Northeast/Canadian maritimes

[bsmith]

Fueled by recent success at the Canadian national level by New Brunswick teams, I will be attempting to start quizbowl there in the coming year. If a tournament gets off the ground, it will likely be at a school in or near Saint John, New Brunswick.

I have no knowledge about how active Northeastern US is. Maine, New Hampshire, and possibly Boston would be in range of New Brunswick. Would there be teams interested? Is it awkward to travel into Canada in that neck of the woods? Has anyone tried to invite eastern Canadian teams in the past?

[Byko]

The only activity I've EVER heard of in Maine has been some random school occasionally going to Panasonic.

As for New Hampshire, getting many of those teams to go to Vermont is quite an undertaking, and there is just a little bit of activity in the state--I'm still learning about what's going on there. Vermont has more activity in-state, but again, very few of their teams travel.

I don't know about the Boston area, but I'm willing to bet that, again, those teams don't really travel.

I know I sound discouraging, but I would certainly love to see more activity in that region and up into eastern Canada. But those are the facts.

[The Logic of Scientific Disco]

I don't know about the Boston area, but I'm willing to bet that, again, those teams don't really travel.

As far as we can figure out, there is one Massachusetts team that ever comes to tournaments, Concord-Carlisle. The rest of the northeast high school circuit, such as it is, is the relatively successful New Hampshire circuit and a few teams in Vermont.

[kcommo]

I run the tossup-bonus tournaments in Vermont, and I'd second pretty much everything David said.

The only Maine team I've ever seen in person is Oak Hill from Sabattus, which has gone to Panasonic off and on since the late 90s and will supposedly be down there again this year. I'm told Maine teams have gone to Hanover (N.H.)'s tournaments on occasion in the past, but I can't remember it happening since I became involved in quiz bowl in 1995.

There are a decent number of teams in New Hampshire, but the core group is pretty small (15-20 teams) because a lot of teams disappear and reappear depending on where they are in the cycle of their TV tournament, the Granite State Challenge (which only allows schools to participate every other year). Schools like Hanover, Phillips Exeter, Winnisquam, Alvirne and Gorham compete out of state from time to time, but basically only for day trips to Boston or Vermont. Bill Murphy, the Hanover coach, runs the state tournament and he'd be the one you'd want to contact to send out invitations.

The Bromfield School from north of Boston has come up to the Hanover tournaments once or twice, and besides Concord-Carlisle, it's the only school in Eastern Mass I can recall being at tournaments consistantly in recent years.

As for inviting Canadian teams, I sent out information to a few of the Quebec Reach for the Top schools for a tournament we held in December in South Burlington, Vt., but I don't think I heard back from any of them. I doubt teams from the Maritimes would find tournaments closer than Boston, though.

-Kevin Commo

[bsmith]

This tournament may be a go. Lisgar's and UWO's recent success is working wonders for convincing teams.

On the off-chance that northeastern US people are lurking, contact me at uotrivia -AT- yahoo.ca and I'll fill you in if details emerge. If it happens, the tournament would be free as part of NAQT's new "state" offer.