2012 Midwest Championship Dates: Three Options

[pblessman]

Next year the calendar shifts so that there is only one week between the end of AP's and Memorial Day Weekend (and HSNCT). This means that the perfect day for holding the Midwest Championship doesn't exist anymore (i.e. AFTER AP's end and two weeks before HSNCT). There are therefore three options:

1. May 12: The Saturday in the middle of AP's (two weeks before HSNCT).
2. May 19: The Saturday after AP's end (one week before HSNCT)
3. May 25: CRAZY OPTION: Friday before HSNCT starts at a hotel near HSNCT site (effectively extending HSNCT trip for everybody by one day).

Please fill out the following survey to express interest (or lack thereof) in attending Midwest on any (or all) of those dates. Thanks! https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewfor ... MW9zOXc6MQ

[Down and out in Quintana Roo]

Memorial Day Weekend (and HSNCT).

Not that i really have a vested interest in this tournament, but is the above statement definitively true? Has NAQT announced this officially?

[Scott]

We would certainly attend if it is on the Friday before HSNCT.
I think that would be an interesting/unique oppertunity.

I'm not sure if we could make it on the other days, but neither of those dates seems to have a clear advantage over the other.

[Important Bird Area]

Memorial Day Weekend (and HSNCT).

Not that i really have a vested interest in this tournament, but is the above statement definitively true? Has NAQT announced this officially?

We have not; but it is likely that HSNCT will remain on the traditional date.

[dtaylor4]

The Friday before HSNCT lends itself to a host of issues, especially regarding travel.

What about moving it earlier?

[Great Bustard]

I haven't posted this yet (though I'll put up an official announcement within the next day or so) but National History Bee and Bowl Nationals will be April 28-29 next year in Washington, DC, so that's something to keep in mind too. If it were held in conjunction with HSNCT, I could certainly moderate again.

[pblessman]

Thanks, David. We are considering April 21 as a serious option...

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

It may or may not be a concern to you, but if you were to move the tournament to early April it would be more likely that a Missouri team might be able to attend due to MSHSAA restrictions on what dates teams can play events during. However, our circuit is a little out of the way and we have a later in the year event for local teams to play so it may not be a great loss if you can't accommodate us.

[pblessman]

I was unaware of these MO restrictions. Couple questions:

1. How early would we have to hold the tournament?
2. Which MO team(s) would seriously consider coming if we moved the tournament early enough to allow MO teams to attend?

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

The rule is that in Missouri, a team's season can begin on the second Friday in October, and ends with MSHSAA districts (April 14th next year). They passed an exception allowing teams to play a single event between districts and when summer begins (Memorial Day weekend, and under MSHSAA rules you can't go to nationals until summer begins), but because it's just a single event, chances are you won't be able to attract anybody since our event is much closer and teams are forced to choose in this case even though there is no date conflict. I think Ladue is interested in traveling out of state next year, and if there was no conflict I would certainly be interested in trying to get Rock Bridge to go if we could raise the money next year. There are a bunch of other teams in Missouri that have been emerging out of the woodwork over the last couple years, and most of them are in the eastern half of our state, so it's entirely possible that even more teams would be interested down the line.

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

Also, if you want to see how MSHSAA makes it even more hilariously convoluted, your event would only be able to attract teams that haven't already traveled outside of the 250 mile limit earlier in the season. We have a 250 mile limit on participation, except MSHSAA recently decided to allow teams to go outside of that limit once during their season, and because your event is out of range that would theoretically restrict teams from going. However, no Missouri team since I graduated has ever traveled out of state except for nationals and this year's Savannah team going to Iowa once, so it probably wouldn't be an issue.

[Lion81]

Also, if you want to see how MSHSAA makes it even more hilariously convoluted, your event would only be able to attract teams that haven't already traveled outside of the 250 mile limit earlier in the season. We have a 250 mile limit on participation, except MSHSAA recently decided to allow teams to go outside of that limit once during their season, and because your event is out of range that would theoretically restrict teams from going. However, no Missouri team since I graduated has ever traveled out of state except for nationals and this year's Savannah team going to Iowa once, so it probably wouldn't be an issue.

Wow. Does MSHSAA even have a legitimate reason for restricting quiz bowl the way they do Because I cant think of one and it makes no sense to me. What do they gain by not letting teams travel? I'm assuming MSHSAA stands for Missouri High School Athletic Association, so if it does, why does quiz bowl even fall into their guidelines?

[alexdz]

Missouri State High School Activities Association, actually. They also oversee music activities and speech/debate.