The Quizbowl Resource Center

February 1, 2008 (today, as I post this) is first day on which teams may request wildcard bids to the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship Tournament.

Information about wildcard bids may be found here:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/qualification.html

NAQT expects that relatively few wildcard bids will be given this year. Schools hoping to maximize their chances to receive a bid should:

1. Apply early
2. Update their application if it hasn't been accepted with new results
3. Emphasize their team's victories over other nationals qualifiers in quiz bowl events (NAQT or otherwise)

We will also consider results from non-quiz-bowl competitions (e.g., Academic Decathlon, Science Bowl) but they are less compelling.

NAQT is unlikely to issue wildcard bids to teams that have not taken advantage of nearby opportunities to qualify through actual competition. That is, if there are tournaments near you, you should go and play and earn your berth that way.

If you have any questions about wildcard berths, please don't hesitate to contact NAQT at hsnct-at-naqt.com.

February 1, 2008 (again, today) is the first day for teams to request standby status at the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship.

Standby status is explained here:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/standby.html

The essential point is that standby teams are NOT guaranteed a spot in the field. They play at NAQT's convenience to ensure a full field. On the flip side, you don't actually have to qualify to be a standby team; you also don't have to pay, even if you compete.

In the last four years, the top standby team has always gotten to play. Sometimes more teams get to, sometimes not (in 2007 four teams got in off the standby list). There are no guarantees!

To apply to be a standby team, e-mail NAQT at [email protected].

As of February 1, 2008, 113 of the 160 spots in the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship have been claimed, either by registered teams or by being reserved for state champions.

NAQT encourages teams interested in attending the HSNCT to register as soon as they have qualified and obtained the necessary funding. We do expect the tournament field to fill this year.

When will a field update be posted?

Probably shortly after the completion of NAQT's collegiate Sectionals on February 9.

Hopper wrote:When will a field update be posted?

This indeed is up:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2008/field.html

As of March 3, 2008, and counting spots reserved for state champions, 151 of the 160 spots at the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship have been taken. This means that there are only nine remaining spots before registrations begin being waitlisted.

It is true that many waitlisted teams will get invitations because most of the reserved berths at state championships will go to teams that have already qualified, but if you want to guarantee your team a spot, you should plan on registering as soon as possible.

More information about the tournament may be found here:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2008/hs-nct-details.html

and teams may register here:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2008/registration.jsp

The current field can be seen here:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2008/field.html

As of March 7, 2008, and counting spots reserved for state champions, the 160-team field for NAQT's 2008 High School National Championship is full. Teams that register will be put on a waitlist that will enter the tournament if spots free up.

Please note that NAQT fully expects that many spots will free up; a majority of state championships will probably be won by teams that have already registered, so their reserved berths will go to teams on the waitlist. We strongly encourage schools that are interested in attending to register as soon as possible to maximize their chance of getting in.

There is no commitment in joining the waitlist; you can leave it at any time (prior to making it into the field) if you reach a point where you could no longer attend the HSNCT if the chance arose.

Is there any chance of field expansion?

I counted the field list and the state championships...I may have miscounted, but I only saw 125 in the confirmed field and 27 state championships (152 total). What did I miss?

MahoningQuizBowler wrote:I counted the field list and the state championships...I may have miscounted, but I only saw 125 in the confirmed field and 27 state championships (152 total). What did I miss?

Some state championships have multiple berths reserved for them due to the existence of disjoint divisions of play.

NAQT expanded the field to 176 teams.

Due to a higher fraction of qualified teams wanting to come this year, NAQT has expanded the field for its 2008 High School National Championship Tournament to 176 teams (an increase of 16 from the initial value of 160).

This doesn't completely clear the waitlist, but (as of March 26) the waitlist is now only 10 teams long and we expect 15 spots to free up as berths reserved for state champions are made moot or declined.

So, if you'd like to come and haven't yet registered, you should try to be one of the next five or six teams to do so!

At the time that I write this, NAQT's website has not yet been updated to reflect the fact that a majority of the waitlist just entered the field, but that should be done shortly.

NAQT still intends to guarantee all teams ten games on Saturday. We will also be announcing an overflow hotel in the near future.

So what's the over-under on how many years before we see a 200-team HSNCT? Any aspiring HSQB bookies out there?

(Just kidding. Gambling is bad. But really, I think the annually-increasing size is both a symptom of good things in the HS circuit, and a good thing in itself.)

The official hotel for the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship Tournament has filled up, but NAQT has arranged for the Holiday Inn Express in Rosemont to act as the backup hotel. This hotel is only a four-minute walk away (across a large parking lot). The price is $109 per quadruple occupancy room, which includes wireless Internet access and breakfast. The last day to register at this price is May 12.

More information is available here:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2008/hs-nct-d ... l#overflow

Thanks to the field expansion and a number of state championships being won by teams that had already registered, as of today the waiting list for the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship Tournament is only three schools long. We expect 7-8 more spots in the 176-team field to open when all is said and done, so if you have been dissuaded from registering because of the length of the waiting list, now might be a time to reconsider.

We expect that the next 3-4 teams to register will be almost assured of getting into the field.

I just looked over the field list thus far, and since I'm too lazy to actually think about it in-depth, does anybody notice any notable teams absent from the list? The only one I noticed was not on there was Danville.

Well, Richard Montgomery won't be going.

I said notable.

(I should probably say this is a joke before another "controversy" appears on the qbwiki)


-- With that in mind, why aren't they going?

Scottsboro will not be there either... no money. Had the money but got clipped with a transportation bill that was delievered and paid early..

Raleigh Charter?

James Island will probably not be going, maybe a 5% chance of going, because our coach has decided to go to NAC in Washington instead.

...

I said notable.

(I should probably say this is a joke before another "controversy" appears on the qbwiki)


-- With that in mind, why aren't they going?

Too late you have shown your true face now I will vandalize your future tournament announcements with a note that all questions will be provided by Bryce Avery and every team gets a trophy shaped like the Typhonic Beast.

WHAT NOW HATER


Edit: Oh, yeah. RM is pretty much out of money from what I hear, which stems from not running any tournaments at all last year (and probably also relates to the TV show funding reduction that made it a winner-take-all enterprise as opposed to teams getting money each round). The team's sudden budget crisis surely has absolutely nothing to do with the recent school-funded golf cart purchases of RM principal Moreno Carrasco or his "indefinite leave of absence" amidst an investigation over a consulting company he ran on the side during school hours. That is facing a law suit for plagiarizing the work of another company.

Edit again:
Further Reading
Furtherer Reading

Bettendorf High School may be attending for the first time.

Because Bettendorf has graduation and finals on the Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, we won't have any seniors along with us. I understand that you have to coordinate it with many different schools, but maybe it could be held a little later next time. Is it worth it to bring a team of sophomores and juniors to a tournament like this? Our district is willing to pay, but the team doesn't want to go unless we have some sort of minor chance.

Also, is it worth staying for the scrimmages on Sunday if you don't make the playoffs?

gack1224 wrote:Is it worth it to bring a team of sophomores and juniors to a tournament like this?

It's always worth it to attend good tournaments.

gack1224 wrote:Is it worth it to bring a team of sophomores and juniors to a tournament like this?

Definitely. Any experience at the national level they get will be valuable, especially if these will be the kids that play for your "A" team over the next couple of years. I know nothing about Bettendorf High School and I have no idea if you will be competetive or not, but the experience will be great. The kids will get a feel for how they stack up against schools across the nation.

gack1224 wrote:Also, is it worth staying for the scrimmages on Sunday if you don't make the playoffs?

Definitely. You will hear many more questions which equates to more knowledge, which is always helpful in quizbowl.

gack1224 wrote:Bettendorf High School may be attending for the first time.

Because Bettendorf has graduation and finals on the Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, we won't have any seniors along with us. I understand that you have to coordinate it with many different schools, but maybe it could be held a little later next time. Is it worth it to bring a team of sophomores and juniors to a tournament like this? Our district is willing to pay, but the team doesn't want to go unless we have some sort of minor chance.

Also, is it worth staying for the scrimmages on Sunday if you don't make the playoffs?

I'm not sure what you mean by "minor chance" (a couple wins?? a playoffs berth??), but even if you were to go unvictorious then it would still be worth going. The HSNCT is a good tournament with good questions against great competition, so it is most definately worth going, especially if you are going with underclassmen, all of whom will be back next year with the valuable experience of that tournament. Consider yourself lucky that you have a district that will pay for nationals. My school never did and I know there are many other schools who find it very hard to get funding, so if you have a chance to go to a marquee national tournament, whether it be with your "A" or "C" team, then you should most definately go.

swwFCqb wrote:

gack1224 wrote:Bettendorf High School may be attending for the first time.

Because Bettendorf has graduation and finals on the Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, we won't have any seniors along with us. I understand that you have to coordinate it with many different schools, but maybe it could be held a little later next time. Is it worth it to bring a team of sophomores and juniors to a tournament like this? Our district is willing to pay, but the team doesn't want to go unless we have some sort of minor chance.

Also, is it worth staying for the scrimmages on Sunday if you don't make the playoffs?

I'm not sure what you mean by "minor chance" (a couple wins?? a playoffs berth??), but even if you were to go unvictorious then it would still be worth going. The HSNCT is a good tournament with good questions against great competition, so it is most definately worth going, especially if you are going with underclassmen, all of whom will be back next year with the valuable experience of that tournament. Consider yourself lucky that you have a district that will pay for nationals. My school never did and I know there are many other schools who find it very hard to get funding, so if you have a chance to go to a marquee national tournament, whether it be with your "A" or "C" team, then you should most definately go.

How about PACE NSC, which is the week later?

Since the main hotel (Wyndham O'Hare) and the overflow hotel (Holiday Inn Express) have both filled, NAQT has arranged a tertiary hotel for the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship Tournament. This is the Holiday Inn Select. More information is available here:

http://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2008/hs-nct-d ... l#tertiary

The short form: $99/night for quadruple occupancy, free airport shuttle, free Internet access, free parking (even for buses), 10-minute walk from the Wyndham. The hotel will be running shuttles to and from the Wyndham on Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon to get teams to the tournament.

Since we're (we being TJ) getting in to Chicago tomorrow, we decided to do a routine check on our hotel reservations at Wyndham O'Hare and found that apparently our rooms that we had reserved at the NAQT price had been canceled in late April (around the same time the secondary hotel overflowed). We didn't do that, obviously enough, and are somewhat worried. Most of our worry here comes from the fact that the Wyndham O'Hare had canceled our rooms as "part of a block" (service personnel's words), and it'd be rather bad if that "block" is "people who have reserved rooms under the NAQT aegis, expecting to receive discounts". We managed to get our rooms back, but it's not clear right now whether this will be at the NAQT price, either. Has anyone else encountered this, and if so, will the NAQT price still apply when we want to get our rooms back?

Should there be a separate HSNCT live coverage thread or will this one do?

Deesy Does It wrote:Should there be a separate HSNCT live coverage thread or will this one do?

Go ahead and make one dude.

Deesy Does It wrote:Should there be a separate HSNCT live coverage thread or will this one do?

Yes, please do. Especially since I won't be up there and will need all the help I can get from folks who are in trying to get scores/results as quickly as reasonable and possible.