VCU Open mirror at uWaterloo (15th August)

[Deepika Goes From Ranbir To Ranveer]

The University of Waterloo is pleased to announce a mirror of VCU Open on the 15th of August, 2015. The original announcement of the tournament can be found here and should be read for all the deets: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17222

This tournament is open to all players.

The base fee for this tournament is $120. Discounts offered as below :

Team Base Fee : $120
Buzzer discount : -$10
(Proficient) Reader discount : -$20
Shorthanded team discount : -$20 per missing player
Distance discount : -$10 for a one-way distance greater than 100 miles
Highschool discount: -$20

MC 4059 will be serving as HQ. You know where that is. Ming-Ho Yee will be serving as TD.

[naan/steak-holding toll]

I'm actually thinking about flying out to this site, since I'm not busy this summer and probably won't be able to go to anything on the 8th. I've also never been to Canada before, so that would be cool. It'd be cool to play with and meet people I've never played before, too, though I'd most prefer to play with teammates who have solid knowledge of biology, chemistry, and/or literature. It's far from set in stone, though.

EDIT: This is not happening.

[adosreme]

Some members of the Toronto club are interested in playing Tricon at this event. Can Waterloo make this happen?

[Masked Canadian History Bandit]

If we're playing side tournaments, then SHEIKH would be nice to have.

[Peter13]

If we're playing side tournaments, then SHEIKH would be nice to have.

I don't know anything yet, but I heard Jay might try to get History Obscenity as a side event if enough new people are interested.

[Jewish Pugilist]

I am gonna make my way up there for the tournament weekend, I would love to play all the side events mentioned so far

[Masked Canadian History Bandit]

I'm actually thinking about flying out to this site, since I'm not busy this summer and probably won't be able to go to anything on the 8th. I've also never been to Canada before, so that would be cool. It'd be cool to play with and meet people I've never played before, too, though I'd most prefer to play with teammates who have solid knowledge of biology, chemistry, and/or literature. It's far from set in stone, though.

EDIT: This is not happening.

One day Will Alston will attend a Canadian tournament.

I'll play this and any side events attached to this.

[naan/steak-holding toll]

One day Will Alston will attend a Canadian tournament.

I'll make it to Ottawa Hybrid this coming year, I swear! I'm not afraid of Canadiana.

[minusfive]

I'll make it to Ottawa Hybrid this coming year, I swear! I'm not afraid of Canadiana.

Says he will come to tournament in Canada, sometimes even going so far as to register, in the last year: 4
Comes to tournament in Canada: 0

Maybe not afraid of Canadiana, but when was the last time you played in Canada, if ever?

[Deepika Goes From Ranbir To Ranveer]

People should sign up for this. I also just got rooms confirmed; we'll be at our usual home on the 4th floor of MC.

[Peter13]

I officially sign up to this. You can definitely count on me being there (unless the most unforeseen of circumstances stops me from attending).

[Masked Canadian History Bandit]

What's the schedule turning out like? VCU Open Saturday and a slate of side events on Sunday?

One day Will Alston will attend a Canadian tournament.

I'll make it to Ottawa Hybrid this coming year, I swear! I'm not afraid of Canadiana.

And AFAIK Ottawa Hybrid isn't happening this year (no editors) and might be replaced by Cottage Bowl II (which probably isn't worth coming up from Hanover for).

[cruzeiro]

Any update on the schedule for this (and what side tournaments are happening)?

[adosreme]

Rein has been mia for the last week or so, but Toronto is planning to send 1-2 teams to this.

Also, I don't know for sure whether I am going to be on those teams, but I am looking to play with teammates that I have not played with yet this summer (that group being Jay, Peter, Luka, Christine, Erik, Peter, Shelby, Dennis, and Ian).

Third, I am interested in all the side events available for this tournament, with my preferences being:

1. Tricon
2. We Have Never Been Modern
3. VICO
4. SHEIKH (which I'd probably staff instead of play)

Will we be picking a proper subset of these to play or will there be an opportunity to do more of them on Sunday?

[Deepika Goes From Ranbir To Ranveer]

First off, I apologize for the silence over the past x weeks. Very bad form.

I just put in a request for rooms on Sunday too. I anticipate little difficulty in getting the rooms we need. As always Waterloo is happy to host ALL the side-events. Can everyone who's indicated interest in attending do what Aaron did and rank the 4 options in their order of preference. The options (in my ordering) are:

1. Tricon
2. SHEIKH
3. We Have Never Been Modern
4. VICO.

We might be able to do all 4 (plus more classical music), but it'll require some scheduling.

[mhyee]

I'll be staffing the main event (EDIT: Apparently I've been appointed TD), but I'm interested in playing the following side events (ranked):

1. We Have Never Been Modern
2. Classical music (for reference, the questions Joe Su mentioned here)

I'll gladly staff the other side events.

For scheduling, one possibility is to run events in parallel. However, that assumes people are OK with missing some events, and that we have enough staffers.

[Peter13]

My rankings of the various side events mentioned:

1. SHEIKH
2. We Have Never Been Modern/Tricon
3. CO
4. Classical Music
5. VICO (will staff for this)

EDIT: I for one am in favour of bouncebacks.

[Cosmas's Tabernacular Earth]

In case vague verbal registrations don't count, I'm showing up to this (Team TBD).

Side events:
1. SHEIKH
2. VICO
3. Tricon
4. Modern

Also, the VCU site (and possibly others) are doing bonus bouncebacks. Will there be plans to do that here?

[Deepika Goes From Ranbir To Ranveer]

Also, the VCU site (and possibly others) are doing bonus bouncebacks. Will there be plans to do that here?

This is also something that needs to be discussed. I'm personally leaning towards yes, but it's the TD's decision. I'm thinking we'll make a decision during registration, but for now I urge people to give their opinions on bouncebacks too.

[adosreme]

I am strongly against bouncebacks for several reasons:

1) This is already a fairly hard tournament with side events attached to it, which means that it's going to be a fairly long day as is. First, tacking on time to bounceback bonuses will lengthen rounds, even if just by a little bit. Second, having to listen to every part of every bonus reduces downtime for teams which will tire them out faster (note: I can totally understand if others like listening to every part of every bonus, even if they aren't theirs, but I personally welcome the downtime, especially when it comes to the later rounds)

2) It actively favours teams that have one person who just knows all the answers to the questions over teams that work together to come up with bonus parts. Knowing that anything you can't convert will be available to the other team makes conferring potentially dangerous because you are giving the other team hints if you are wrong (in an extreme case, this could occur on something that they otherwise had no idea about). As someone who likes working together and talking things out with my team on bonuses, this is not something I like. On a side note, it also makes guessing incorrectly on a 50/50 particularly punishing.

3) It will make already lopsided games into complete slaughters. If you have ever been on a weaker team playing a much stronger one, (or have played against a superteam) then you know it's already not a lot of fun. I feel as though getting outscored on your own bonuses is not going to help that. You might argue that any rule which prevents stronger teams losing random games due to variance is a good thing, but I feel like they're not the ones who need the help.

In all honesty, I'm not sure whether any of this will be the case since I've never actually played with bouncebacks before. It's all just my opinion.

[mhyee]

OK, let's consolidate information here.

VCU Open Saturday

Based on interest levels, I'm expecting four teams, maybe six. For now, I'm capping the field at six teams, since we'll probably be short on buzzers and staffers.

Regarding bouncebacks, please continue to submit your opinions (note: these aren't votes). My biggest concern is that they'll lengthen an already long day, and it doesn't help that both players and moderators are unfamiliar with the format. I'll make a decision before sending out the logistics email.

This is also a reminder to register, and to note if you're bringing staffers and/or buzzers, and to indicate your opinion on bouncebacks. Please register by posting here or emailing me. I will try to accommodate (but cannot guarantee) other forms of written communication (such as private message, Facebook message, and carrier pigeon), but it's your responsibility to confirm that the field below has been updated. Verbal registrations do not count. Please register by 6PM EDT on Thursday, August 13, but earlier is better.

I'd appreciate it if you could figure out your teams in advance of the tournament. I've partially filled out the spreadsheet with what I know/assume. The spreadsheet does not count as registering.

Field (4)
Waterloovania (Aayush, Erik, Patrick)
Torontadrit (Aaron, Chris, Rein, Adam)
Torontoloo (Meghan, Paul, Cole)
Torontottawa (Cooper, Dennis, Ian, Faheem)

Free agents (1)
Peter

Side Events

We can probably run one event on Saturday and three on Sunday. We still need to confirm rooms for Sunday, but I don't expect any difficulties. For reference, here are the events I'm aware of, as well as the cost per player.

• Tricon, free
• CO packets, free
• Classical music, free (presumably)
• We Have Never Been Modern (tech), free
• VICO (thought), $10
• SHEIKH (history), $10

Note: We currently have classical music, Modern, and SHEIKH. We have requested VICO and Tricon, and CO will likely be dropped due to lack of interest.

If you haven't already done so, please submit your rankings of which events you're interested in. I will use the rankings to decide which events we run, the schedule, and whether we run any in parallel. (Determining the exact format for each event will have to wait until after I know which events we're actually running and how many people are interested in them.)

As with the main event, please submit your rankings in writing and confirm that the list below is updated. The deadline is also 6PM EDT on Thursday.

Submitted rankings
Aaron: Tricon / Music / Modern / CO / VICO / SHEIKH
Aayush: Tricon / SHEIKH / Modern / VICO
Ming-Ho: Modern / Music
Peter: SHEIKH / Modern / Tricon / CO / Music / VICO
Adam: SHEIKH / VICO / Tricon / Modern
Rein: Modern / VICO / Tricon
Paul: SHEIKH / Tricon
Meghan: Music / Modern / SHEIKH / Tricon
Faheem: Music
Benzene: Tricon / CO
Patrick: SHEIKH / Tricon / VICO / CO / Modern / Music
Erik: VICO / SHEIKH
Dennis: SHEIKH / Modern / VICO
Ian: VICO / Music / Modern / SHEIKH

[Masked Canadian History Bandit]

I'm coming as a free agent. If bouncebacks is the difference between playing one extra side event on Saturday, I don't want them, otherwise, I don't care.

Side event preferences: SHEIKH/Tricon/VICO/CO/Modern/Music

[Fado Alexandrino]

Aauysh, I emailed you the music before entering the great firewall. If you didn't receive it, let me know by responding or pm (and not fb or email) and I will find a way to send it to you.

Also, if they are coming, Jay, Shuying, and Young Min would definitely also want the music.

[adosreme]

Also, if they are coming, Jay, Shuying, and Young Min would definitely also want the music.

I don't think any of them are coming. How many questions are in this set and how long would you expect this event to take, Joe?

[Deepika Goes From Ranbir To Ranveer]

Aauysh, I emailed you the music before entering the great firewall. If you didn't receive it, let me know by responding or pm (and not fb or email) and I will find a way to send it to you.

Also, if they are coming, Jay, Shuying, and Young Min would definitely also want the music.

Received, Joe, thanks as always!

[Cody]

On the subject of side events, I'd just like to note that We Have Never Been Modern was met with nearly unanimous praise at the VCU site. In the general discussion, it's been cited as "one of my favorite quizbowl experiences in recent memory" (Jerry), "just a ton of fun to play" (Rob), and "super enjoyable and a good model for "hybrid" tournaments that can be enjoyed by all" (Mike Cheyne). I think y'all would be really missing out if you didn't play it.

--a distant observer's 2 cents

[Auks Ran Ova]

I will expand upon my own cited support in advocating for Modern--it achieves the rare combination of being widely accessible and covering stuff that doesn't get much play in regular quizbowl. Don't miss it!

[Fado Alexandrino]

Also, if they are coming, Jay, Shuying, and Young Min would definitely also want the music.

I don't think any of them are coming. How many questions are in this set and how long would you expect this event to take, Joe?

Aauysh can confirm this by looking at the 4 packets, but it is equal to the number of non-audio tossups we played during lunch at the HSNCT mirror, which is around 70 including those marked tiebreakers. How long it takes depends on how good you all are (they're about the same level as the hsnct music, if not easier. Let's say 45 minutes top) With the current level of interest, you should just do a readthrough of all the tossups to one room.

Aaron and Ming-Ho, you may have also already received a copy of the set. I was unsure if I would have internet in this part of the PRC and found another way to get it to you.

[mhyee]

Hi everyone,

Please meet at 8:30 AM in MC 4059 (same HQ we used for NASAT/DB) for registration on Saturday. We will start as soon as possible since it's going to be a long day. In the interest of time, we will not be playing with bouncebacks.

Here's the Saturday schedule: VCU Open with classical music over lunch, followed by Modern.
Sunday (meet at 9:00 AM in MC 4058; note different time/room): SHEIKH, VICO, Tricon.

Format for side events will depend on how many people actually sign up on that day, but I expect Modern will be doubles and the rest will be shootout.

The university website has directions for getting to campus, as well as a map. You can park for free in Lot X (north end of campus by OPT) or certain lots in the colleges (west end of campus by REN, STP, and CGR). See here for more information about the college lots.

There will be significant construction throughout the city. University Ave is closed between Phillip and Seagram, and other places to avoid are the Northfield exits on Highway 85, and King Street in uptown Waterloo. (Columbia has reopened.)

The most convenient place for food is the "University Shops Plaza," which is right beside campus. The on-campus food services are very limited on weekends.

The best way to contact me is via email or messaging. Cell reception is less reliable in the building, but my number is [redacted].

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Ming-Ho

[cruzeiro]

I've had a car problem so Ian and I won't make it, sorry.

[mhyee]

As Dennis and Ian couldn't make it, there was a little shuffling of the teams.

Stats from the first round have been entered. I will be posting stats here as they come in.

[mhyee]

We played classical music over lunch, with the following scores (10/-5 total):

Faheem 22/1 215
Aaron 19/13 125
Ming-Ho 12/1 115
Meghan 8/0 80
Patrick 7/3 55
Paul 2/0 20
Kira 0/3 -15

[mhyee]

After the quadruple round robin, #BUY1989ONITUNES (Aayush, Patrick, Christine) cleared the field to win outright. Angkor Wot, m8? (Rein, Aaron, Chris, Adam) came second. Aayush was the top scorer. Full stats are here. Please let me know if there are mistakes; I'm keeping the scoresheets for about a month.

Thanks go to our club exec (Aayush, Faith, and Cole), the staffers (Kira and Faith), the players for showing up, and of course, the writers and editors of the set. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

To quote Cody from last week:

A private usergroup has been created and I've issued an initial round of approvals; you can head to User Control Panel > Usergroups to join.

Teams for Modern are now being formed.

[mhyee]

We formed four teams of three and played a double round robin. Patrick, Aayush, and I cleared the field. Stats will be up later (hopefully tonight).

EDIT: Stats are delayed. There's a game where a get and a neg weren't properly recorded (but the final scores are correct). It happened in one of my games, so I can figure it out by reading the packet, except that I don't have the packets right now.

EDIT 2: Stats are now up.

Thanks to Christine and Faith for reading, and of course Mike Bentley for writing the set. There should also be a forum for people who want to discuss the tournament.

[mhyee]

Since a number of people can't make it tomorrow, Aaron read his Tricon packet. (We'll play the remaining packets tomorrow.) It looks like there were 30-point and 20-point powers.

Scores (30/20/10/-5 Total):

Aayush 1/1/5/1 95
Christine 1/0/5/1 75
Nick 0/1/3/0 50
Erik 0/1/2/1 35
Kira 1/0/0/0 30
Rein 0/0/2/0 20
Patrick 0/0/3/2 20
Jj 0/1/0/1 15
Adam 0/0/1/0 10
Cole 0/0/1/0 10
Paul 0/0/1/1/ 5
Meghan 0/0/0/1 -5
Faith 0/0/0/2 -10

[mhyee]

Stats for We Have Never Been Modern can be found here.

Today we played all ten rounds of SHEIKH, all eight rounds of VICO, and the remaining Tricon packets (except for the eleven-question packet). We played a shootout. Rein, Aaron, Faheem, and I read for various parts of the day.

Scores for SHEIKH (15/10/-5 Total)
Patrick 26/69/12 960
Paul 7/20/14 235
Erik 2/25/23 165
Aaron 0/17/16 90

Scores for VICO (15/10/-5 Total)
Rein 1/39/18 315
Patrick 0/28/11 225
Erik 4/14/10 150
Aaron 1/11/11 75
Peter L 1/12/13 70
Faheem 1/1/0 25

To clarify, Peter L is not the Peter who appears in yesterday's stats; that would be Peter C. Also, Faheem played (and paid for) a single packet when he knew the answer to the first tossup of that packet after the first clue.

Scores for Tricon (20/15/10/-5 Total)
Paul 0/0/7/3 55
Erik 0/2/27/14 230
Peter L 2/2/29/14 290
Rein 0/0/3/3 15
Aaron 1/4/47/14 480
Patrick 0/2/15/5 155

Paul and Rein were only present for about half of the Tricon packets.


This concludes Waterloo's mirror of VCU Open and its related side events. Once again, a big thank you to all the staffers and players who made this possible, and also to everyone who worked on the sets. Private forums for discussing SHEIKH and VICO should also be up.

[Peter13]

I just want to say thanks to everybody for taking the time to staff the tournament. I especially want to thank Ming-Ho for organizing the schedule, which must have been hard to manage given the plethora of side events. See you guys in the fall.