Next Year

[Blackboard Monitor Vimes]

So RM finally has gotten a new coach- specifically two new coaches who will be splitting up the job next year. All ya'll best look out.

Could we borrow one?

Did you guys lose your coach again? I thought you guys had a sponsor early in the season...although lately I'd only seen Phil's dad...

[Whiter Hydra]

So RM finally has gotten a new coach- specifically two new coaches who will be splitting up the job next year. All ya'll best look out.

Could we borrow one?

Did you guys lose your coach again? I thought you guys had a sponsor early in the season...although lately I'd only seen Phil's dad...

We have a sponsor (mainly so our club can legally exist), but I don't think we've had an actual coach in a few years.

[itsthatoneguy]

..., but Bryan basically said they were "going in cold" against Brookwood, and they ended up losing. Brett is a monster, and Bryan's fine arts knowledge really impressed me in the one game I saw him play. I know Joe is graduating, and I have no idea about their 4th player, but it seems like they are returning their 2 best, and will yet again be nationally competitive (definitely at PACE, NAQT is kinda weird).

Thanks for all the compliments Quint! However, I would like to correct you about the second Brookwood game. Even though we were "coming in cold," I think that Brookwood won that game (and the previous game in the morning) fair and square and therefore the right to move into the playoffs. Their fine arts player was very good and definately threw me off my game a little.

Our 4th guy is still very up in the air, so I'm not going to comment on that. We plan to go out to Viriginia maybe twice before nationals (if our budget allows it). As far as Michigan goes, it is probably going to be we, Novi, DCD, GPN, and maybe EL who are strong next year.

[mavstats]

After LASA A finished 8th at HSNCT this year, does anyone think any Texas teams can do well again? Not necessarily win it all, but at least hang in there...what about their B team, that went 5-5 at Nationals?

[Maxwell Sniffingwell]

And where are YOU from, sir?

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5402

[BuzzerZen]

And where are YOU from, sir?

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5402

Leave the moderating to the mods, please.

[mavstats]

No worries. I'm from Ohio, but am simply curious.

[Captain Sinico]

Okay, so like, you should enable a signature and have it include your name and school affiliation (c.f. everyone else in this thread. Let me know if you need help with this.)

MaS

[Ondes Martenot]

I'm going to throw in Bergen as a team that has the POTENTIAL to be very good. Watson is already incredible, possibly one of the best science players in the country, and continues to improve in other subjects. If some his teammates can put in the effort and improve in subjects like lit/history/music/art, then Bergen could potentially be a very deep and dangerous team.

[ClemsonQB]

Although I only saw one game, but I will attest to this:

Watson is already incredible, possibly one of the best science players in the country

[mk48adcap]

Dunno why someone from Ohio is taking an interest in Texas QB but as a Texan I'm interested

[The Time Keeper]

Dunno why someone from Ohio is taking an interest in Texas QB but as a Texan I'm interested

According to the magic of the internet that "someone from Ohio" is you. In the future, please do not do this.

[kpillai]

i love quint

Also, like pretty much everyone else on here, I think Charter, Dorman, and TJ will be in the top 5 nationally next year at least, with room for other teams like Hunter and Gov up there too. I'm glad to hear RM will be back in the mix--we missed you last year.

who do you guys think the top scorers at NAQT and PACE will be? Guy & Daichi will of course be up there, but of upcoming players, who do you guys think have that sort of potential?

[Auroni]

i love quint

Also, like pretty much everyone else on here, I think Charter, Dorman, and TJ will be in the top 5 nationally next year at least, with room for other teams like Hunter and Gov up there too. I'm glad to hear RM will be back in the mix--we missed you last year.

who do you guys think the top scorers at NAQT and PACE will be? Guy & Daichi will of course be up there, but of upcoming players, who do you guys think have that sort of potential?

I would also count Henry Gorman, Ian Eppler, maybe Chris Carter if he weren't so buzzer shy and if he decided to go.

[Blackboard Monitor Vimes]

i love quint

Also, like pretty much everyone else on here, I think Charter, Dorman, and TJ will be in the top 5 nationally next year at least, with room for other teams like Hunter and Gov up there too. I'm glad to hear RM will be back in the mix--we missed you last year.

who do you guys think the top scorers at NAQT and PACE will be? Guy & Daichi will of course be up there, but of upcoming players, who do you guys think have that sort of potential?

I would also count Henry Gorman, Ian Eppler, maybe Chris Carter if he weren't so buzzer shy and if he decided to go.

Freddy and Todd from Dorman were really impressive at camp this year, as were some other guys like Arvind and Vamsi from Brookwood. Freddy's dominating win in the science tournament (answering 15 of 30 questions) was particularly impressive, but the overall strength of their teams may keep guys like them from winning scoring awards.

[Auroni]

i love quint

Also, like pretty much everyone else on here, I think Charter, Dorman, and TJ will be in the top 5 nationally next year at least, with room for other teams like Hunter and Gov up there too. I'm glad to hear RM will be back in the mix--we missed you last year.

who do you guys think the top scorers at NAQT and PACE will be? Guy & Daichi will of course be up there, but of upcoming players, who do you guys think have that sort of potential?

I would also count Henry Gorman, Ian Eppler, maybe Chris Carter if he weren't so buzzer shy and if he decided to go.

Freddy and Todd from Dorman were really impressive at camp this year, as were some other guys like Arvind and Vamsi from Brookwood. Freddy's dominating win in the science tournament (answering 15 of 30 questions) was particularly impressive, but the overall strength of their teams may keep guys like them from winning scoring awards.

I'm curious as to what the Dorman A team might look like next year at HSNCT and PACE? because at PACE, they pulled off a ridiculous amount of team balance.

[Magister Ludi]

Dont forget about Dan Puma, who was the top junior from the HSNCT. Though I'm obviously biased, I think he can make a real run at PACE because he studies and (most importantly) reads more than other high school players. With the increasing emphasis on real knowledge in the top tiers of the game I feel Dan can lead a top ten and possibly top five team next year. Also dont forget he outscored daichi by a mark of 2:1 when they were on the same team at FICTE suggesting he plays better as the questions become harder.

[cdcarter]

i love quint

Also, like pretty much everyone else on here, I think Charter, Dorman, and TJ will be in the top 5 nationally next year at least, with room for other teams like Hunter and Gov up there too. I'm glad to hear RM will be back in the mix--we missed you last year.

who do you guys think the top scorers at NAQT and PACE will be? Guy & Daichi will of course be up there, but of upcoming players, who do you guys think have that sort of potential?

I would also count Henry Gorman, Ian Eppler, maybe Chris Carter if he weren't so buzzer shy and if he decided to go.

You make it sound like I woke up and said "Moooooommmm, I don't waaaannaa go to HSNCT todaaaaaay..." Don't count on me winning anything big next year though.

These guys, the Dorman kids, and Puma are all looking pretty good on paper next year, but it should be interesting how it plays out. We saw some pretty interesting finals at both PACE and HSNCT this year compared to what the pre-nats polls were predicting. If I didn't know any better, I'd think there was some crazy conspiracy to ruin polls run by Fred Morlan.

[Sir Thopas]

Dont forget about Dan Puma, who was the top junior from the HSNCT. Though I'm obviously biased, I think he can make a real run at PACE because he studies and (most importantly) reads more than other high school players. With the increasing emphasis on real knowledge in the top tiers of the game I feel Dan can lead a top ten and possibly top five team next year. Also dont forget he outscored daichi by a mark of 2:1 when they were on the same team at FICTE suggesting he plays better as the questions become harder.

As evidenced by SnF, Puma is good, and has the ability not to neg at all levels. Something I have yet to learn.

[Auroni]

You make it sound like I woke up and said "Moooooommmm, I don't waaaannaa go to HSNCT todaaaaaay..." Don't count on me winning anything big next year though.

heh. well, you definitely have the depth of knowledge and you're not bad at trash (well as far as NAQT trash correlates to ASS level trash anyway).

These guys, the Dorman kids, and Puma are all looking pretty good on paper next year, but it should be interesting how it plays out. We saw some pretty interesting finals at both PACE and HSNCT this year compared to what the pre-nats polls were predicting. If I didn't know any better, I'd think there was some crazy conspiracy to ruin polls run by Fred Morlan.

FRED HOW COULD YOU

[The Atom Strikes!]

I didn't think that the polls turned out that badly... they predicted the top bunch, just not necessarily in the correct order.

[AKKOLADE]

FRED HOW COULD YOU

i think christiain meant a conspiracy against the poll i run so i guess the appropriate question would be PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FRED HOW COULD YOU

[ClemsonQB]

I'm curious as to what the Dorman A team might look like next year at HSNCT and PACE? because at PACE, they pulled off a ridiculous amount of team balance.

Next year's Dorman A should be similiar in that the top three scorers will all be fairly close while the 4th will be significantly lower than the others, unless things change, alot. At NSC this year, we had ppg's of 79, 79, 77 and 17 while at HSNCT it was 55, 52, 30 and 15. I imagine that (at the 2009 NSC) Todd and Freddy will score closer to 85 or 90 while Kevin will score somewhere in the 70s. Kleve has improved alot recently and hopefully will continue to do so thus narrowing the gap.

[The Atom Strikes!]

And as for the original topic of the thread...

Our team will be seriously damaged by the loss of Raja. It was his streak of awesomeness that propelled us to an HSNCT final this year. Our team will sorely miss him.

There seem to be a number of teams to be watched this year. In my (likely to be proven incorrect by the coming year's results) opinion, in no particular order:

Teams that I have had plenty of experience playing, or are in the region that I'm in:

Dorman: This year's Dorman B team was the real deal. Todd and Freddy consistently played excellently, and their teammates were solid contributors. Freddy put up an excellent performance as a substitute for Paolo on Dorman A at PACE-- should be excellent next year.

Walter Johnson: Daichi Ueda is a player that frightens me. Almost unbeatable on lit, and strong in the other categories as well. The last game that Charter played against WJ was so nerve-wracking that I found myself banging my head on the table at some key negs. If Daichi's teammates would improve enough to make solid contributions, this team could be a real contender for national titles.

Thomas Jefferson: A tough say. Naren is a great player, but all of the other A-teamers are gone, as well as the entire B-team. Thus, the team's power will depend on the C-teamers' ability to improve themselves before the next nationals. But, as always, the team should be strong.

Hunter: Guy is the real deal, and his teammates have shown a significant increase in strength over the past year. If this can be parlayed into them being ~20ppg-ish players, then Hunter will have more than a decent shot at the title.

Gov-- A strong group of young players, who should impress in the future.

Brookwood-- A team that did well with their two best players returning. Should do very well next year, probably 2nd best in SE after Dorman

Bergen-- Uber-negger and science monster Watson Ladd should lead a strong team there this year. I hope that this year, we'll get a chance to play him so we can get revenge for those awful YouTube videos.

Gonzaga-- Puma will most likely pounce on much of the competition this year. Ted enumerated the team's strengths well earlier.

RM-- if this team can get back on track and start going to tournaments again, the notable Keith, Abiola et al should play well.

GDS-- A strong team, but stuck in a very strong region. Ian, Nutty, and pals should do respectably.

Further afield (regions that I lack good familiarity with):

Illinois-- Two strong teams (Rockford Auburn, New Trier), look to be returning their key players, should perform well

Minnesota-- Chaska looks to be the dominant team to start, but at the rate that Chris Carter works, Minneapolis South should become very good.

Michigan-- DCC has a young team and performed excellently at PACE, boding well for next year's prospects. GPN returns its strongest player as well.

California-- Santa Monica and TP look to be graduating lots of their scoring, but SM is almost always good, and TP could likely recover. Arcadia and RB look like stronger young teams.

Southern teams that aren't Dorman or Brookwood: Georgia's teams will likely come out similar to what those from the region (Adam Liem, William Horton et al) predicted. In Kentucky, Russellville looks good.

Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive and I may have forgotten some key teams, so please just tell me politely if I've neglected somebody especially important.

[ClemsonQB]

Walter Johnson: Daichi Ueda is a player that frightens me. Almost unbeatable on lit, and strong in the other categories as well. The last game that Charter played against WJ was so nerve-wracking that I found myself banging my head on the table at some key negs. If Daichi's teammates would improve enough to make solid contributions, this team could be a real contender for national titles.

This is true for my last game against WJ as well. Daichi et al played remarkably well, giving us the only close game of the prelims at NSC. In fact we only won the game by about one question if I remember correctly.

Brookwood-- A team that did well with their two best players returning. Should do very well next year, probably 2nd best in SE after Dorman

Negging could be a major problem for this squad if the ACE subject area finals are any indication, but this team should be the second best in the SE for sure.

Bergen-- science monster Watson Ladd

Agreed

Southern teams

With Brindlee and MLK losing their highest scorers, their respective states look to be down next year. Georgia as a whole will probably be less competitive with the loss of most of Norcross and Adam Matt and Sai from Chattahoochee.

[Siverus Snape]

I wouldn't really expect anyone out of Illinois or the SEMO ACE camp to know much about them, but Carbondale from Illinois put up a pretty decent showing at PACE (low 20-something-th place, I think), especially for a first-time team that's returning literally everybody. On paper (statistically), they're the second-best team in the state, though New Trier has a player who is fantastic at NAQT questions and distribution. I'd look for Carbondale not necessarily to challenge the top ten, but to potentially get close. As others have noted, HSNCT is a different monster altogether, so I have no predictions for them there.

[krazydragon]

Southern teams

Talking about potential Southern teams, I’d like to give a shout out to James Island. Last year they were seemingly off the radar as they did not go to either PACE or HSNCT (they went to NAC instead) and were surprisingly silent for the last half of the year. However, they did manage to make it to the quarterfinals at Vanderbilt and racked up some impressive wins at WOQ against Whitman and Walter Johnson.

Although they didn’t attend the 2008 HSNCT, they did relatively well at the 2007 Championship in which they placed 21st. This is especially remarkable considering that the majority of the scoring was done by a couple of sophomores. Furthermore, if ACE camp was any indication, they have some great potential as both Rafe and Travis did extremely well in both practice and the numerous competitions.

Hopefully, they’ll travel to more tournaments this year because with Rafe’s and Travis’s extensive and esoteric knowledge base, James Island should fare well nationally.

[Matt Weiner]

I'd be delighted to see James Island focus on and attend more real tournaments, but if history is any guide, I won't hold my breath.

[Sonic the Hedgehog and the Fox]

I'd be delighted to see James Island focus on and attend more real tournaments, but if history is any guide, I won't hold my breath.

Perhaps you should toss out your JI history book then, Matt. Last year, we had one skeleton from our team's low point hanging around (Ryan. I love him to death, but he didn't really put the right kind of commitment behind quizbowl. Not saying that I was the epitome of studying either), but fortunately in South Carolina high schools, you aren't allowed to take a post-graduate year. Certainly, he knew things, but as has been said elsewhere, "the two who did all the scoring" are still around. And now, we have a new addition to our team, who, although a senior and therefore still rough around the edges technique-wise, knows a TON, and will fill in on our scientific weak points (bio, what chem I don't know quickly enough, and math). I'm not gonna attempt to say that we'll be the Muhammed Ali of the quizbowl world, but what I am saying is that it wouldn't be wise to discount us due to the misgivings and ineptitudes of our forebearers.

Edit: Not meant to be venomous, merely informative. Sorry if it came out that way.

[AKKOLADE]

He's not questioning your team's talent; he's questioning your team's decision making skills (i.e. still going to NAC and so forth).

[Sonic the Hedgehog and the Fox]

We don't make decisions at James Island. And I suppose a lot of our decisions last year were tied to our talent, or lack thereof.

[AndyShootsAndyScores]

Brindlee beat Carbondale the 4th round of the consolation bracket at PACE, and they are a team to watch out for. If they could get stronger in the liberal arts department, they could definitely make some noise next year.

[DumbJaques]

We don't make decisions at James Island. <I refuse to quote emoticons> And I suppose a lot of our decisions last year were tied to our talent, or lack thereof.

Again, it's not that we're saying "James Island's history has indicated a lack of talent, therefore they probably won't go to good events." We're saying that history has suggested that even when you guys DO have a good team (as you really did last year - Weekend of Quizbowl alone demonstrated that), somehow the squad finds its way to events like NAC and away from PACE (closer anyway) and NAQT. It has nothing to do with talent - nor, really, you or any other player - and everything to do with what some people perceive as a lust for trophies at the expense of actual competition. I saw you guys at Weekend of Quizbowl, and you belonged at a legit nationals last year, so it wasn't a question of talent then and it still isn't now.

[AKKOLADE]

We don't make decisions at James Island.

I'm not entirely certain what this is supposed to mean: does your coach not listen to you or what?

[Matt Weiner]

Again, it's not that we're saying "James Island's history has indicated a lack of talent, therefore they probably won't go to good events." We're saying that history has suggested that even when you guys DO have a good team (as you really did last year - Weekend of Quizbowl alone demonstrated that), somehow the squad finds its way to events like NAC and away from PACE (closer anyway) and NAQT. It has nothing to do with talent - nor, really, you or any other player - and everything to do with what some people perceive as a lust for trophies at the expense of actual competition. I saw you guys at Weekend of Quizbowl, and you belonged at a legit nationals last year, so it wasn't a question of talent then and it still isn't now.

This is, in fact, what I meant. James Island is good enough to make the playoffs at HSNCT or NSC almost every year, but you can't make the playoffs at those tournaments if you choose to go to skip them for fake events.

[lasercats]

Minnesota

Probably the best returning team from Minnesota will be Chaska, which returns Sam Peterson. He seems dedicated to good quizbowl and improving at good quizbowl. The other teams ARE A MYSTERY

Agreed. I moderated several of their games and was impressed with his gameplay. If they can dig up some team mates who do more than hold a buzzer and stare in to space, they will be strong.

I don't know how much New Rochelle does outside of NAC, but they were all underclassmen. They're strong, if they can learn to control themselves. If I were running a tournament I would have spoken to them about their erratic behavior during games, but that's just a pet peeve of mine.

[sunh]

Minnesota

Probably the best returning team from Minnesota will be Chaska, which returns Sam Peterson. He seems dedicated to good quizbowl and improving at good quizbowl. The other teams ARE A MYSTERY

Agreed. I moderated several of their games and was impressed with his gameplay. If they can dig up some team mates who do more than hold a buzzer and stare in to space, they will be strong.

I don't know how much New Rochelle does outside of NAC, but they were all underclassmen. They're strong, if they can learn to control themselves. If I were running a tournament I would have spoken to them about their erratic behavior during games, but that's just a pet peeve of mine.

NAC = finger competition
Quizbowl = knowledge competition
I don't think a team's performance in a finger competition will necessarily help them in a knowledge competition. In fact it probably won't.

[theMoMA]

Chaska is probably going to be the best team in Minnesota next year. Sam is a really knowledgeable player who took Dallas Simons and MLK down to the wire at HSNCT this year. They return a very good myth player in Jordan Hiller, and a late arrival, Scott Miller, who has been regularly attending summer practices this year.

Eden Prairie has several strong players returning, most of whom will still be underclassmen next year. Sam Daub is their top returning scorer from HSNCT and has steadily improved since he started playing. Tony Leng is a really good player, as is Gaurav Kandlikar (Gautam's younger brother). Neil Fitzgerald is really young but has already shown that he's a quality player. I should mention that all of these guys are really excellent question writers too, and that they were the second team to give me an ACF Fall packet. EP have a chance to make a splash next year, and should be really good the year after.

Minnetonka should continue to be good as Alex Friedman returns for his senior year.

I expect those three teams to make the playoffs at HSNCT.

[ClemsonQB]

However, they did manage to make it to the quarterfinals at Vanderbilt and racked up some impressive wins at WOQ against Whitman and Walter Johnson.

While Vamsi is correct that JI is good, and definately one of the top teams in the south, their win against WW at WOQ was on Sunday when Shantanu was not there (If I remember correctly). Although Adam, Daniel and Damjan are all solid players, WW was much weaker without Shantanu, as evidenced by our 500 point victory against them that same day. If Shantanu had been there for that game, we might not have even won... Just trying to clarify this.

[aestheteboy]

I've noticed that the noted prophet Evan Adams hasn't yet spoken. I patiently await.

[Sonic the Hedgehog and the Fox]

First off: my apologies to Matt, I didn't mean to flip out at you.

Secondly: Fred, our coach (and I'm trying to phrase this is diplomatically as possible) has a tendency to...sometimes discount our successes for our failures. Its a negative sort of motivation, I suppose. it works, I guess, and I realized this while en route to NAC, which, I suppose, is why I did as well as I did then. I'd love to see us go to HSNCT and, perhaps, PACE NSC (which, correct me if I'm wrong, JI has never attended).

[AKKOLADE]

To my knowledge, there has not been a JI team at NSC. You're definitely more than welcome to attend.

Can't say I get your coach's reasoning that "we're bad, ergo we must go to a bad national". Then again, I can't get your coach's reasoning that "we're bad" to start off with.

[Matt Weiner]

I don't know how much New Rochelle does outside of NAC, but they were all underclassmen. They're strong, if they can learn to control themselves. If I were running a tournament I would have spoken to them about their erratic behavior during games, but that's just a pet peeve of mine.

Speaking of fake events...I think a team that went 1-5 and could not once break 150 points on an NAQT A Set at Seton Hall is not "strong" by any quizbowl-related definition of that term.

[theattachment]

Chaska is probably going to be the best team in Minnesota next year. Sam is a really knowledgeable player who took Dallas Simons and MLK down to the wire at HSNCT this year. They return a very good myth player in Jordan Hiller, and a late arrival, Scott Miller, who has been regularly attending summer practices this year.

Eden Prairie has several strong players returning, most of whom will still be underclassmen next year. Sam Daub is their top returning scorer from HSNCT and has steadily improved since he started playing. Tony Leng is a really good player, as is Gaurav Kandlikar (Gautam's younger brother). Neil Fitzgerald is really young but has already shown that he's a quality player. I should mention that all of these guys are really excellent question writers too, and that they were the second team to give me an ACF Fall packet. EP have a chance to make a splash next year, and should be really good the year after.

Minnetonka should continue to be good as Alex Friedman returns for his senior year.

I expect those three teams to make the playoffs at HSNCT.

I'd agree with most to all of that. Since I know more about EP than Chaska outside of Sam Peterson (whom I still consider to be proof that God is quarterune instead of triune) I'll analyze them more. I'd say that while Sam did score more at HSNCT, Tony is the best player on that team by a decent step. Gaurav has a lot of potential, as he knows the game and is really good at question writing. Neil has the opposite potential; he's raw on the game but knows a lot and is really good at math. Because Tony, Gaurav and Neil are all going to be juniors next year they'll immediately be better at myth and literature (junior English at EP is a classics class that's heavy on Greco-Roman stuff) and I'd suspect that depending on schedules they'll probably get Euro History and a lot more science.

As for ranking Minnesota/ranking Minnesota teams nationally, I would probably put Chaska in the top 10-15 in the country with EP around 20th. Sam is simply too good to not take a team to the top 15, and while having effectively a one-man team hurts you a lot when that one-man is off his game, he's still really good. It's telling that last year (to my recollection of his admissions) the only games they lost all year were to teams higher ranked than them (EP, Dorman, SaMo and MLK) or rounds that he just played terribly.

I wouldn't rank Minnetonka because I don't see them being good at anything that isn't an NAQT niche topic. It's telling that they don't do PACE-style stuff because the distribution takes out about 60 to 70% of the tossups they convert, namely politics and geography. They eat up NAQT, but they're a very single-faceted team in that respect.

[Ondes Martenot]

I think a team that went 1-5 and could not once break 150 points on an NAQT A Set at Seton Hall is not "strong" by any quizbowl-related definition of that term.

For what it's worth, I played them at that tournament and I do believe they were missing their captain/guy who does all of their scoring. At the New York state championship I think they beat Hunter so there obviously is some talent.

[Sir Thopas]

I think a team that went 1-5 and could not once break 150 points on an NAQT A Set at Seton Hall is not "strong" by any quizbowl-related definition of that term.

For what it's worth, I played them at that tournament and I do believe they were missing their captain/guy who does all of their scoring. At the New York state championship I think they beat Hunter so there obviously is some talent.

1) Man, what a fluky packet.
2) Argh, five negs.
3) We were playing as a two-man team.

Nonetheless, they definitely did have some legit knowledge, and were able to capitalize on our mistakes as a lesser team would not have been able to do. If they play more real stuff they could be good.

[Gunnells]

Congrats. I hope your funding issues are also being resolved. It's a shame when a top caliber team can't attend tournaments that they could do extremely well in. Best of luck to you and hopefully we'll see you in a tournament in the fall.

Is this a real fundraising issue, or another highly publicized salary holdout?

[First Chairman]

To my knowledge, there has not been a JI team at NSC. You're definitely more than welcome to attend.

Can't say I get your coach's reasoning that "we're bad, ergo we must go to a bad national". Then again, I can't get your coach's reasoning that "we're bad" to start off with.

Nope, James Island has never attended NSC. After the first three years of trying to get Ms. Meek to attend (including the year we were at Furman, mind you) with very polite refusals to attend because of her loyalty to the NAC, I gave up trying to invite James Island to NSC. I respect coaches' choices... I have no other choice but to accept them anyway.

[Sonic the Hedgehog and the Fox]

I've always tacitly wondered why we never went to NSC. I mean, I think we could have gotten into NSC when ASCN was cut my freshman year (Don't quote me on that though). That was my first experience with NAC. I'm gonna try to drop PACE and NSC into conversation with Mrs. Meek this year, see if I can't sway her into it.

Whether or not she bites for NSC, I am really pulling for us to go to HSNCT rather than NAC. Maybe, because, I respect competition that's more academic and less...what's the word I'm looking for here?

[Blackboard Monitor Vimes]

Whether or not she bites for NSC, I am really pulling for us to go to HSNCT rather than NAC. Maybe, because, I respect competition that's more academic and less...what's the word I'm looking for here?

I believe the word you're going for is tastic.