VCU Winter Tournament XIII (Richmond, VA - December 3, 2022)

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Matt Weiner
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VCU Winter Tournament XIII (Richmond, VA - December 3, 2022)

Post by Matt Weiner »

This is the general announcement for the 2022 Virginia Commonwealth University Winter Tournament, which is a high school academic quizbowl tournament to be hosted at VCU in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, December 3, 2022. The tournament will begin at 8:30 AM and aims to conclude for all participants other than teams involved in the championship finals game by 4:30 PM. See the end of this announcement for information about covid safety.

Please note that this is the day of the Richmond Christmas Parade. There will be street closures in the area all day. We will provide advice on the best routes to take to get to the tournament site. We have hosted on the day of the parade before, and with a bit of planning it does not cause an issue.

The registration link is here. Please read the entire announcement before registering.

Location
The tournament will take place in Hibbs Hall, which is located in the block south of the intersection of West Franklin Street and Shafer Street, in Richmond, Virginia. For GPS use, the address of the building is 900 Park Ave, Richmond VA. The tournament registration & opening meeting will take place in the lecture hall that constitutes Hibbs room 403 and the game rooms will be various classrooms throughout the building. Hibbs is two blocks north of our usual tournament location in Harris Hall and shares a plaza with VCU's prominent Cabell Library.

A campus map is accessible here. Parking information is near the bottom of this announcement.

Questions:
This tournament will use the NAQT IS-215 question set. Teams that have played IS-215 at other tournaments are not eligible. Any person who has encountered the content of IS-215, in any context including as a player or staffer at another tournament, is not eligible to play and is expected to disclose the fact that they have knowledge of set content if they are in touch with teams playing this tournament, e.g. as a coach or peer in a quizbowl club.

The question set will be of comparable difficulty to the Regionals level of VHSL Scholastic Bowl. The general style and subject distribution of the questions will be similar to Scholastic Bowl. The game format will be tossup/bonus, rather than Scholastic Bowl style, as described below. Here is a sample packet from a past NAQT IS set: https://www.naqt.com/samples/invitational-series.pdf .

Format:
This tournament will use the tossup/bonus format. A round will consist of 20 tossups with correct tossup answers earning a team a bonus in which it can earn up to 30 additional points, broken into three parts each worth 10 points. There will be no math calculation tossups or bonuses; this does not preclude tossups or bonuses on mathematical concepts. Specific scenarios will be handled according to the ACF rules. All teams will be offered a minimum of 8 games, and we hope to increase that number once the final field size is determined. Trophies will be awarded to the top teams, and book prizes will be awarded to the top individual scorers.

Eligibility:
This tournament is for teams of eligible players representing a single high school. Other than those schools which are disqualified due to exposure to the question set, all public, private, religious, magnet, charter, etc. schools are eligible regardless of experience level or location. Eligibility to participate for a given school will generally reflect the practices of national quizbowl organizations such as PACE and NAQT. For homeschool co-ops and collectives, VCU's high school tournaments will follow the eligibility guidelines published by NAQT here. If you believe that you should be granted an eligibility exception, please contact us at [email protected].

"Playing up" policy: Students below the 9th grade may play for high school teams under the following circumstances:
*If their school, including a homeschool collective that is otherwise eligible, includes those grades (i.e., any student at a K-12 or 6-12 school is eligible to play for the high school team)
OR
*If they are attending a public, non-magnet middle school which feeds into a public, non-magnet high school and they are playing for the high school that they are zoned for

*Students who are not yet enrolled in 9th grade cannot "play up" for magnet programs outside of their geographically zoned high school, nor for private high schools that begin at grade 9. The fact that someone has been "accepted to" or "plans to attend" a school has no bearing on eligibility.

Whether to allow participation from younger students who are eligible under the above rule is entirely at the discretion of the high school's policies and the quizbowl coach's decisions - students should not expect that all high school teams offer this option.

Affiliation:
This tournament will be a qualifier for NAQT's 2023 High School National Championship Tournament, which will take place on the weekend of May 27, 2023 in Atlanta.

This tournament will be submitted to the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence for appropriate certification and may be a qualification opportunity for the 2023 National Scholastics Championship, which will occur in June 2023 at a date and location to be announced. More information will be available at this link.

Registration & fees:
base fee: +$80 per team to your school's total fee.

buzzer discount: -$5 to your school's total fee for each fully functional system (fully functional = the control unit and at least 8 activators including the lights all work and any necessary power cords or other items needed to actually use the system for a normal quizbowl game are present). There is no limit to the number of systems you can bring.
staff discount: -$10 to your school's total fee. This can be a coach, parent, student, or other person who is not playing. Team-provided staffers will most likely keep score for various games, but if you are capable of performing another role such as reading or statskeeping, let us know. Volunteer staffers must stay through all the games (excepting 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 fee, but you cannot have a negative fee.

To register for this tournament, fill out this form. Once you have submitted the form, there is no further action needed on your part in order to be officially registered. There will be periodic updates in this thread and by e-mail indicating who has registered, which will serve as confirmation that we have received your registration. Posts made in this thread do not count as official registrations. If you need to modify your information after initially registering, then contact [email protected] - please don't fill out the form multiple times for the same school.

Please feel welcome to share this announcement with any schools that you think would be interested in attending!

Field size

There is an initial 32-team cap on field size at this tournament. There is no limit on the number of teams which may register from the same school. We hope to split this tournament into at least two experience-based divisions, and will have further information on this once we see who has registered. If there is interest from more than 32 teams then we will seek to expand the field size as we confirm staffers for the tournament.

Method of payment:
All teams must pay by the day of the tournament. We encourage either using electronic payment or mailing payment in advance, though day-of payment will also be accepted on site. Teams who do not pay by the day of the tournament will be charged a $25 penalty and will have two weeks to pay their total amount.

Venmo and Zelle information, as well as a mailing address for checks, will be shared with all registrants. In addition to the electronic payment methods, we can also accept checks in person or run physical credit/debit cards via Square at the tournament itself.

All checks must be made out to "Quizbowl at VCU". If you require an invoice or W-9 form in order to have a check cut, you must let us know by November 16, so that we can send you the paperwork in time. If you do not let us know about this requirement by November 16, and it causes you to come to the tournament without your payment, then you will be subject to the $25 late payment penalty.

Team & roster size:
There may be a maximum of six players on one team's roster, up to four of whom may play at one time. There will be no exceptions to this rule. If you bring more than six players, you must register a second team to have all of them play. There is a half-time substitution opportunity in each game. Each player may appear on only one team's roster throughout the day; there is no switching from the B team to the A team, etc. Teams may play shorthanded, with fewer than four players.

Code of conduct and chaperone policy:

All participants in the tournament are expected to be familiar with the code of conduct designed to provide a safe and inclusive environment at Quizbowl at VCU events.

All schools participating in this event are expected to have at least one coach or other designated adult (such as the parent of a team member) who is present for the duration of the tournament and actively takes responsibility for the conduct of the school's players. One coach may suffice for multiple teams from the same school.

Food:
Neither breakfast nor lunch will be provided by the tournament. We will provide a list of suggested eateries for the lunch break, which will be at some time after 12 PM. There are vending machines in the tournament building and several convenience stores and restaurants within 1-3 blocks, and the VCU campus is well-covered by various food delivery services. It will not be necessary to have access to a vehicle all day in order to purchase food and beverages.

Safety plan regarding covid & other concerns:

*General guidance on VCU campus closures may be accessed at VCU Alert. This is where official decisions on closing the campus due to weather emergencies and other concerns outside of covid may be found. In the event that there is an emergency situation near the date of the tournament, we will go by what is published on VCU Alert and will run the tournament if the campus is open.

*All participants in the tournament are expected to be vaccinated against COVID-19 through at least the fall 2021 booster. This applies to anyone who is physically attending the event (players, staffers, coaches, spectators, etc.)

*We will be following VCU's campus policy on masks as posted here: https://srm.vcu.edu/health-advisories/c ... dvisories/ . As of the date of the announcement, masks are not required in any of the facilities being used for this tournament. We will advise registrants if there is any change to this policy as the tournament approaches.

Parking information
Parking on surface streets adjacent to the Hibbs/Library block such as Franklin Street or Park Ave is, usually, free and available on Saturdays.
*Green signs indicating "one hour parking" and similar are not in effect on weekends. With very few exceptions, parking meters around the VCU campus are also not in effect on Saturdays (the meters are electronic and will physically turn off if they are not in use on a given day, so you can easily check). Red signs indicating "no parking" at some or all times, or paper signs indicating temporary restrictions due to construction or special events, are applicable on all days and should be respected to avoid possible ticketing/towing.
*In the event that the on-street parking is closed or full, options include:
-The West Main Street Parking Deck about three blocks south of the tournament building. The parking deck has entrances on Cherry Street and Laurel Street and is nominally located at 801 W Main St for GPS purposes. Officially, the cost to park all day here is $16, but oftentimes if there is not a show at the Altria Theater or other special event, this deck will simply raise the gates and become free on weekends - we can't guarantee this for sure, so plan for the possibility of needing to pay if you park here.
(The West Broad Street Parking Deck about three blocks north of the tournament building. The parking deck has entrances on Shafer Street and Harrison Street and is nominally located at 1111 W. Broad St for GPS purposes. The cost to park all day here is $16, and unlike the West Main deck it is fairly unlikely to become free on weekends. NOTE: The W Broad St deck is normally an option for events held in Hibbs, but it will NOT be accessible on 12/3/22 due to the Christmas parade.)
*School buses can often find parking on the street - as long as you are not occupying any part of a no-parking space it's perfectly fine to parallel park a bus along with the cars. The other option for buses is the VCU-operated JL lot located at 200 W. Cary St (just north of the Cary and Jefferson intersection). This lot is metered 24/7 and costs $16 for all-day parking. It is about 10 blocks in total from the tournament building, so you may wish to drop off participants at the building before going to park here. The other decks and lots listed here cannot accommodate buses.

We expect parade-related road closures south of Broad Street to be minimal. Once you arrive on the campus, all of the other above parking options should still be available. At this time, you should plan NOT to use exit 76 off the interstate (as that will require crossing Broad Street to get to the campus) and instead make sure to take the Downtown Expressway to the Belvedere exit and use Cherry Street to enter the VCU campus from the south. We will provide thorough information about routes which avoid parade issues to registrants as we get closer to the tournament and this year's parade route is finalized.

We look forward to seeing a diverse field on December 3! Please contact the e-mail below if you have any questions about the event.

Registered teams (Updated 11/30/22):

School - Total teams - (Teams in Upper division if any)
Division eligibility is based on actual rosters and may change based on information submitted by teams

BASIS McLean - 3 (2)
Bishop O'Connell - 1
Caroline- 2
Cosby - 1
Freeman - 1
Innovation Early College - 1
Langley - 1 (1)
Lightridge - 4 (3)
Luray - 1
Maggie Walker - 4 (2)
McLean - 2 (2)
Midlothian - 1
New Kent- 1
Norfolk Academic Guild - 1 (1)
Orange - 3 (1)
Rappahannock - 2
Robinson - 1 (1)
Tuscarora - 1

Total: 31 teams (19 teams in Standard division and 12 teams in Upper division)

Matt Weiner
Advisor and tournament director, Quizbowl at VCU
[email protected]
Last edited by Matt Weiner on Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:03 pm, edited 28 times in total.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Re: VCU Winter Tournament XIII (Richmond, VA - December 3, 2022)

Post by vespesian4 »

Could we get a field update?
Cavan B. Gabaldon O'Neill, BASIS Independent McLean 2018-23
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Matt Weiner
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Re: VCU Winter Tournament XIII (Richmond, VA - December 3, 2022)

Post by Matt Weiner »

There are currently 26 teams registered for this tournament. Per the announcement, we are planning enough staff to accommodate a 32-team field. If there is interest beyond that we will *try* to expand the field, but I cannot promise that this will happen.

We will fill remaining spots based on first-come, first-serve registration until we hit the 32-team cap. After that, other factors will be considered, including ability to provide staff and whether the number of teams the school wishes to enter creates a viable tournament format (e.g. in some cases letting in exactly 1 or 2 teams may be possible, but any arbitrary number may not be).
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Matt Weiner
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Re: VCU Winter Tournament XIII (Richmond, VA - December 3, 2022)

Post by Matt Weiner »

We have reached the 32-team cap. Further registrants will be waitlisted and admitted to the field if possible per the procedure outlined in the above post.

Edit 11/25: We have recruited enough staff to clear the waitlist as it stands; we will let any further registrants know their status as soon as possible, and the field will be formally closed at some point early next week.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Matt Weiner
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Re: VCU Winter Tournament XIII (Richmond, VA - December 3, 2022)

Post by Matt Weiner »

All registered teams and staffers for this tournament should have received an e-mail update earlier this week containing relevant information, including team invoices & instructions on driving to the tournament without running into the road closures.

If you are planning to play or staff this tournament and did not receive an e-mail, let me know. If you are coming in a parent/spectator/other role and are not on the e-mail list, make sure you are prepared to use the alternate driving directions - if you can't get a copy from the coach of the team you are there to see, let me know and I will send them to you directly.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Re: VCU Winter Tournament XIII (Richmond, VA - December 3, 2022)

Post by Matt Weiner »

Thanks to all teams and staffers for coming together to make this tournament happen.

These are the actual top-to-bottom standings in the Upper division: https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7 ... _playoffs/ As BASIS B (BASIS Independent McLean) ended the afternoon phase of the tournament with a 1-game lead over McLean A (McLean High School), we held an advantaged final, which BASIS won in one game. Lightridge A was third and McLean B was fourth.

In the Standard division, Maggie Walker C won the title over Maggie Walker D in a one-game crossover final. Lightridge B was third and Midlothian was fourth. These are the actual top-to-bottom standings in the Standard division: https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7 ... rd_finals/

This view shows combined stats for all games played during all phases of the tournament, but does not reflect the actual order of finish: https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7 ... ements%29/

We took some thrilling quizbowl promotional photos at this tournament which will be uploaded to Quizbowl at VCU's social media shortly.

We're hoping to see all of today's teams and more at our next high school tournament on April 15.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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