VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

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VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

This is the general announcement for the first annual VCU Fall High School Tournament. This is a high school academic quizbowl tournament to be held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond on Sunday, November 16 from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. It is open to any high school team that wishes to attend.

(Note: We usually run our tournaments on Saturdays, but one of Richmond's seventeen annual marathons is occurring on November 15 in the VCU area, so we do not want to make travel and parking overly difficult for the attending teams. We expect our spring high school tournaments to return to Saturday dates.)

AFFILIATION: This tournament will be affiliated with the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence and will be an opportunity to qualify for the National Scholastics Championship, which is run by PACE and will occur at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA on May 23 & 24, 2009.

QUESTIONS: The questions will be provided by the Harvard University College Bowl Club, and are the same set being used at their tournament on the same weekend. The question format is straightforward ACF; that is, games of 20 tossups with 30-point bonuses, untimed. A sample packet from last year's Harvard tournament may be found at http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~cbowl/sample.pdf .

LOCATION/DIRECTIONS: The tournament will take place in Harris Hall on our Monroe Park campus (aka "Academic Campus"). The nominal address of the building is "1015 Floyd Ave" if you need to put something into your map software of choice, but you may have an easier time finding the side of the building that faces the intersection of Main Street & Harrison Street, just west of the University Student Commons.

PARKING: On weekends, parking on the street is free and available in most places around the campus; the best place to park for access to Harris is directly on Main Street or one of the nearby side streets. If you cannot find an on-street space in that area, then you should use the parking deck at Main & Cherry, which is one block east of the tournament building and will charge you somewhere between $0 and $5 to park all day.

FORMAT: We expect to hit our field cap of 24 teams. If that happens, the teams will be divided into four brackets of six teams each and play five-game round robins in rounds 1-5. The teams will then be ranked. Over rounds 6-11, each first and second place team will play its counterparts in the other three brackets, each third and fourth place team will do the same, and each fifth and sixth place team likewise, to produce a final ranking. The tournament championship will be decided by a final of up to two games if necessary. In the event that fewer than 24 teams register, or that we are able to expand the field and host more than 24 teams, the format will change, but we will strive to offer all teams at least 10 games. Trophies will be awarded to the top four teams, and book prizes will be awarded to the top eight individual scorers.

REGISTRATION AND FEES:
-The fee structure is as follows:
Base fee: $70 per team. There is no limit to the number of teams who can attend from one school.
Buzzer discount: $5 off school's total fee for each fully functional system (control box and eight activators all work)--no limit to # of systems you can bring
Staff discount: $15 off school's total fee. This could be a coach, parent, student who is not playing, etc. Team-provided staffers will keep score for various games not involving the team with which they are affiliated. Volunteer staffers must stay through all the games (except finals) in order to receive credit for their school. There is no limit to the number of staffers you can bring.
Minimum fee: The minimum fee is $0 (you can bring enough buzzers and staffers to eliminate your entire fee via discounts, but you cannot have a "negative fee.")
-To register, post in this thread or mail me at [email protected] with the number of teams, buzzers, and staffers you want to bring, and an email address where you can be contacted with details. Feel free to forward this announcement to any schools that you think would be interested in attending. There may be a snail mail version of this announcement going out in October, but follow-up communication will be via email only.

METHOD OF PAYMENT: To pay your registration fees for this tournament, please bring either cash, or a check (institutional or personal) made out to Andrew Alexander, who is the Quizbowl at VCU treasurer. Do not bring checks made out to Matt Weiner, to VCU, to "quizbowl," etc. We cannot use them. We strongly prefer not to deal with purchase orders, but if your school absolutely requires it, then you need to send us the paperwork no later than October 15 so that we can get it back in time for you to have a check written before the tournament. Contact me for details if you need to physically mail something to me or to Andrew.

DELINQUENT PAYMENT: Teams who do not pay on the morning of the tournament will be charged a $25 penalty and will have two weeks to pay their total amount before we start mailing letters to your school administration about it.

TEAM & ROSTER SIZE: There may be a maximum of six players on one team's roster, though only four may play at one time. There is a halftime substitution opportunity in each game. Each player may appear on only one team's roster throughout the day--no switching from the B team to the A team, etc. Teams may also play shorthanded with only three players. Teams consisting of fewer than three players may not play without my express prior permission.

FOOD: Neither breakfast nor lunch will be provided by the tournament. There are several eateries within walking distance of campus buildings and a vast cornucopia within a ten minutes' drive; maps and suggestions will be provided at the tournament.

Post here or mail me if you have any further questions. I'm looking forward to seeing a wide variety of teams from Virginia and surrounding states on November 16.

Matt Weiner
Tournament Director, VCU Fall High School Tournament
[email protected]

Field (to be edited as registrations come in):

Charlottesville (1)
Collegiate (1)
Grafton (1)
James Monroe (1)
Maggie Walker (3)
Thomas Jefferson (3)
Walter Johnson (1)
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by pretzeldude92 »

It seems that Rappahannock County will be sending at least one team to this. We aren't sure exactly how many yet, mostly because we aren't sure how a Sunday tournament could affect our teams.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by ieppler »

GDS will attend with a team or two and a buzzer system. Is there any possibility of running part of Andy Watkins' 20th century tournament during lunch or something?
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Blackboard Monitor Vimes »

Hopper wrote:GDS will attend with a team or two and a buzzer system. Is there any possibility of running part of Andy Watkins' 20th century tournament during lunch or something?
I would attempt to talk the guys into bringing Five Guys back to VCU to do this, if it is possible.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by intothenegs »

If my coach approves, James Monroe may be at this with one team and probably one set of buzzers.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by pretzeldude92 »

Due to the fact that Rappahannock County will not be able to procure a bus for a Sunday event, we will regretably not be able to attend this.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

Please note that the location of the tournament has been changed from the Hibbs Building to Harris Hall, which is about two blocks to the southwest. I have updated the original post accordingly. All other information remains unchanged.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

The final field is:

Charlottesville (1)
Collegiate (1)
Grafton (1)
James Monroe (1)
Maggie Walker (3)
Thomas Jefferson (3)
Walter Johnson (1)

The format will be a full round-robin. Teams have received the e-mail update which reminds them to meet in Harris Hall, room 2101, by 8:30. If you think you are coming to this tournament and are not on the above list, then get in touch with me immediately.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Blackboard Monitor Vimes »

Is there going to be a final of some sort, or does the winner of the round robin win (if there are no ties)?
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by intothenegs »

Which set of HFT packets will be used (the higher-difficulty playoffs or regular difficulty)?
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

We will be using the "lower-difficulty" packets, which I am told are the same difficulty as the non-bifurcated rounds, in order to provide similar games throughout the round robin. We will also be using ACF-format finals to determine the tournament champion, and single-game tiebreakers for spots two through four if necessary. Those post-RR games will use the "higher-difficulty" packets.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by intothenegs »

Just to clarify- will the top two or the top four teams qualify for PACE?
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by wowitsquinthaha »

We just lost to WJ 325-290 :sad:
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by wowitsquinthaha »

Uh, WJ beat Gov A in the final in an absurdly low scoring game...

Also, who got Mukherjee? I wanted that.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by The Laughing Man »

What was the score?
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Frater Taciturnus »

205-135, IIRC
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Blackboard Monitor Vimes »

Frater Taciturnus wrote:205-135, IIRC
That sounds about right. Congrats to Daichi (and Kuo-Kai) for a well-deserved win.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by wowitsquinthaha »

EULER TOTIENT FUNCTION
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

Stats: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/vcufall/vcufa ... dings.html

Thanks to all who came, and thanks to the top-notch staffers for getting 11 rounds done by 4:30. I hope to see people for our three remaining high school tournaments this year, which will not feature any questions on Mahmoud Darwish.

By the way, this tournament was granted PACE gold certification, so Walter Johnson, Maggie Walker, Charlottesville, and James Monroe all received automatic bids today to the NSC.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by wowitsquinthaha »

Mahmoud Darwish
We got this one.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Mechanical Beasts »

wowitsquinthaha wrote:
Mahmoud Darwish
We got this one.
And to be fair, it was a third part. And since he just died, he's a lot easier than when we ill-advisedly asked about him last year.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by intothenegs »

Maggie Walker B's match against Collegiate has been double counted.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

Noted and fixed. Thanks.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by at your pleasure »

Whitman would have gotten the Darwish bonus part had we gotten the tossup.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

To make the point in a less coy way: we're using HSAPQ questions from here on out, and there won't be a million impossible bonus parts like there were today, even if the Darwish question was apparently not part of that group. Please continue coming to our tournaments, teams who like reasonable difficulty!
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by jbarnes112358 »

I'm pretty sure TJ A beat MW C. You might want to check that score sheet.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Matt Weiner »

jbarnes112358 wrote:I'm pretty sure TJ A beat MW C. You might want to check that score sheet.
"185" transcribed as "105" due to handwriting issues has been fixed.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by aestheteboy »

Matt Weiner wrote:Please continue coming to our tournaments, teams who like reasonable difficulty!
Yeah, I endorse this statement. This tournament was really well-run, and more than eleven teams should go to VCU tournaments.

Also, since I forgot to make snide jokes at Sarah Angelo, I'm going to do it here: we crushed you like Shantanu's panda crushes bamboo! OH!
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Blackboard Monitor Vimes »

aestheteboy wrote:
Matt Weiner wrote:Please continue coming to our tournaments, teams who like reasonable difficulty!
Yeah, I endorse this statement. This tournament was really well-run, and more than eleven teams should go to VCU tournaments.

Also, since I forgot to make snide jokes at Sarah Angelo, I'm going to do it here: we crushed you like Shantanu's panda crushes bamboo! OH!
Thank you, Daichi. I'd also like to clarify that a statement brought to your attention by a certain person was mistakenly interpreted as more serious/mean-spirited than it was intended. I certainly enjoy the level of competition when we play you, and you impressed me during the finals today. No snideness here. I'm giving my stuffed panda a second chance, though; hopefully he'll be better luck at his next tournament. I maintain that he is cuter than yours.

I'd also like to echo the sentiments of getting more people to VCU tournaments. A larger field would have been awesome.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by closesesame »

I miss quizbowl.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by aestheteboy »

MLWGS-Gir wrote:I'd also like to clarify that a statement brought to your attention by a certain person was mistakenly interpreted as more serious/mean-spirited than it was intended.
Yeah, of course, I know you didn't mean anything by it; bantering with each other is what homies do :wink:
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Blackboard Monitor Vimes »

aestheteboy wrote:
MLWGS-Gir wrote:I'd also like to clarify that a statement brought to your attention by a certain person was mistakenly interpreted as more serious/mean-spirited than it was intended.
Yeah, of course, I know you didn't mean anything by it; bantering with each other is what homies do :wink:
Just making sure we were cool.

Naren, quizbowl misses you. I think you would have enjoyed the science in this set (it was hard).
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Whiter Hydra »

closesesame wrote:I miss quizbowl.
Well, you didn't have to be Secretary-General of MUN.
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Re: VCU Fall High School Tournament: SUNDAY November 16 2008

Post by Blackboard Monitor Vimes »

To get us back on track: great job today, Matt. The tournament was well-run and excellently moderated. I realize you only had 5 readers, but it's still somewhat rare to see a tournament with no bad readers.
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