable stars, Kappa chains in immunoglobulins, and the fact that Kappa represents the dielectric constant are NOT ok for "any science."

Note that teams that have written and/or submitted 2/2 other science for their packet are still writing within the constraints of the new distribution--they have simply chosen to write their "1/1 any science" on additional other science.

Here is the standard ACF distribution, and the new science distribution we'd like to see in submitted packets:

Science 5/5

Biology 1/1
Chemistry 1/1
Physics 1/1
Math or computer science: 1 question
Astronomy, earth science/geology, or other science not covered above: 1 question
Any science: 1/1 (you can write a math question here if you wrote computer science above, or earth science here if you wrote astronomy above, but don’t write a second question on any of the “minor” fields. You can also just write more biology, chemistry, or physics here.)

I apologize to any teams inconvenienced by the lateness of this announcement.

Happy writing everyone! I look forward to seeing more packets come in.

-Billy
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Victor Prieto »

Can we get a verification that our packet was received? We submitted it at the deadline.

EDIT: This is now resolved.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by itsthatoneguy »

On an unrelated note, the Mountain Goats will be on tour and will be in Detroit the Friday before Nats.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by No Rules Westbrook »

Above post is now updated to reflect all early-deadline packets that I received. Make sure your name is on the list, if you submitted one.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by touchpack »

Hello again,

I have received 2 packets so far containing less than 1/1 physics. Please note that the distribution requires at least 1/1 in all 4 of the science categories (biology, chemistry, physics, other). I'm not going to penalize the teams that have already submitted packets, but let this be a warning: packets submitted from now on that do not adhere to the ACF science distribution I posted earlier in this thread run the risk of being sent back.

If you're not sure what categories your questions fall into or if you want some advice on the science questions you're planning to write, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected], and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible to give you more time to write your packet.

-Billy
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Ike »

Actually, to add to Billy's post, please make sure that your packets have 1/1 of every category in general. I'm sifting through packets right now, and, in my categories, the number of packets with questions missing is astonishing - teams that violate this can expect an email demanding replacement questions. Seriously, if you're submitting by the first deadline to collect on a pretty significant discount the least that you can do is make sure that all of the questions are there!

Also, an astonishing number of teams do not know what is the difference between social science and philosophy! If you have a question as to which category your material falls into, please send me an email (sephiroth0kouko /at/ gmail.com) asking which is which instead of submitting 2/2 SS and 0/0 P.

Keep those packets coming in.

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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Gautam »

I hate to be "Follow editor instructions" police, but here are basic things from my other thread that teams submitting packets should do:
Gautam wrote: Here's a basic set of things you can do, for instance, starting with higher-impact items at the top:
1. Write questions of the appropriate difficulty. We even tell you what to emulate most of the times.
2. Write questions that stick to the distribution outlined, don't make up your own.
3. Don't write fewer questions than required.
4. Don't plagiarize! Things might slip past one editor, but a second editor surely will catch it.
5. Don't submit packets with a million different types of formatting! 10pt TNR, no line/paragraph spacing, that's how things should be. If you want, make a template in your word processor called "Quizbowl Normal" and set it to 10 TNR, no line/para spacing, with 1" margins.
6. Don't submit PDFs or HTMLs or links to Google Docs.
7. Don't submit packets to the wrong email address and then expect editors to use the submission. We had this happen with 2 different teams for ACF Fall this year where packets got sent to the wrong email address. We've had email-impersonation related quizbowl problems in the past - no editor should be accepting packets which have gone to some unknown recipient before coming to the editor.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Beast Mode »

A few PSA's from an insufferable Ann Arbor native and Michigan alumnus:
Matt Weiner wrote:On-street parking is sometimes available and there is a pay garage close to the tournament site.
Both of these are free on Sundays, and on-street parking is free Monday-Saturday after 6:00 p.m.
Hidehiro Anto wrote:From searching online, I came upon an annoying ad on YouTube for AirRide, a shuttle bus between Ann Arbor and DTW, which is $12 one way if you reserve online at myairride.com and $15 one way if you walk on.
AirRide is definitely the way to go, but the first time I used it (back then it was $12 to walk on), all of us passengers who brought a $20 bill were irately informed by the driver that he didn't have change. I hope that's no longer the case, but I'll still recommend that anyone planning to walk on bring exact change.
Madagascar Serpent Eagle wrote:Michigan Flyer/AirRide is clearly the best option for getting from the Detroit Metro Airport to anywhere; it can either drop you off in a shopping mall on the outskirts of town near some reasonably priced hotels (a city bus runs from there to the main campus) or downtown about two blocks from the main campus.
The downtown stop is the Blake Transit Center, which is right across the street from the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor Public Library. Quizbowlers may appreciate that this branch has a free book cart most days (which, fair warning, is either full of quizbowl gold or full of crap), and a book sale put on by the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library. I seem to recall that Bryan Berend once bought a complete works of Shakespeare volume there for $2.

Speaking of Bryan Berend:
itsthatoneguy wrote:On an unrelated note, the Mountain Goats will be on tour and will be in Detroit the Friday before Nats.
What Bryan didn't tell you is that there are also several musical events happening right on campus that very weekend. This calendar lists the various events of UM's School of Music, Theatre & Dance for the month of April. My family's going to the Friday night Music Man performance, and I have fond memories of Men's Glee Club concerts if the tournament wraps up before then. If anyone's sticking around Sunday night, the University Philharmonia Orchestra concert that night is free and takes place in the acoustically perfect Hill Auditorium. However, I'll be skipping that one because it's the same night as a concert by the Michigan Pops Orchestra, the rollicking ensemble that I played in. (Concerts I played in included "A-Pops-calypse" and "Revolutionary Pops.") Tickets for Pops concerts have historically been $5 for students and $8 for adults, and been available on Ticketmaster or at the door.

If none of that appeals to you, there are always films (art and otherwise) at the Michigan Theater and State Theatre.

Sorry to derail the thread even worse than Bryan.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by grapesmoker »

You can now register for ACF Nationals 2015. If you are a team that has accepted a bid to Nationals, please go ahead and do so at this time. You will receive an invoice from me once you have submitted your packet, and you can either mail the check to me ahead of the tournament or hand it to me at the tournament itself. If you have any questions about payment, please contact me.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by grapesmoker »

This is a friendly reminder to all and sundry to register for ACF Nationals. A large number of teams have accepted their bids, but many fewer than that large number have actually filled out the form, so if you'd please go ahead and do that, I can get you your invoices for the tournament. Also, if you have submitted a packet but not registered, please do so now. I'll be sending out invoices as the registrations come in; the first batch is going out tonight to the teams that have both registered and submitted a packet.

edit: you do not need to wait until you submit a packet to register. In fact, we'd much rather you didn't, because registrations also allow us to do some logistical planning. So register!
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by minusfive »

grapesmoker wrote:This is a friendly reminder to all and sundry to register for ACF Nationals. A large number of teams have accepted their bids, but many fewer than that large number have actually filled out the form, so if you'd please go ahead and do that, I can get you your invoices for the tournament. Also, if you have submitted a packet but not registered, please do so now. I'll be sending out invoices as the registrations come in; the first batch is going out tonight to the teams that have both registered and submitted a packet.
I'm not in any rush, or anything, but could you please let us know if the invoices are going out individually or in batches? I submitted Ottawa's registration last week (although I can't seem to view the submitted form), but haven't received an invoice yet. As I said, not exactly on the edge of my seat, though.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

minusfive wrote:
grapesmoker wrote:This is a friendly reminder to all and sundry to register for ACF Nationals. A large number of teams have accepted their bids, but many fewer than that large number have actually filled out the form, so if you'd please go ahead and do that, I can get you your invoices for the tournament. Also, if you have submitted a packet but not registered, please do so now. I'll be sending out invoices as the registrations come in; the first batch is going out tonight to the teams that have both registered and submitted a packet.
I'm not in any rush, or anything, but could you please let us know if the invoices are going out individually or in batches? I submitted Ottawa's registration last week (although I can't seem to view the submitted form), but haven't received an invoice yet. As I said, not exactly on the edge of my seat, though.
In a similar vein, it might be good to post an official field listing, or re-color the teams listed in the A-value bid acceptances thread with new colors to show those teams which have actually registered and those which have paid. Forgive me if I'm stupid and this exists somewhere but I just didn't see it.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by grapesmoker »

minusfive wrote:
grapesmoker wrote:This is a friendly reminder to all and sundry to register for ACF Nationals. A large number of teams have accepted their bids, but many fewer than that large number have actually filled out the form, so if you'd please go ahead and do that, I can get you your invoices for the tournament. Also, if you have submitted a packet but not registered, please do so now. I'll be sending out invoices as the registrations come in; the first batch is going out tonight to the teams that have both registered and submitted a packet.
I'm not in any rush, or anything, but could you please let us know if the invoices are going out individually or in batches? I submitted Ottawa's registration last week (although I can't seem to view the submitted form), but haven't received an invoice yet. As I said, not exactly on the edge of my seat, though.
I thought I had sent you one but I might have just missed you or something; I'll send one tonight. I'm going to be checking the registrations regularly and sending out any new invoices.
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Re: ACF Nationals 2015: 4/18-19 at the University of Michiga

Post by t-bar »

Matthew Jackson wrote:In a similar vein, it might be good to post an official field listing, or re-color the teams listed in the A-value bid acceptances thread with new colors to show those teams which have actually registered and those which have paid. Forgive me if I'm stupid and this exists somewhere but I just didn't see it.
Since every team that had an A-value has either accepted or declined a bid at this point, the qualifiers thread is kind of moot. This new thread tracks teams based on registration status for ACF Nationals.
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