The Quizbowl Resource Center

Are there any new sites with gudes/directions/tips on how to host a tournament? A step-by-step that could be adapted for people considering hosting their own tournament, reluctant to take the plunge.

In addition to the excellent document by Dr. Chuck at http://www.cwru.edu/orgs/trivia/internet/officials.doc , I mean.

Thanks... for getting me all worked up for nothing...

I wouldn't be surprised if that Officials Guide needs a little updating. It has been quite a while since I wrote it. Any suggestions on topics that I should include?

I know that the Maize Pages' TD Guide is still up:

http://www.collegequizbowl.org/Maize/tdguide.html

Kind of on the same topic: has anyone conceived/attempted an omnibus online registration/management system for hosts/registrants? I'm kinda thinking the hsquizbowl.org tournament listings, except with tools for TDs and coaches/captains...

Since so many TD headaches stem from processing/confirming registrations, wouldn't it be nice to, well, have somebody (a computer) else do it?

Good idea... ideally the registration data should be importable to our favorite stats programs (SQBS).

We have a "how to host" section in our Coaches' Manual. Although targeted to Illinois quiz bowl, it does have some helpful hints and instructions. Would you like a copy?

The IHSA gives advice to hosts on pages 47 and 48 of their manual. Many of the things listed apply to any host, but not all of them. There is also the fact that if you host an IHSA event, then you don't have to worry about finding teams, trophies, questions, and money.

The document Mr. Riley refers to is more directly applicable to most situations, but reading through the IHSA checklist might also be helpful.

The checklist is helpful. Kind of what I'm looking for, something that can be given to those planning to host for the first time.

Just make sure you add some of the obvious things on there that I mentioned in my last post. Also, the importance of communication must be stressed. You need to make it very clear that teams that have to cancel need to inform you ASAP and that any major quirks to the tournament are announced from the beginning on everything you send out.

Since so many TD headaches stem from processing/confirming registrations, wouldn't it be nice to, well, have somebody (a computer) else do it?

I'm hosting my first tournament this Saturday, and so far, I've found the process of taking and confirming registrations to be quite simple. How difficult is it to simply send and respond to emails? Relying on the competance of readers and stat-keepers; and the ability of teams to arrive on time is the source of my headaches.

There is also a guide from Paul and Juliana on the Berkeley Quiz Bowl website.
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~quizbowl/tdguide.html

bigtrain wrote:

Since so many TD headaches stem from processing/confirming registrations, wouldn't it be nice to, well, have somebody (a computer) else do it?

I'm hosting my first tournament this Saturday, and so far, I've found the process of taking and confirming registrations to be quite simple. How difficult is it to simply send and respond to emails? Relying on the competance of readers and stat-keepers; and the ability of teams to arrive on time is the source of my headaches.

I'm not saying it's difficult, but it would be nice to have:
a) reduced chance for clerical errors
b) an electronic copy of all information (exports to Excel or SQBS, as Dr. Chuck mentioned)
c) a nice reliable interface for all involved
d) an archive of results and other information for future reference
e) an integrated system for many tournaments and coaches
f) something cool

Obviously, I'm not sure how open the community would be to such a system.

The Ultimate Players Association (for ultimate frisbee) has a system with some really nice stuff:
schedule, results, team information, rankings, etc... Not all of this translates easily to quizbowl, and usefulness would depend heavily on lots of people buying into it.

I also apologize for being a bit off topic in this thread... Maybe a new one would be in order if there's enough interest to talk about it.

Ooh, and it could process PayPal payments too!

Seriously, I think that'd be a great idea. I might actually work on making that, although I'm sure my version would be fairly crappy. Maybe someone reading this would be better than me at that. Any takers?

Oh, and back on the original topic, I think that would be a great resource. I know I've been to a lot of tournaments where they have no idea what to do, even stuff like making brackets.

I'm kind of surprised NAQT hasn't put something out on that, though of course it would be directed to their format.

This is a gem of a site that was posted on here earlier but I like it for doing brackets and other things
http://www.collegequizbowl.org/schedules/

Speaking of advise seeking:

Does anyone have any suggestions concerning where I can find some really good study material, specifically for Biology, History, and (just to make sure) anything else at all?