2013 ONQBA Provincial Championship (3/23/2013)

[bsmith]

The Ontario Quizbowl Association, in collaboration with the team at Queen's, is pleased to host the 2013 ONQBA Provincial Championship. It will be held at Queen's University in Kingston on March 23, 2013. This tournament will be the premier high school quizbowl event in Ontario, serving as an opportunity to bring competition from all active regions in the province. This tournament is also an opportunity for teams to qualify for the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament and the PACE National Scholastic Championship (pending approval from both organizations).

I, Ben Smith, will act as tournament director, and can be reached by email at president -AT- onqba.ca . The team at Queen's will still have a role in running the event, and if you have any issues about the campus or city (directions, hotels, food, etc), you can direct inquiries to Sean McPhail ( mcphail.sean -AT- gmail.com ) or to me: I'll either answer what I know or pass it along.

We have applied to NAQT to be the "state" championship for Ontario and use the accompanying question set. In the unlikely event that the ONQBA bid fails, we will obtain an alternate source of questions. Assuming the use of NAQT questions, the games will be timed and calculation questions will be removed. We also expect to be able to include approximately one tossup and bonus per game of Canadian content. Games will follow NAQT rules.

We tentatively have a field cap of 16 teams, and will, for now, limit schools to 3 teams each until we are more confident we can accommodate extra teams. For a field of 10 teams or fewer, there will be a full round-robin plus additional playoff rounds to get all teams to at least 8 or 9 games. For fields greater than 10 teams, there will be preliminary pools followed by playoff tiers.

The tournament fees are as follows:
$50 for the first team from a school
$40 for the second team from a school
$30 for each additional team from a school beyond the second
$10 discount for working buzzer systems
$10 discount for staff
Minimum total fee: $0

To encourage more activity in the high school circuit during the year, the ONQBA is also offering "participation" discounts. A school that participated in an ONQBA-certified event can claim up to one of the following (schools are listed after their highest eligible discount):

$50 for hosting an ONQBA-certified event
$15 for attending at least two non-provincials certified events
$10 for winning a certified event
$5 for finishing in the top 15% of a certified event

All teams from Ontario are welcome and encouraged to attend. No prior qualification or experience is necessary, although it is recommended that you become familiar with NAQT rules. Also note that, as a non-profit organization, the ONQBA will donate any surplus proceeds to schools that attend national quizbowl championships in the US.

Finally, I should make a comment regarding the labour dispute in Ontario. I'm aware that many clubs have been cancelled this year, and some students may want to go coachless. It is acceptable to compete without a teacher as coach, but teams MUST have a supervisor (principal, parent, administrator) that can take responsibility for the team. Each school board has different standards for approving outsiders to supervise, so check with your school.

If the labour dispute is affecting your team's ability to acquire funds for this tournament, please contact us in advance and we can work something out for payment.

Good luck to the teams!

[Fado Alexandrino]

What's the reason behind the fact each team must have a responsible adult (18+?)travelling to the event with them? I assume this is by school, not by team, so two teams from one school can have one parent supervisor, right? What if a team cannot find an adult to travel with them to the event?

[bsmith]

What's the reason behind the fact each team must have a responsible adult (18+?)travelling to the event with them? I assume this is by school, not by team, so two teams from one school can have one parent supervisor, right? What if a team cannot find an adult to travel with them to the event?

Supervision of minors is needed for any emergencies that may arise (medical, getting lost, etc). There is a very clear process for being a supervisor at Ottawa schools (I'm going through it myself: TB and vaccination checks, police check, references and interview), and I'm sure there are similar processes for other school boards, so hopefully 5 months of lead time is enough to get someone sorted out for a trip.

Given the circumstances of this year, I expect some scrutiny about supervision by any teachers that DO get involved this year. In essence, these supervisors are replacement workers against the union, and there was conflict at 1995 Reach provincials about this, for example.

In the event that a team doesn't have a board-sanctioned supervisor, you may be able to make an arrangement for a parent-endorsed supervisor. If every member of a team has a waiver from their parent/guardian (or themselves, if 18+) that they agree to give responsibility of supervision to an individual, that may be acceptable. I'll look into this.

In case I wasn't clear earlier, "team" could refer to "school" or other classifications. Supervisors could be overseeing 1 person or 100 people. The important thing is that every student in attendance has someone who is responsible for them at the tournament.

[Fado Alexandrino]

In essence, can a parent can drive their child and a safe carload of other players to the event as long as all of the kids' parents agree to it? This is what's probably going to happen for teams in the Ottawa region if labour disruption would continue. I assume there won't be any required paperwork done by/for the school board or the ONQBA. It's never been a problem in the past, I know last year Woburn came to one of Lisgar's tournaments with one player's dad bring the kids up without any school involvement. Finding an official supervisor will be very hard to do, but finding a parent who is willing to give up Saturday is not. Furthermore, can students not just go by themselves?

[Mightyrodrigo]

This is outside of school time and if most schools don't officially have clubs, then all that should matter is parent permission.

[bsmith]

A few school boards are getting contracts in place, so teachers should be back to regular duties in those cities soon. In light of that, I'll clarify the supervision requirements for this tournament:

-if your team has a teacher or board-sanctioned volunteer with you, you're fine
-if not, you need a supervisor who is over 25 with no prior criminal convictions (in line with school board policies) and has emergency contact information for each person they are supervising
-teams can only come unsupervised if every member is 18 or over as of the day of the tournament.

I hope this covers most situations for teams. If you will have an issue with those requirements, please contact me.

[Elizabeth Jewlal]

Hello,

I have 2, possibly three teams that I am helping coach during the strike. We will definitely be bringing one team the rest will have to be determined closer to the date.


please contact me at [email protected]

Thank you

[Elizabeth Jewlal]

When do we have to submit teams by? I am now certain that only one of my teams is guarenteed at this point.

[bsmith]

Just an update that this tournament is still going ahead; we'll have at least 5 teams (from South London, Colonel By, and Lisgar). I've sent out an appeal to some more Catholic schools, so we'll see what comes of that.

Because the labour dispute is forcing some students to play (and pay) without support, I'm considering removing last year's benefit of nationals-bound teams receiving funds from the ONQBA and instead reducing this tournament's admission fees across the board to essentially be at-cost ($50/40/30 instead of $65/55/45). If you have any concerns about this, please let me know.

The tournament itself will be in Mackintosh-Corry Hall starting at 9 AM.

[Fado Alexandrino]

Martingrove and Centennial will not be attending. Westdale, Westmount and Woburn are seriously considering. I have talked to other schools including Assumption, Thornhill, and SWC with no response.

[bsmith]

The top post has been edited to reflect a drop in admission prices. The new values are:
$50 for the first team from a school
$40 for the second team from a school
$30 for each additional team from a school beyond the second
$10 discount for working buzzer systems
$10 discount for staff
Minimum total fee: $0

This is essentially break-even for the ONQBA (after host fees and prizes are considered), so there will be no proceeds to give to a nationals-bound Ontario team this year.

The current field is:
Colonel By (3)
Lisgar (2)
South London (1)
Westdale (1)

[amharv139]

Renfrew Collegiate Institute is also considering. Is there a deadline for submitting a team?

[mithokie]

http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1346/

I created a database entry, but put in the wrong contact e-mail. I transferred the entry ownership to Ben, so you should probably update the e-mail.

[Masked Canadian History Bandit]

2013 ONQBA Provisional Championship

In the future, when you put up these database entries, can you be more careful and make sure you get the tournament names correct? Thanks.

[mithokie]

Yes, of course I will try. I am not attempting to make a mistake on purpose. If the host of a tournament enters this information themselves, then they will be able to make sure the information is entered correctly. I will always transfer ownership to the user who originally announced the tournament in the first place. They will then be responsible for making any corrections themselves.

[bsmith]

Renfrew Collegiate Institute is also considering. Is there a deadline for submitting a team?

If you can make basic confirmations by the Monday before the tournament, that would be appreciated. You'll get more communication, especially about sudden changes, if I have an email address from you, so contact me through president @ onqba.ca when you are ready to register.

Separately, if you paid for Reach but are lacking a Reach regional in your area because of the teacher dispute, we can accommodate you in Ottawa. Let me know if that's the case.

[bsmith]

http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/1346/

I created a database entry, but put in the wrong contact e-mail. I transferred the entry ownership to Ben, so you should probably update the e-mail.

Thanks.

A note to teams, though: despite the multiple ways that info about the tournament is available, email is the method for confirming attendance and receiving prompt updates. Promises on Facebook or elsewhere don't mean anything in this regard.

[Fado Alexandrino]

Promises on Facebook or elsewhere don't mean anything in this regard.

The problem is, Facebook is a very effective means of communication, and that's where I was able to talk to London South and Westdale about the tournament.

[Masked Canadian History Bandit]

Promises on Facebook or elsewhere don't mean anything in this regard.

The problem is, Facebook is a very effective means of communication, and that's where I was able to talk to London South and Westdale about the tournament.

It's good for outreach, but a finalized registration is through email.

[Fado Alexandrino]

Is there an updated field? Now the teacher action is pretty much over, perhaps more teams would be coming. Lisgar can bring up to 3 buzzers, but unfortunately this year we aren't able to commit any staff to the event (Unless I take the overnight megabus to kingston).

You have mentioned that you've removed some of the American content and replaced it with Canadian equivalents. Are you also going to remove obscenely easy Canadian content with appropriately difficult international content?

[bsmith]

Now the teacher action is pretty much over, perhaps more teams would be coming.

The unfortunate reality is that, though some have returned, most teachers are not back to doing clubs and sports. The union's change in stance essentially meant that they would stop threatening teachers that tried to do extracurriculars. In the school where I volunteer, no teachers have returned to clubs; it's just 7 parent-led groups, and one is required by provincial law to be there.

You have mentioned that you've removed some of the American content and replaced it with Canadian equivalents. Are you also going to remove obscenely easy Canadian content with appropriately difficult international content?

I generally only replace 1/1 per round unless there is an extreme case. I'm aware I have a privilege most tournament directors don't have, so I won't abuse it by changing questions all over the place. That being said, in the past, some of those replacements were adjustments of "easy" Canadian questions (into more difficult Canadian content), especially when the American content in a round seemed reasonable.

[bsmith]

Hopefully all teams received the update email I sent yesterday. If not, the important news is that we will meet in room B201 of Mackintosh Corry hall for 9 AM. You may have luck with on-street parking around the campus, but check all signage to make sure you are rightly parked; if in doubt, there is $15/day indoor parking accessible from Stuart Street that is across the street from the tournament building.

[bsmith]

I'm back from Kingston. Lisgar A won, followed by Colonel By B and Colonel By A after resolving a logjam for second. Stats will be available in approximately one hour after I add the data for those extra games.

[bsmith]

Six teams attended the 2013 ONQBA provincial championship. The low turnout was disappointing in a down year in Ontario, but thanks go out to the teams that competed.

Lisgar A won the tournament by clearing the field in a double round-robin. Lisgar has won NAQT's Ontario championship for all four years. Colonel By kept them on their toes with their B and A teams in second and third.

Ted from Colonel By A was the top scorer with 54 ppg. Cam from Colonel By B was second with 55 ppg, oddly enough (rankings based on TUH). Preliminary results are found below:

http://onqba.ca/stats/ONQBA2013/ONQBA20 ... dings.html

There was a three-way tie for second that also included Lisgar B. To resolve it, teams were sorted by point per tossup (though PPB rankings were identical). Colonel By A beat Lisgar B 260-185 to go into the running for second place. Colonel By B then beat Colonel By A 410-180 to claim second. Full results are found below:

http://onqba.ca/stats/ONQBA2013/ONQBA20 ... dings.html

Separately, Queen's thought they could beat Lisgar A on those final packets, but Lisgar proved them wrong. I didn't get the score, because I was busy resolving second place.

Finally, thank you to the Queen's team for hosting and staff, and to JJ for coming down to read. Good luck to the teams in any remaining competitions they have this year.