RESULTS: PHAT II (12/05) at South Burlington (Vt.) HS

[kcommo]

The Vermont-NEA Scholars’ Bowl is pleased to announce it will hold its second Pre-Holiday Academic Tournament -- PHAT II: Bigger and Better -- on Friday, December 5, at South Burlington High School in South Burlington, Vt. This tournament is open to all interested high school teams and will be played on NAQT questions (Set IS-80A).

The tournament will also serve as a PACE NSC qualifier.

The event drew 28 teams from four leagues in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire in its inaugural edition last year, and we’re hoping to attract a bigger and broader field this time around.

The format will follow official NAQT rules except that rounds will be time-limited and all matches will be capped at 20 tossup-bonus pairs. Teams will be guaranteed at least six matches though an effort will be made to maximize the number of rounds, with a target of eight matches for all teams.

The tournament entry fee is $30 per team and schools will be initially limited to a maximum of two teams. Additional teams will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis if the number of rooms and readers available allows it. The registration deadline is December 2.

Interested teams should note that participation might require them to leave school early. Check-in will be held from 3:45 to 3:55 p.m. and matches will begin promptly at 4:15 p.m. The competition will end at approximately 9:15 p.m.

The full invitation and details can be found on our Web site, http://www.scholarsbowl.org.

If your team is interested in participating or if you have questions, please contact me at kcommo (at) scholarsbowl (dot) org.

[kcommo]

As of 12/3, the following schools are planning to come:

South Burlington (VT) 4 teams +/-
Champlain Valley (VT), 3-4
Mt. Mansfield (VT), 2
St. Johnsbury (VT), 2
Essex (VT), 2
Burlington (VT), 1-2
Rice Memorial (VT), 1
Ticonderoga (NY), 2
Queensbury (NY), 2
Madrid-Waddington (NY), 2
Lake George (NY), 1
Northampton (MA), 2
Laconia Christian (NH), 1
Gorham (NH), 1
Coe-Brown (NH), 1
Total 28 or 30 teams

[kcommo]

Expected field updated.

I should also point out that this tournament is now an official PACE qualifier.

[kcommo]

Another field updated. And just a reminder, the registration deadline is Dec. 2, so anyone else interested in joining us should contact me soon at kcommo (at) scholarsbowl (dot) org.

[kcommo]

We've had the usual last-minute sign-ups and drop outs, but assuming the weather cooperates, it's looking like we'll have a final field of 28 or 30 teams.

[kcommo]

A field of 28 teams from 14 schools in four states turned out for Friday's Pre-Holiday Academic Tournament in South Burlington, Vt., and Burlington High School prevailed for its first ever victory in a strictly tossup-bonus format tournament.

Full results have been posted online --- at www.scholarsbowl.org/phat%20playoffs_standings.html -- but for simplicity's sake the A playoffs results were:

Quarterfinals
No. 1 South Burlington (VT) 325, No. 8 Champlain Valley (VT) B 90
No. 2 Champlain Valley (VT) 290, No. 7 Northampton (MA) B 105
No. 6 Essex (VT) 265, No. 3 Queensbury (NY) 165
No. 4 Burlington (VT) 245, No. 5 Mt. Mansfield (VT) 225
Semifinals
Burlington 280, South Burlington 190
Champlain Valley 230, Essex 140
Championship
Burlington 325, Champlain Valley 165
Third place
Essex 265, South Burlington 140

The top four teams -- Burington, Champlain Valley, Essex and South Burlington -- should be receiving qualifying berths to PACE and NAQT nationals while Northampton B should also get an NAQT invitation courtesy of its victory over Mt. Mansfield in the fifth-place game. Ticonderoga (N.Y.) B, which won the B playoffs to finish ninth, fits NAQT's definition of a small school and thus presumably gets a nationals bid as well.

The top individual scorer was Ian Rockwell of Mt. Mansfield for the second year in a row.

Top to bottom this was probably the most balanced tournament we've ever had in Vermont, and my thanks go out to all the schools that made the trip for helping us produce such a diverse and competitive event.

-Kevin Commo
Tournament director