West Coast Schedule Discussion

[Capricious]

I am curious as to whether people see the west coast as one giant circuit or fragmented into NorCal and SoCal.

Being poor desert folk, it is impractical for us to drive 10+ hours to the Bay Area more than a couple of times a year. It is obviously in our best interest to have all tournaments hosted in SoCal.

Additionally, if No one has the capabilities to host hypothetical tournament, but still want to play said tournament, ASU has the means to host, though I imagine the number of people willing to travel to Arizona is low.

[Important Bird Area]

It is rather fragmented, primarily because there is six hours' driving distance between LA and the Bay Area containing only one currently active team (Fresno State).

Hosting everything in southern California isn't a good solution, because it means Berkeley and Stanford have to drive six hours each way for everything. Ideally, I think we should host at least one (but no more than two) of the set (ACF Fall/NAQT SCT/ACF Regionals) in the Bay Area each year, and the other(s) in southern California.

Long-term, of course, the best solution is to recruit more schools (start by hosting easier sets like Collegiate Novice and MUT in northern California, southern California, and the southwest). Take a look at Nicholas's field update for our Collegiate Novice site to get a sense of what might be possible.

[Rococo A Go Go]

The work you do in the high school circuit is important as well. Imagine how much easier it would be if a thriving high school circuit led those players starting and/or joining active clubs at Arizona, Arizona State, Northern Arizona, and other area schools? All of the sudden it makes it easier to host smaller tournaments on easier questions, and furthermore gives Arizona more cache in shaping the West Coast schedule.

[Capricious]

The work you do in the high school circuit is important as well. Imagine how much easier it would be if a thriving high school circuit led those players starting and/or joining active clubs at Arizona, Arizona State, Northern Arizona, and other area schools? All of the sudden it makes it easier to host smaller tournaments on easier questions, and furthermore gives Arizona more cache in shaping the West Coast schedule.

ASU has been hosting high school tournaments since 2010. Participation has increased every year since then to the point where today, I would describe the circuit as "thriving". However, the returns have not trickled up yet to the collegiate level. Things are looking up this year with Ian McCloskey going to Arizona, but it is unrealistic to believe any sort of a circuit will develop any time soon in the southwest. To my knowledge, I don't know of anyone who has played quizbowl at Northern Arizona. Beyond the three Arizona schools, it is a stretch to describe any school to be in our area. I don't think there are many people at Random Mountain U, having never heard of quizbowl before, who are willing to drive vast distances likely out-of-pocket to play tournaments.

It is rather fragmented, primarily because there is six hours' driving distance between LA and the Bay Area containing only one currently active team (Fresno State).

Hosting everything in southern California isn't a good solution, because it means Berkeley and Stanford have to drive six hours each way for everything. Ideally, I think we should host at least one (but no more than two) of the set (ACF Fall/NAQT SCT/ACF Regionals) in the Bay Area each year, and the other(s) in southern California.

Long-term, of course, the best solution is to recruit more schools (start by hosting easier sets like Collegiate Novice and MUT in northern California, southern California, and the southwest). Take a look at Nicholas's field update for our Collegiate Novice site to get a sense of what might be possible.

I think that planned schedule would be acceptable. I would like to know what avenues of outreach were used to reach the fantastic results at the Berkeley Collegiate Novice field, though for obvious reasons, those results would be much harder to replicate here.

[Adventure Temple Trail]

How much of a West Coast schedule is even there at all? Are any of Michigan Fall, Penn Bowl, or DRAGOON getting mirrored in either NorCal or SoCal this semester?

[i never see pigeons in wheeling]

How much of a West Coast schedule is even there at all? Are any of Michigan Fall, Penn Bowl, or DRAGOON getting mirrored in either NorCal or SoCal this semester?

None of those (with the possible but unlikely exception of Penn Bowl). We're running Collegiate Novice and ACF Fall in Berkeley this semester.

[Capricious]

Caltech has expressed interest in hosting one of those in November.

[Ringil]

How much of a West Coast schedule is even there at all? Are any of Michigan Fall, Penn Bowl, or DRAGOON getting mirrored in either NorCal or SoCal this semester?

Clearly the solution is to play the Skype mirror...right?

[Mike Bentley]

How much of a West Coast schedule is even there at all? Are any of Michigan Fall, Penn Bowl, or DRAGOON getting mirrored in either NorCal or SoCal this semester?

Clearly the solution is to play the Skype mirror...right?

Yeah, we'd love to have some California teams play this. We're also going to do a DRAGOON Skype mirror.

We'd like to attend one or maybe two tournament in the Bay Area this year, although it's frustrating when we do things like travel to Berkeley and Stanford doesn't show up (see: WIT last year).

[i never see pigeons in wheeling]

How much of a West Coast schedule is even there at all? Are any of Michigan Fall, Penn Bowl, or DRAGOON getting mirrored in either NorCal or SoCal this semester?

Clearly the solution is to play the Skype mirror...right?

Yeah, we'd love to have some California teams play this. We're also going to do a DRAGOON Skype mirror.

We'd like to attend one or maybe two tournament in the Bay Area this year, although it's frustrating when we do things like travel to Berkeley and Stanford doesn't show up (see: WIT last year).

Don't worry, when we run SUBMIT at Berkeley next semester, they'll be sure to show up. They even sealed the contract with the ritual bloodletting of a newly weaned lamb as a token of their good faith.

[njsbling]

Cal Poly SLO is now active as well (between LA and the Bay Area).

I was very disappointed we couldn't get Collegiate Novice held in SoCal, since it was the best way to get many of the new teams (such as USC, UCLA, etc) involved. Hopefully we can get things together in SoCal soon. It sounds like there is not much going on in WA besides for UW and I'm working to re-activate the Oregon circuit.

The West Coast circuit will improve and expand with time.

[Mike Bentley]

How much of a West Coast schedule is even there at all? Are any of Michigan Fall, Penn Bowl, or DRAGOON getting mirrored in either NorCal or SoCal this semester?

Clearly the solution is to play the Skype mirror...right?

Yeah, we'd love to have some California teams play this. We're also going to do a DRAGOON Skype mirror.

We'd like to attend one or maybe two tournament in the Bay Area this year, although it's frustrating when we do things like travel to Berkeley and Stanford doesn't show up (see: WIT last year).

Don't worry, when we run SUBMIT at Berkeley next semester, they'll be sure to show up. They even sealed the contract with the ritual bloodletting of a newly weaned lamb as a token of their good faith.

While we're talking about scheduling, when will the Berkeley SUBMIT mirror take place?

[Jason Cheng]

Reviving this old thread to make a general statement that we have three Southern California colleges that have not attended a tournament in the last two colleges (USC, UCLA, UCSB) that are keenly interested in competing in the 2014-2015 season. USC and UCLA in particular already have a program running with several people involved.

I'm trying to get a mirror of Collegiate Novice and at least one other regular or regular-minus tournament (besides ACF Regs and/or SCT) hosted in SoCal, in order to retain what is currently a doubling of the SoCal college circuit in terms of growth, since the only way to exist as a quiz bowl program is to actually play quiz bowl. Teams from other circuits are welcome, of course, since a larger and more competitive field would be immensely helpful for outreach purposes.

[njsbling]

Reviving this old thread to make a general statement that we have three Southern California colleges that have not attended a tournament in the last two colleges (USC, UCLA, UCSB) that are keenly interested in competing in the 2014-2015 season. USC and UCLA in particular already have a program running with several people involved.

I'm trying to get a mirror of Collegiate Novice and at least one other regular or regular-minus tournament (besides ACF Regs and/or SCT) hosted in SoCal, in order to retain what is currently a doubling of the SoCal college circuit in terms of growth, since the only way to exist as a quiz bowl program is to actually play quiz bowl. Teams from other circuits are welcome, of course, since a larger and more competitive field would be immensely helpful for outreach purposes.

Yes that is great- definitely should run Novice and other tournaments in SoCal. Hopefully you can also get Occidental involved (and get Riverside re-involved since it seems like their team died)

[rylltraka]

For those of you who are interested, UCLA is trying to get a team off the ground and moving this coming year. I've tried with not much success to get them onto the boards, but they are willing to do things and you might think of finding their club facebook page if you ever want to contact them.

[Jason Cheng]

Yes that is great- definitely should run Novice and other tournaments in SoCal. Hopefully you can also get Occidental involved (and get Riverside re-involved since it seems like their team died)

Fun fact, my friend told me that Riverside has intramural tournaments between freshman dorms run on questions, buzzers and all. She didn't actually attend so she didn't describe it all that well, but her words were "exactly like the stuff you did in high school." Since the only academic teams I did in high school that involved buzzers were pyramidal, that's an interesting lead. Is there any source their building councils could be getting pyramidal questions from?