Announcement: QuAC I at Penn (11/22/08), Phila., PA

[Lapego1]

The University of Pennsylvania's academic team is pleased to (finally) announce our inaugural fall high school tournament, the Quaker Academic Competition (QuAC) which is scheduled for November 22, 2008 on our campus in Philadelphia, PA. Our goal is to provide a competitive tournament for all levels of teams, and we hope our location will provide a good venue for upper-level teams along the East Coast and beyond to compete. We are a convenient 15-minute walk from Philadelphia's 30th Street Train Station and a 15-minute taxi ride from the Philadelphia International Airport. We also hope juniors and seniors applying to college can get a chance to explore our campus while they are in the area. Unless I hear otherwise, top teams will qualify for PACE NSC 2009 at GMU.

Format: Games will be standard 20 tossup-bonus. This is 10-pt tossups with negs and 30-pt unrelated bonuses. Powers may or may not be incorporated. Teams are guaranteed at least 6 preliminary rounds of bracket play, and almost all teams will get some sort of post-prelim action, though only the top teams after prelims will be eligible for championship playoffs and trophies. We plan to start rounds between 9:00 and 9:30 with the hope of being done between 6pm and 7pm.

Questions: Questions will be written by the Penn team with literature by Evan Adams of VCU. I will serve as head editor. The majority of prelim tossups should be answerable by most of the field, though playoffs will be more difficult. All teams that sign up for this tournament will receive a copy of the set. The distribution will follow ACF-style, which looks something like this:
Literature 5/5
History 5/5
Science 5/5
Religion, Mythology and Philosophy 3/3
Fine Arts 3/3
Social Science 1/1
Geography 1/1
Trash, current events, or your choice 1/1
Total: 24/24

Costs/Deadlines (EDITED 9/17/08): Deadline for registration for the tournament will be November 19, 2008, the Wednesday before the tournament. To encourage teams to sign up early, I have added an early registration discount.
$60 for the first team from each school
$50 for subsequent teams from the same school
$20 for a copy of the questions non-participating teams
-$10 per working buzzer system
-$10 overall for registering teams prior to October 22, 2008
travel discounts (as determined by mapquest):
-$10 200-500 miles
-$20 500-700 miles
-$30 >700 miles
Minimum fee per school: $30

Location/Directions, etc.: I'll edit this post with parking and hotel info, but games will likely be held in Cohen and Williams Halls. If you want to take a quick look, search this campus map.

I will be sending out e-mail invitations soon, though all are invited to attend regardless of receipt of invitation. You can e-mail padt-at-dolphin-dot-upenn-dot-edu with questions and registrations. Please include the school name, coach name, a reachable e-mail address, and #teams and buzzers.

Mehdi Razvi
QuAC I Director

Running field update will now be here. Those who have sent me registration forms are listed as officially registered, and those who have sent me e-mails with no forms are unofficially registered. Remember that early registration deadline is Oct. 22, and we may have to cap the field if it gets beyond our staffing capacity, so get those registrations in!

Officially Registered (as of 11/9/08):
Bloomfield (1)
Caesar Rodney (2)
Cocalico (1)
Colonia (1)
DCC (1)
East Brunswick (2)
GDS (2)
Gonzaga (1)
Half Hollow Hills West (2)
Haverford (1)
Hunter (1)
Kellenberg (3)
Maggie Walker (1)
Mercersburg Academy (1)
Newark Academy (2)
Octorara (2)
Ransom Everglades (2)
State College (1)
Stuyvesant (2)
TJHSST (2)
Ursuline Academy (1)
Walter Johnson (1)
Wilmington Charter (8)
Woodbridge (1)
Total: 42

Waitlist (in order of registration):
Haverford (2nd team)
Whitman (1)
Total: 2

Unofficially Registered (as of 11/3/08):
Hunter (2nd)
St. Joseph (1-2)
Total: 2-3

[Lapego1]

thread bump
Hey everyone. I haven't heard much since my thread polling interest in this tournament. Since the year is kind of under way, could people who are at least thinking of attending QuAC post here or send an e-mail to padt-at-dolphin-upenn-dot-edu?

I expect we'll get a bump in interest once I send out official invitations, which should be by the weekend. I have contact lists for MD/VA, NJ, DE, and some PA teams (thanks to Bill Tressler and Kunle at Princeton for the latter ones), but if anyone I haven't yet asked has contact lists for PA and NY, I would appreciate those. Thanks.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

Caesar Rodney will almost certainly be bringing 1 team, possibly 2. I will e-mail within a month's time to confirm details.

[Sir Thopas]

Hunter will probably send a team or two.

[aestheteboy]

I'm hoping to come.

[Gonzagapuma1]

Gonzaga is about 99% sure we're coming.

[The Atom Strikes!]

Charter will probably send a few teams.

[Bad Boy Bill]

Charter will probably send a few teams.

Indeed, my current thinking is that I will get a bus and in the words of the Zinmesiter, "bring the cast of Ben Hur".

[MLWGS-Gir]

We'll send a team or two if our budget permits.

[segregold]

This field looks pretty good, so RM is probably going to send a team. I will update once our tournament has (hopefully) lessened our budgetary crisis.

[The Infanta]

I'm pretty sure we're going.

[closesesame]

We're interested, Mehdi, but we have yet to determine the number of teams.

[Lapego1]

Invitations/registration forms were sent out about a week ago to teams on the mailing list. If you didn't get one and would like one, e-mail padt@dolphin.upenn.edu, and you'll get one within a day. The only change is travel discounts which I've edited into the tournament announcement. I've gotten several registrations already, and I'll provide a running field update once I get some more.

[CMiltonWright]

Please sent us an invitation- we're seriously considering making the trip- probably just one team.....
C. Milton Wright HS
Bel Air, MD

[Lapego1]

Please sent us an invitation- we're seriously considering making the trip- probably just one team.....
C. Milton Wright HS
Bel Air, MD

Could you send an e-mail to padt@dolphin.upenn.edu so I know who to send the invitation to?

[Lapego1]

Field updates moved to first post.

[Sir Thopas]

We'll probably send 2, to be finalized in the future.

[The Infanta]

2-3 teams, 2-3 buzzer systems.

[bjorkchop]

Ransom Everglades (Miami, FL) is looking to send 1-2 teams. Will know more in two weeks.

[Lapego1]

This is just a reminder that the early registration deadline is a week away, so if you want the discount, shoot me a registration. If you don't have the forms, e-mail me and you can get them.

[ieppler]

GDS will attend with 1-2 teams and a buzzer system.

[The Falcon Flock]

St. Joseph High School (Metuchen, NJ) will likely be attending.

1-2 teams and a buzzer system.

[MLWGS-Gir]

Looks like we're probably bringing one team, Mehdi.

[Lapego1]

Bump. There are now 11 teams signed up. We may have to begin capping around 36 just to be on the safe side and open it up to more once I get a better idea of staff, so please get those registrations in to be guaranteed a spot. Also, to clarify, registering early for the discount means sending in a registration form, either postmarked by 10/22 or via e-mail, not informal registrations posted here, sent by e-mail, or verbally made, etc. If you're going to be using snail mail, please send me an e-mail letting me know when I should expect to receive the mail.

[Lapego1]

Please be aware that registrations are coming in by the ton now, and our field has more than doubled overnight. It would be wise at this point to get forms in sooner rather than later. If you don't have a form send an e-mail to padt@dolphin.upenn.edu to get one. Including both teams that are registered and those that have made commitments, we are coming dangerously close to our initial field cap of 36.

[TheCzarMan]

Bloomfield has sent their registration, and I believed postmarked by the deadline. I'll doublecheck with my adviser.

[ExcessStrausses]

Stuy may be sending a team or two. Unless my terminal lateness has bitten me in the ass again.

[Lapego1]

Bloomfield has sent their registration, and I believed postmarked by the deadline. I'll doublecheck with my adviser.

Yes, you did, hence your name in the field update above.

Stuy may be sending a team or two. Unless my terminal lateness has bitten me in the ass again.

You still have time, but a registration form needs to be submitted for you to join the field. It's likely we'll be able to expand our field cap thanks to some recent staffing promises I've obtained, but it's no guarantee. Any teams registering after 36 will be temporarily put on a waitlist in order of receipt of registrations. But we still have a little ways to go before we reach that.

[Lapego1]

So without going home and checking my mail, I can tell you we're presently at 35 teams. If you want to be guaranteed a spot in the field, there's at least one left. That said, I've generally been hearing positive feedback from potential staffers, so there's a good chance the cap will increase, but I'm going to keep a waitlist until I can be sure.

EDIT: Also, field updates are now making an appearance in the first post of the thread.

[Sir Thopas]

Solidly register us for 1, then, and I'll get back to you about a second as soon as I can, assuming a spot's still open.

[Lapego1]

Just to let people know, the field is tentatively full, having reached the initial 36-team cap. Pending staff and interest, I would be willing to expand to 42. A running waitlist, along with the current field, is being kept in the first post, so stay tuned.

[Bad Boy Bill]

Since I'm the prime offender here, is the limiting factor readers, buzzers, or rooms?

I might be able to procure some of the first two if that would help.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

In addition, i will be more than happy to read/scorekeep at this event, if such a person is needed. Apparently my kids don't like having me watch them play anyway, so...

[Lapego1]

It's not really a question of not having people as not being sure how many people I have. Buzzers and rooms don't really seem to be an issue, but before I agree to accept every team that signs up up to 50 and beyond, I want to make sure that enough people can staff. Don't want to violate the Silberman axiom. I figure it's better to cap low until I have an idea of staff than turn people away later.

[The Falcon Flock]

Are there any updates on whether the field is going to be expanded? I apologize for not being able to confirm sooner, but am interested in seeing if we can still get in.

[Lapego1]

Are there any updates on whether the field is going to be expanded? I apologize for not being able to confirm sooner, but am interested in seeing if we can still get in.

So, there's a good chance you can get in, but you'd really have to submit a registration form first to even get on the waitlist which is currently standing at 5. Drop me an e-mail if you need one. Also, unless I get like like 6-8 staffers from Mr. Tressler's UDel posse, I'm going to probably need several coaches reading, but hopefully that won't be a problem.

It's highly unlikely that I will expand beyond 42 though because it is a nice number for the format I'd like to go with, and I don't want to go too big for an inaugural tournament. Thus, there is room for one more team on the current waitlist, and any waitlist thereafter will be allowed into the field based on teams dropping/adding.

[Bad Boy Bill]

The University of Delaware idea is pretty much out. They scheduled an intramural tournament for that weekend.

[BroNi]

I will gladly offer my services as a moderator, and may be able to bring an additional moderator as well.

[Lapego1]

I'd just like to point out that assuming the field is expanding to 42 (I'm just waiting to hear back from a couple of potential staffers), we're full now. I'm not going to expand any further so any teams registering henceforth will be granted a spot on the waitlist and will be let in on a case-by-case basis.

[TheCzarMan]

Woo, only 2 teams away from a Charter J

[Lapego1]

So, with 42 teams more or less good to go, we are probably going to go with RR in 7 brackets of 6. Then, take the top team from each bracket (7) and the next lower ranked 5 at-large teams, and divide them into two brackets of 6 for playoff RR. Ties will be broken by W-L record, then points per bonus. Records from prelims will not transfer over (I know there was some debate about this in another thread, but this seems fairest to me). After the playoff RR, teams will be seeded within their bracket based on W-L and then points per game in playoffs and will play a single cross-match against their corresponding opponent in the other bracket to determine final rankings. The top two are battling for the championship, etc.

The remaining 30 teams after prelims will play a consolation single-elim playoffs. Seedings will again be determined based on W-L record, then PPB. The top two teams get a bye into the second round, and there are no byes thereafter. Yay for awkwardness of a 42-team field!

If anyone has critiques or a better format to suggest for 11 packets and 42 teams, please do so. On a side note, if anyone reading this will be in the area and available to staff this Saturday, we could definitely use you!

[Lapego1]

I alluded to this in a recent e-mail, but in case people are wondering, we're going to be changing our question set to Delta Burke. That said, I have permission to edit the heck out of the set, a process which Chris White and I have been working on. Thus, the set will be comparable to what the original QuAC set would've looked like; that is, the top and bottom tiers of teams will find hopefully find it fun and worthwhile to play on. If people have any more questions or would like me to allay any doubts or fears, please do not hesitate to drop me an e-mail.

[aestheteboy]

Thus, the set will be comparable to what the original QuAC set would've looked like; that is, the top and bottom tiers of teams will find hopefully find it fun and worthwhile to play on.

I certainly hope you are right about this. Two days before the tournament is not really a good time to change the question source. Are you guys thinking about doing the playoffs with your original questions? I was really looking forward to play lit questions by Evan Adams :(

[Bad Boy Bill]

EDIT: never mind, a few people decided they are coming after all. sorry.

[Tower Monarch]

So despite that last loss, has Maggie Walker won enough important games (e.g. TJ A, WJ, Hunter, the list goes on) that we're finally calling 2010 Nationals as Quint initially claimed??

[Theory Of The Leisure Flask]

Brief results: Charter A won a one-game final over Maggie Walker 285-270; State College defeated Walter Johnson in the third-place game. I don't know who the high scorers were. Either Charter C or Half Hollow Hills A won the consolation knockout rounds; I don't remember right now who prevailed.

Mehdi will have stats shortly, for now I'd just like to apologize for the ridiculous delay after lunch (compounded by my not-so-hilarious inability to use SQBS), the repeats, and for not ramping up the difficulty of the playoff packets. We were fortunate to have a really good field, and they deserved a more challenging and timely tournament then what we provided.

[wd4gdz]

Hmm...did you guys use that packet written by Ahmad by chance? That would have been a great FINALS packets.

[Carangoides ciliarius]

Repeats and some weird issues aside, i thought the difficulty level was just right. You can't just cater to the elites here, and i think you guys did a good job in asking about some standard and a few non-standard facts in the quizbowl canon. There was good diversity. My kids, while a little peeved at the delay at first, really enjoyed themselves and we performed admirably for not having our best/second best player (however he feels that day) there. And it was a pleasure to moderate as well for some very good, polite, and fun teams.

[Theory Of The Leisure Flask]

Hmm...did you guys use that packet written by Ahmad by chance? That would have been a great FINALS packets.

Yes, that was the finals packet. It needed (and recieved) much less editing than the rest of the questions.

[TheCzarMan]

Have to admit, that delay brought the highlight of the tournament for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FahBBnfHAQ