ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Old college threads.
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Hello, everyone. Some details still need to be filled in, but this will serve as the main announcement thread for ACF Nationals 2016. The tournament will once again be held in scenic Ann Arbor, MI at the University of Michigan on the weekend of April 16 and 17.

The tournament will most likely convene and be entirely held within the Mason/Angell/Haven complex of buildings on the Central Campus. Full details about buildings used will be made available shortly, but this is where most UM tournaments are held.

All teams will need to check in by 8:00 AM on Saturday the 16th and be prepared to play until at least 7:00 PM. We will finish from 8 AM to about 2 PM on Sunday the 17th.

I will be the head editor of this tournament, assisted by the rest of last year's team--Ike Jose, Ryan Westbrook, and Billy Busse. The tournament director is yet to be determined.

PACKET SUBMISSION, ELIGIBILITY, AND FEE SCHEDULE

Information on who is eligible to play ACF tournaments and details regarding packet submission can be found at the ACF Packet Submission Guidelines.

This tournament will use the A-value qualification system introduced last year. A post explaining the nature of that system can be found here; note that the bid acceptance deadline will be different this year (and will be announced as it becomes available).

TENTATIVE** fee schedule:

Base fee: $260
-$100 discount: Sunday, January 31 (and a delightful birthday present for me)
-$50 discount: Sunday, February 14
-$25 discount: Sunday, February 28
No penalty: Thursday, March 10
+$25 penalty: Thursday, March 24
+$50 penalty: Thursday, March 31

After the $50 deadline, you will owe the editors an additional $50/day up until the point when they choose to drop you from the tournament. If you are required to submit a packet and you do not do so by March 31, you risk either being dropped from the field or charged a lot of money, at the discretion of the editors; the only way to be sure to avoid this is to get your packet in by March 31.

Please also note that some of these deadlines are on Thursdays rather than the traditional Sundays. The only major difference is that you'll have three fewer days between the -$25 discount and no penalty deadlines, so get working quickly! Additionally, in the spirit of cooperation, I'm not enforcing any hard "11:59 pm"-type deadlines--anything that's in my inbox by the time I wake up the next day will get you the discount.

(**this fee schedule is based on last year's system of deadlines and may be tweaked)

If your team brings (fully pays for/does not claim any reimbursement from the tournament for) a qualified moderator, you will receive a $100 discount. Qualified moderators are people who can properly complete an ACF Nationals round in thirty minutes. The tournament director will be the sole judge of who is qualified, both prior to and during the tournament, and will not award the discount if your staffer fails to meet this requirement. You may, theoretically, claim this discount as many times as possible until your fee reaches $0.

This year, ACF will continue the $50 dollar discount for teams who write at least 20/20 that doesn’t need any major editing and submit their packet by the no penalty deadline. By major editing, we mean things like having to change many of the clues and/or answerlines and having to fix many grammatical errors. We would much rather give out lots of hefty discounts for excellent early packets than rake in money for late ones, so please take advantage of them.

There is a (tentative) field cap of 44 teams for this tournament, and the qualification system is in place. After auto-qualifiers are determined, teams will be offered spots in the tournament in the order of their A-value. If every team who played ACF Regionals, and thus has an A-value, is offered a spot in the Nationals field and there are still fewer than 44 teams registered, then any team eligible to play ACF will be allowed to fill the remaining spots on a first-come, first-served basis. Any team who is required to write a packet under the packet submission deadlines must do so to in order to play and will be subject to the above fee schedule, regardless of how or when the team enters the field.

Please stay in touch with me or other ACF members if we are trying to verify your attendance at this event.

Dropping of teams who do not communicate about their registration or packet will be done without remorse -- this is a separate issue from late packets and comes down to the possibility that some other team may wish to take your spot and we need to recruit adequate staff and plan a schedule for the event. If we send you an e-mail asking if the team you said was "interested" two months ago is actually coming, and you ignore the e-mail and tell us nothing for several days on end, we may have to assume you are not coming and forfeit your spot in the field. Make sure you give valid contact information when you register and check it on at least a weekly basis.

Distribution:

5/5 Literature: This includes 1/1 American, 1/1 British, 1/1 European, 1/1 World, and 1/1 Other (which can include any of the preceding categories). Please vary your questions by time, place, and genre (for instance, please don’t submit 5/5 on French literature or 5/5 poetry).

5/5 History: This includes 1/1 American, 2/2 European, 1/1 World, and 1/1 Other (which can include any of the preceding categories). Please make sure that your questions aren’t all from the same time period or place and aren’t all one type of history (for instance, try not to submit 5/5 political history or 5/5 military history).

5/5 Science: This includes 1/1 Biology, 1/1 Chemistry, 1/1 Physics, 1 math or computer science, 1 astronomy, Earth science, or other science, and 1/1 other science.

3/3 Arts: This includes 1/1 Painting, 1/1 Classical Music, and 1/1 Other (including Architecture, Sculpture, Opera, Jazz, Ballet/Dance, Art Film, and Photography). Please vary your questions by time, place, and genre.

3/3 RMP: This includes 1/1 Religion, 1/1 Mythology, and 1/1 Philosophy. Please do not write both religion questions on the same religion or both mythology questions on the same myth system.

1/1 Social Science: This includes Psychology, Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Linguistics, and Social Criticism. Please write your tossup and bonus on different areas of social science.

1/1 Geography/Current Events: These questions should be about different parts of the world. Geography questions that incorporate cultural and environmental clues instead of purely discussing physical features are particularly welcome.

1/1 Other Academic: This includes questions from every preceding category, as well as answers that don’t quite fit into any of the preceding categories.

Keep in mind that ACF Nationals does not have trash; if you submit any trash questions, they will simply be sent back.

To reiterate, please vary the distribution of your questions. In past years, we had teams submit packets with both chemistry questions about the same narrow area, to present one example, and it would prevent many headaches if you make sure your questions are reasonably distributed. Also, please remember that while the goal of ACF Nationals is to determine the best team in the nation, writing primarily about extremely difficult topics is not the best way to achieve this, so please try to keep your fellow players in mind while choosing your answer lines.

All packets should be sent to Rob Carson's acceptably 21st-century email address, [email protected]. If you have any questions about packet writing, you can send them to that email address also.

Because there is sometimes confusion on this matter, the only logistical discounts that apply for Nationals are the discounts for buzzers (-$5) and staff (-$100 for moderators capable of finishing an ACF Nationals round in half an hour). The travel discount does not apply to Nationals, nor do laptop discounts, as Nationals will have printed packets, as it does every year.

This announcement will be edited as the remaining logistical elements are finalized.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

PACKETS RECEIVED

-$100
Berkeley A
Columbia A
Columbia B
Georgia
Georgia Tech
MIT A
VCU A
William & Mary

-$50
Berkeley B
Dartmouth
McGill A
Minnesota
Penn A

-$25
Virginia A
WUSTL A
Oklahoma
Maryland A

$0
Chicago A
Chicago B
Chicago C
Duke
Florida A
Harvard
Michigan B
New College of Florida
Notre Dame

+$25
Illinois
Michigan A
MIT B

+$50
Stanford A
McMaster
Michigan State
Northwestern
Ottawa
Oxford
Princeton
Rutgers
UCSD
Yale B

+$75
Yale A

+$100
Louisville
Stanford B
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

This post reserved for field updates.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
No Rules Westbrook
Auron
Posts: 1238
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:04 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by No Rules Westbrook »

Rob Carson's acceptably 21st-century email address, [email protected].
This post is reserved for Ryan Westbrook to defend his AOL Mail account, and other forms of absurd Luddite behaviors.
Ryan Westbrook, no affiliation whatsoever.

I am pure energy...and as ancient as the cosmos. Feeble creatures, GO!

Left here since birth...forgotten in the river of time...I've had an eternity to...ponder the meaning of things...and now I have an answer!
User avatar
Ike
Auron
Posts: 1063
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:01 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Ike »

TENTATIVE** fee schedule:

Base fee: $260
-$100 discount: Sunday, January 31
-$50 discount: Sunday, February 14
-$25 discount: Sunday, February 28
No penalty: Sunday, March 13
+$25 penalty: Sunday, March 27
+$50 penalty: Sunday, April 3
Rob will be making the announcements soon, but these dates are almost certainly going to get changed, receiving the last packet two weeks before the tournament date doesn't work into our workflow, considering that we have to print the packets, proofread them, plan out for distributional issues, etc.

Also, if you are from a school or team that I expect will produce a quality packet, you can expect me to continuously harangue you for a packet starting in February. Last year, we had some good packets that came in late that it was just annoying; that's not going to happen this year!
Ike
UIUC 13
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

I have indeed updated the deadlines in the main post (which are now authoritative)--the last three are simply shifted back three days. As always, your best recourse for not running into deadline issues is to write your packets early! You save money, we save anguish, everyone wins.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
The Time Keeper
Auron
Posts: 1327
Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2003 9:26 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by The Time Keeper »

As someone who had the misfortune to glance at a packet while keeping score last year, can we perchance have the opportunity to look at a different font that has been printed on paper? Because man, that font was hideous and the Jerry who picked it out should be ashamed of Jerryself.

edit: ps i love you
Pat Freeburn - No particular affiliation.
User avatar
naan/steak-holding toll
Auron
Posts: 2514
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:53 pm
Location: New York, NY

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by naan/steak-holding toll »

Bob Ducca wrote:As someone who had the misfortune to glance at a packet while keeping score last year, can we perchance have the opportunity to look at a different font that has been printed on paper? Because man, that font was hideous and the Jerry who picked it out should be ashamed of Jerryself.

edit: ps i love you
I thought it was cool and I liked the typesetting for 2014 and 2015 Nationals a lot. It's fitting for a Nationals set to look "different" and nice.
Will Alston
Dartmouth College '16
Columbia Business School '21
User avatar
Steeve Ho You Fat
Auron
Posts: 1138
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:48 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Steeve Ho You Fat »

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea wrote:
Bob Ducca wrote:As someone who had the misfortune to glance at a packet while keeping score last year, can we perchance have the opportunity to look at a different font that has been printed on paper? Because man, that font was hideous and the Jerry who picked it out should be ashamed of Jerryself.

edit: ps i love you
I thought it was cool and I liked the typesetting for 2014 and 2015 Nationals a lot. It's fitting for a Nationals set to look "different" and nice.
As someone who had to read the words in 2015 Nationals, I don't care how "different" it looks, I just want to not be squinting the whole time.
Joe Nutter
PACE Emeritus
Michigan State University '14
Walnut Hills High School '11
User avatar
Cody
2008-09 Male Athlete of the Year
Posts: 2891
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:57 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Cody »

The font was great. The size needs to be bigger.
Cody Voight, VCU ’14.
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

Cody wrote:The font was great. The size needs to be bigger.
Sure, no problem.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

Bob Ducca wrote:As someone who had the misfortune to glance at a packet while keeping score last year, can we perchance have the opportunity to look at a different font that has been printed on paper? Because man, that font was hideous and the Jerry who picked it out should be ashamed of Jerryself.

edit: ps i love you
how dare you

Also, I guess this is a good place to say that I'm going to be TDing this tournament, so stay tuned for mass emails from me coming shortly.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

Hello sports fans and fans of things that are not sports, such as quizbowl:

I'm pleased to announce that the registration for ACF Nationals 2016 is now live. Please use the linked form to register your team.

Now I'd like to say a few words about logistics. This year, we are anticipating a field similar in size to last year's, and we'd like to make sure that this year's event goes just as smoothly. As most of you know, ACF Nationals has for a long time now spanned two days, and this year will be no exception. To that end, in the interests of allowing us the maximum amount of time to plan the course of the tournament, I'd like to ask you to register as soon as possible, without waiting to submit your packet. The sooner you register, the sooner we know what the brackets are going to look like and how many rounds we'll play on either day. If the field is about the same size as last year, anticipate a similar schedule. That means you should expect to play approximately 13 rounds on Saturday (plus or minus one) and between 5 and 8 rounds on Sunday (plus or minus one, and depending on whether you are in the top bracket). I believe that last year we wrapped things up sometime near 2 PM on Sunday, so if your plans include being present for a potential final, please plan accordingly. We will, of course, do our best to keep the tournament moving, but previous experience suggests that 2 PM is a plausible finish time for the tournament as a whole.

As always, the champion will be decided either by a) having a two-game lead on the rest of the field, or b) via advantaged final. I won't go into the various scenarios for (b) until we have an actual schedule, but I assume most of you understand how that will work. Ties that determine bracket placement or contention for the title will be broken by playing a packet, whereas ties that merely determine order of placement in a bracket will not be broken, except to the extent that statistical tiebreakers determine seeding.

Please keep an eye on this thread, where I will be updating you on the logistics of the tournament, and Rob et al. will be keeping you posted on packet submission. If you have any questions about logistical aspects of the event, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing all of you in Ann Arbor.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

An important note that slipped my mind when I posted the original registration announcement: you should register as soon as you know that you have qualified for ACF Nationals. The qualification system is still in place. Sorry for any confusion.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Thank you to the eight (8) teams who submitted packets by the $100 deadline! Your willingness to provide me with birthday presents is admirable and the rest of the community should seek to emulate your behavior, ideally by February 14.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
Japanophilus Maximus
Lulu
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 3:00 am
Location: Sarasota, FL
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Japanophilus Maximus »

Does Michigan have any hotel deals in place for ACF Nationals?
Naimul Chowdhury
New College of Florida '17
State College of Florida - Manatee '15
Self-projected CCCT All-Star of 2015 [Actually accomplished!]
User avatar
i never see pigeons in wheeling
Rikku
Posts: 440
Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 3:57 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by i never see pigeons in wheeling »

Yeah it would be nice if ACF arranged some hotel deal this time around.
Ankit
Cal '16
Bellarmine College Preparatory '12
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

i never see pigeons in wheeling wrote:Yeah it would be nice if ACF arranged some hotel deal this time around.
We'll work on that. I don't know if I can promise anything at the moment, but we'll explore this possibility and see what can be done.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
Susan
Forums Staff: Administrator
Posts: 1812
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 12:43 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Susan »

I'm somewhat skeptical that any hotel deal would be cheaper than what teams would get if they shopped around/used Priceline or a similar service (based on my general sense of hotel deals and my specific experience of beating the group rate the last time I attended an ACF Nats that used a hotel deal).
Susan
UChicago alum (AB 2003, PhD 2009)
Member emerita, ACF
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Susan wrote:I'm somewhat skeptical that any hotel deal would be cheaper than what teams would get if they shopped around/used Priceline or a similar service (based on my general sense of hotel deals and my specific experience of beating the group rate the last time I attended an ACF Nats that used a hotel deal).
Chances are this will be true, but nevertheless quizbowl hotel liaison extraordinaire Bernadette Spencer will be investigating the potential of a hotel block and will have information regarding it available within the next week or two.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Just a reminder: the -$50 packet deadline is tonight! Looking at my schedule for tomorrow, you've probably got about 16 hours from the time I'm making this post to finish and submit your packets. Submissions have been great so far, so please keep that up!
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

Also! If you have accepted your bid to Nationals, please do not forget to register your team!
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Five more packets in at this deadline. I want your submissions even more than I want your money (and I really want your money), so please get them in as soon as possible! You've got two more weeks until the -$25 deadline.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
Ike
Auron
Posts: 1063
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:01 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Ike »

Yeah, I'd also just like to say that overall the packets insofar have been of a higher quality. The editors really appreciate that!

Ike
Ike
UIUC 13
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

We currently have 27 teams registered for the tournament, but I know there are more of you out there who want to play Nationals! Register soon, please!
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
UlyssesInvictus
Yuna
Posts: 845
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:38 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by UlyssesInvictus »

Is there a list of registered teams? I ask partially because I've literally forgotten whether we've registered or not...

Also, is there any news on ACF-hotel discounts? Or should we go ahead and book our own hotel?
Raynor Kuang
quizdb.org
Harvard 2017, TJHSST 2013
I wrote GRAPHIC and FILM
User avatar
Peter13
Wakka
Posts: 211
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2013 1:28 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Peter13 »

UlyssesInvictus wrote:Is there a list of registered teams? I ask partially because I've literally forgotten whether we've registered or not...
Here is a general list of those who have qualified and registered for ACF Regionals (as well as teams who would accept or reject a hypothetical bid).
Peter Cordeiro
McMaster University, 2019 +/-1
Interim President of the ONQBA
Newest Accomplishment: SCT @ Waterloo - Scored over 40PPG on a Full Team
User avatar
UlyssesInvictus
Yuna
Posts: 845
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:38 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by UlyssesInvictus »

Peter13 wrote:
UlyssesInvictus wrote:Is there a list of registered teams? I ask partially because I've literally forgotten whether we've registered or not...
Here is a general list of those who have qualified and registered for ACF Regionals (as well as teams who would accept or reject a hypothetical bid).
I think I must be missing something, but I don't see a list of registered teams, only bid-accepted ones, which from my understanding isn't the same as registered teams. Could you clarify where I should be looking?
Raynor Kuang
quizdb.org
Harvard 2017, TJHSST 2013
I wrote GRAPHIC and FILM
User avatar
t-bar
Tidus
Posts: 671
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 4:12 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by t-bar »

UlyssesInvictus wrote:
Peter13 wrote:
UlyssesInvictus wrote:Is there a list of registered teams? I ask partially because I've literally forgotten whether we've registered or not...
Here is a general list of those who have qualified and registered for ACF Regionals (as well as teams who would accept or reject a hypothetical bid).
I think I must be missing something, but I don't see a list of registered teams, only bid-accepted ones, which from my understanding isn't the same as registered teams. Could you clarify where I should be looking?
Raynor is correct. This is not a list of registered teams, but rather a list of teams who have qualified. As mentioned in the first post in the thread that was linked to, teams must still fill out this form to register.

Raynor, ACF has received a registration from Harvard. I don't believe we currently have a public-facing list of official registrations, but I'll see about getting that set up.
Stephen Eltinge
Then: TJ, MIT, Yale, PACE, NAQT
Now: ACF
User avatar
Peter13
Wakka
Posts: 211
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2013 1:28 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Peter13 »

t-bar wrote:
UlyssesInvictus wrote:
Peter13 wrote:
UlyssesInvictus wrote:Is there a list of registered teams? I ask partially because I've literally forgotten whether we've registered or not...
Here is a general list of those who have qualified and registered for ACF Regionals (as well as teams who would accept or reject a hypothetical bid).
I think I must be missing something, but I don't see a list of registered teams, only bid-accepted ones, which from my understanding isn't the same as registered teams. Could you clarify where I should be looking?
Raynor is correct. This is not a list of registered teams, but rather a list of teams who have qualified. As mentioned in the first post in the thread that was linked to, teams must still fill out this form to register.

Raynor, ACF has received a registration from Harvard. I don't believe we currently have a public-facing list of official registrations, but I'll see about getting that set up.
Sorry about that. I thought they would have to have registered to have stated if they had accepted or declined their bid. Well hopefully we can get that list started!
Peter Cordeiro
McMaster University, 2019 +/-1
Interim President of the ONQBA
Newest Accomplishment: SCT @ Waterloo - Scored over 40PPG on a Full Team
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

The following teams have registered for ACF Nationals as of this posting:

WUSTL A
Yale A
Yale B
Virginia
Harvard
Oklahoma
New College of Florida
Florida
McGill A
Duke A
Berkeley A
Georgia Tech
Penn A
Michigan A
Michigan B
VCU A
Oxford
Stanford A
Stanford B
Maryland A
Illinois
Minnesota
UCSD
University of Georgia
William & Mary
Tennessee
Rutgers
Columbia B
Dartmouth
Northwestern
Chicago A
Chicago B
Chicago C
Berkeley B
Columbia A
Notre Dame
Louisville A
Princeton
Ottawa
MIT A
MIT B
University of Pittsburgh
Michigan State
Chicago D
Last edited by grapesmoker on Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:54 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Bernadette is finalizing this tonight, but you'll be able to book at the Hampton Inn Ann Arbor South at a $129/night rate, which (since it's a Hampton) includes free breakfast and wifi. It's a nice hotel that's pretty convenient to the tournament (though not walking distance, unless you're really ambitious).

I'll update this post with more information when the group rate is available.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

The field has been updated with the latest registrations as of this morning (March 2). Astute observers will note that there are currently 40 teams registered, just short of the originally-announced field cap of 44. That means that you should definitely register as soon as you can if you wish to play ACF Nationals 2016. Once the field hits 44 teams, we are going to freeze registration, examine our staffing situation, and make a decision about whether or not to expand the field. At the moment, I cannot promise that the field will be expanded, which means that if you have been awarded a Nationals bid and want to play, it is in your best interests to register immediately.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

I have also noticed that a number of teams have specified that they are bringing staffers. If those staffers have not yet filled out the staffing registration form, please ask them to do so at their earliest convenience. Any staffer that you transport to the tournament at your own expense gets you a $100 discount off your entry fee.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Beast Mode
Lulu
Posts: 91
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2012 12:47 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Beast Mode »

EDIT: The relocation of the group rate hotel to the Hampton Inn Ann Arbor North (see Rob's post below) makes this news much more relevant, and I've edited this post accordingly.

Starting this weekend, a stretch of the M-14 freeway northwest of downtown Ann Arbor will close for a months-long resurfacing project. (See the story for more details and a map.)

This affects people who are driving to Ann Arbor from the west on I-94 (e.g. teams from Chicagoland). Rather than hopping on M-14 to get to the hotel, you'll want to keep going on I-94, then go north on US-23 and exit at Plymouth Road. (Exiting I-94 at Jackson Road/Business I-94 and cutting through downtown Ann Arbor would be very scenic, but would also take longer.)

People driving to Ann Arbor from the south (i.e. anyone driving from the East Coast) are fine because you'll be approaching via US-23. Canadian teams taking the 401 are also fine because you'll be approaching via I-94. Hypothetical people driving from the north/northeast (e.g. Michigan State if they qualify for the tournament, Canadians taking the 402 for some reason) will have no problems because the closure doesn't include the stretch where M-14 and (non-Business) US-23 merge, so you'll be able to go south on US-23 to the Plymouth Road exit.

People flying into Detroit are also fine because the AirRide shuttle takes I-94. If you're flying in and taking the AirRide, I recommend taking the AirRide all the way downtown to the Blake Transit Center, then taking one of the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA, aka "TheRide") 2 buses out to the hotel. A map/schedule of the 2 buses going from downtown to the hotel is here. The 2A stops on Green Road right by the hotel (between Cooley Law School and an Applebee's; walk past the Applebee's). The 2B and 2C stop very slightly farther away at Plymouth Road and Green Road (between a Chase Bank and a CVS; walk past the CVS). I guess Ann Arbor also has taxis, but I've never used one in my life.

While I'm talking about buses: if you don't have a car and can't bum a ride, the 2 buses are also how I'd normally recommend getting downtown for the tournament (map/schedule here), except that on weekends they run less often and not early enough for an 8:00 a.m. start time. Again, this is presumably where people who aren't me would call a cab. Current Wolverines surely know more than I do about the state of Ann Arbor transportation, and may have their own advice as we get closer to the tournament.
Last edited by Beast Mode on Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Saul Hankin (he/him/his)
formerly of Michigan and Columbia
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Auks Ran Ova wrote:Bernadette is finalizing this tonight, but you'll be able to book at the Hampton Inn Ann Arbor South at a $129/night rate, which (since it's a Hampton) includes free breakfast and wifi. It's a nice hotel that's pretty convenient to the tournament (though not walking distance, unless you're really ambitious).

I'll update this post with more information when the group rate is available.
The bad news is that booking likely won't be available until Friday, due to the vagaries of hotel sales people, but the good news is that the rate is only going to be $109! The, uh, neutral news is that the hotel is now the Hampton Inn Ann Arbor North.

Once again, I'll make sure to update this when booking at that rate is finally available.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

The no-penalty deadline is fast approaching. And approaching with it is the deadline to register for this tournament, if you have not done so already. I'm instituting a firm cutoff of Friday, March 11 for any outstanding registrations. I don't think this should cause any problems for most teams, but if you're on the fence about playing, now is the time to decide because we need to make packet combination plans and schedules and we can't have someone trying to register for a tournament one week before it happens.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Cody
2008-09 Male Athlete of the Year
Posts: 2891
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:57 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Cody »

Not that this affect us, but isn't two days a bit close to set a registration deadline? It'd be nice to set it at least a week from posting.
Cody Voight, VCU ’14.
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

Cody wrote:Not that this affect us, but isn't two days a bit close to set a registration deadline? It'd be nice to set it at least a week from posting.
I'm willing to push this back to Sunday. But the imperative here is to a) give us enough time to work out not only a primary schedule but a contingency one as well, and b) to make things easier for teams that have registered but are not qualified according to A-value. The latter is a fairness concern because those teams are going to be under pressure to write packets, and it's not fair to them to keep them hanging around. While I realize that this is a little short-notice, I have also been repeatedly posting to remind people to register. I kind of feel like at this point there's really no excuse for any team to keep us waiting on their decision.

So, let's say Sunday. That's a hard deadline though. Anything that I don't see first thing Monday morning doesn't count.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Perturbed Secretary Bird
Wakka
Posts: 126
Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 11:34 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Perturbed Secretary Bird »

In response to Saul's post, I've gotten enough taxis for 17 people from Ann Arbor Cab the morning of a tournament before, and there's plenty of other companies and Uber, too.
Athena Kern
They/them/theirs
Washington University in St. Louis, MSW '19-'21
University of Chicago Class of '18, Team VP '15-'17
P. L. Dunbar '14
PACE
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

Registration for Nationals is now closed. I will be posting an updated field later today.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

After roughly one million years of waiting for the hotel get back to us, I can finally tell you that the discounted rate for ACF Nationals at the Hampton Inn Ann Arbor-North is available. Here's how to book:
ONLINE RESERVATIONS:

1) Go to www.hamptoninnannarbor.com
2) Enter dates of reservation (left side)
3) Click “Add Special Rate Code”
4) Under GROUP CODE:
a. Enter: ACF
5) Follow remaining steps to book reservation

PHONE RESERVATIONS:

Call our Reservations Department @ 866-327-7565 and book under the ACF Nationals Group Block. *As a reminder, the last day to book the discounted rate is 04/01/2016.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by grapesmoker »

The final field for Nationals has been updated in the post above. At this point, it is unlikely that we will expand the field, so this should be considered the definitive list of teams playing Nationals.

If for any reason your plans change and you cannot make the tournament, we ask that you let us know immediately. With 44 teams, we can have a very nice schedule set up, but other numbers are not so nice and require additional planning. So please make things easy for us by informing us of any changes in your status as soon as the occur.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Both the list of submitted packets and the per-day fee for post-final-deadline packets have been updated; please see the first two posts for more information. Relatedly, please continue submitting good packets as soon as possible!
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
UlyssesInvictus
Yuna
Posts: 845
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:38 pm

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by UlyssesInvictus »

Just pointing out to people that there aren't any more rooms left in the Ann Arbor North, ACF rate or not.
Raynor Kuang
quizdb.org
Harvard 2017, TJHSST 2013
I wrote GRAPHIC and FILM
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Hey everyone, just a word of warning: the final standard packet deadline (+$50) is coming up very soon--this Thursday! After that things start getting really expensive really quickly, and you run the risk of being dropped from the tournament. There are more than 10 teams who still owe packets. Please contact me if you're required to submit a packet and think you might have difficulties getting it by the 31st; I'm amenable to working with you.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
Beast Mode
Lulu
Posts: 91
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2012 12:47 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Beast Mode »

UlyssesInvictus wrote:Just pointing out to people that there aren't any more rooms left in the Ann Arbor North, ACF rate or not.
I held off posting in case ACF had any official recommendations. If people still need hotel rooms, I'd recommend one of the other hotels near the Hampton Inn Ann Arbor North (in the US-23/Plymouth Road/Green Road area) or one of the hotels near I-94's State Street exit (where some of you may have stayed last year).
Saul Hankin (he/him/his)
formerly of Michigan and Columbia
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Happy April, everyone. Everyone who owes us a packet has now submitted, with the exception of these four teams: Yale A, Stanford B, Louisville, and Rutgers. The first three of those teams have all contacted me to establish a timeline; Rutgers, please do the same!
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
User avatar
Dead Parrot
Wakka
Posts: 213
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 12:06 am

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Dead Parrot »

Auks Ran Ova wrote:Happy April, everyone. Everyone who owes us a packet has now submitted, with the exception of these four teams: Yale A, Stanford B, Louisville, and Rutgers. The first three of those teams have all contacted me to establish a timeline; Rutgers, please do the same!
We submitted our packet last night. I just sent it again in case it didn't go through for some reason.
David Song
Livingston '14, Rutgers '18
User avatar
Auks Ran Ova
Forums Staff: Chief Administrator
Posts: 4295
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 10:28 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Contact:

Re: ACF Nationals - University of Michigan, 04.16-17.2016

Post by Auks Ran Ova »

Dead Parrot wrote:
Auks Ran Ova wrote:Happy April, everyone. Everyone who owes us a packet has now submitted, with the exception of these four teams: Yale A, Stanford B, Louisville, and Rutgers. The first three of those teams have all contacted me to establish a timeline; Rutgers, please do the same!
We submitted our packet last night. I just sent it again in case it didn't go through for some reason.
It went to my spam filter! How does that even happen. Anyway, the first email is from last night, so you guys are good at +$50.
Rob Carson
University of Minnesota '11, MCTC '??, BHSU forever
Member, ACF
Member emeritus, PACE
Writer and Editor, NAQT
Locked