Bergen Junior 4 (Hackensack, NJ) 11/1/14

[jonpin]

This is an announcement for the fourth annual Bergen Academies Junior Academic Competition, a quiz bowl tournament for junior- or middle-schoolers. This competition will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2014, and is a perfect opportunity for your school’s Gifted and Talented students, BrainBusters team, or any collection of interested students to work together in competition against other middle schools in the region, show off their knowledge, and learn new facts. Our defending champions are The Independence School who won Bergen Junior 3 in October 2013.

The games of the competition will be in “tossup-bonus” format. Two teams of four students each will attempt to buzz in to answer a tossup, with a correct answer earning points and the opportunity for the answerer’s team to hear a bonus. On bonuses, a team will have the opportunity to discuss as a group before giving an answer. A game will consist of twenty tossups and however many bonuses are used, and will take approximately 35 minutes. Teams will play roughly 5 games in the morning, followed by a lunch break and playoffs.

The registration fee for this tournament will be $75 for the first team from a school, and $60 for each additional team. A team may consist of up to six students, with four competing at one time (substitutions will be permitted at halftime and between games). Included in the registration fee, BCA will provide a breakfast of bagels and juice before the competition begins, one pizza per team for lunch (additional pies may be purchased for $15 each), and trophies and medals for the high-performing teams and students. Each school is required to have an adult (either teacher or parent) with each team at all times. Note that teams are to register by school, not by town or school district. Students are eligible if they have not yet completed eighth grade.

National Academic Quiz Tournaments will be writing the questions for this event (set MS-11). NAQT is an established and reputable quiz bowl company which has been writing tournaments for more than 15 years. No other tournament in New Jersey will have used these questions, nor will use these questions later in the 2014-15 school year. The top 15% of competing teams will qualify to attend NAQT’s Middle School National Championship Tournament, to be held in May 2015 in Dallas, TX.

If you have any questions about this tournament, or to register, please contact me at [email protected].

[jonpin]

Final field update (as of 10/24): 26 teams

*Academy of Our Lady x2
*Ben Franklin
Briarcliff x4
Brother Fox Latin (NY) x2
*Leonia
Middlesex (CT) x6
*River Dell x2
*Saddle Brook
*Teaneck Charter x3
*Tenafly x3
Warren Twp

Expected format (24 teams): 4 preliminary groups of 6, playing a round-robin. Top 2 from each group (and ties) advance to playoffs, which will be single-elimination. As was the case last year, the top team from Bergen County (marked with a * above) will also receive recognition.
If the field size grows past 24, the format will be revised. Registration deadline is this Friday, October 24.

[jonpin]

Field is closed at 26 (pending any drops).

Format will be substantially similar to last year's: 5 groups of 5-6. Teams in the group of 6 play the other 5 teams in their group. Teams in the groups of 5 play the other 4 teams in their group and one team from another group of 5. The top two teams from each group (and any team tied for second) advances to the playoffs; all other teams are invited to stay for two rounds of consolation matches.

[jonpin]

Congratulations to Middlesex Middle School, which finished 1-2 in today's 4th annual Bergen Academies Junior Academic Championship. Leonia MS defeated Teaneck Community Charter to win 3rd place and the Bergen County Championship. More to follow later in the weekend.

Thanks to Andrew Ibendahl, Marisol Brady, and Maggie Larkin for their help moderating today, and David Madden for allowing us to borrow a few buzzer sets.

[romeokar]

Thank you for hosting, Jon! We had a great time, as always!