Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Old college threads.
Locked
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

I am pleased to announce the Cane Ridge Revival, an open tournament written by the Chicago and Dartmouth teams for early spring of 2014. I will be head editing the tournament, and serving as subject editor for Literature, Fine Arts, and Philosophy. The rest of the editing team for this tournament will consist of Marshall Steinbaum for History and Social Science / Current Events / Geography; Seth Teitler for Physics, Earth Science / Astronomy, and Mythology; Gautam Kandlikar for Biology and Chemistry; and Matt Menard for Religion and Math / Computer Science.

This set will consist of 15 packets. Difficulty will be approximately equal to that of Minnesota Opens 2010 and 2011, but with more accessible answer-lines for tossups (i.e. more hard tossups on easy answer-lines).

Distribution will be as follows:
4/4 Literature (1/1 American, 1/1 British, 1/1 European, slightly above 1/0 or 0/1 World, slightly below 1/0 or 0/1 Misc.)
4/4 History (1/1 American, 1/1 Continental European, 1/1 World, 1/1 Other [1/3 Ancient/Classical/Archaeology, 1/3 British/Commonwealth, 1/3 Social/Economic/Historiography])
4/4 Science (1/1 Biology, 1/1 Chemistry, 1/1 Physics, 1/0 or 0/1 Earth Science or Astronomy, 1/0 or 0/1 Math or Computer Science)
3/3 RMP (1/1 Religion, 1/1 Mythology, 1/1 Philosophy)
3/3 Fine Arts (1/1 Painting, 1/1 Classical Music, 1/0 or 0/1 Misc. Visual Arts, 1/0 or 0/1 Misc. Auditory Arts)
2/2 Social Science, Current Events, Geography, and Misc. Academic ("Thought")

A word on the Social Science and Misc. Academic ("Thought"). As you can see, this area of the distribution has been expanded for the tournament. We have done this in part to give some representation to the many serious areas of academic study that are given short shrift by quizbowl because they do not fall under the rubric of what quizbowl defines as the core Social Sciences, in part because we feel the Social Sciences are generally underrepresented in the game, and in part because we would like to try some new approaches to writing the Social Science, with a greater emphasis on important concepts or subjects (rather than on works) and on interdisciplinarity.

With all that being said, I as head editor will be enforcing a strict policy of "bottom-up" writing. No question, however cool its concept or "real" its ideas, will be allowed in the set, unless it can be written in a fashion that distinguishes levels of knowledge we are confident actually exist among players, and the clues in its second half can draw on canonical subject matter.

This tournament is going to be written slowly and gradually, from now till the first mirror. All written questions are getting extensive feedback from the editors. I have organized it along an extremely rigorous schedule that includes time for playtesting and rewriting based on feedback. Likewise, the answer-lines for the entire tournament are going to be chosen in the next couple of weeks, in accordance with a fully worked-out subdistributional plan, to ensure that this tournament does not cater too much to the idiosyncratic wheelhouses of any of the writers/editors. So, we have high hopes for the quality of the set.

Chicago is tentatively planning to host our mirror of this on March 8th, 2014. Penn has tentatively agreed to be the East Coast mirror (subject to further confirmation several months from now), and is tentatively planning to hold its mirror on March 1st, 2014. We'll be seeking potential mirrors in other regions, such as the West Coast, Canada, or the South.
Last edited by ThisIsMyUsername on Tue Jan 07, 2014 11:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
Adventure Temple Trail
Auron
Posts: 2754
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:52 pm

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

This looks pretty exciting.

Is the 3/3 for Social Science, Geography, Current Events, and "Thought" subdivided in a specific way for each packet (e.g. 1/1 social science, 1/1 "thought", .5/.5 each Geo and CE), or can that vary from packet to packet?
Matt Jackson
University of Chicago '24
Yale '14, Georgetown Day School '10
member emeritus, ACF
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

RyuAqua wrote:This looks pretty exciting.

Is the 3/3 for Social Science, Geography, Current Events, and "Thought" subdivided in a specific way for each packet (e.g. 1/1 social science, 1/1 "thought", .5/.5 each Geo and CE), or can that vary from packet to packet?
I would have to check again with Marshall, but I believe that his plan is for the 3/3 to be divided as 2.5/2.5 Social Science / "Thought" and .5/.5 Current Events / Geography, and for this to be constant from packet to packet.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
Tees-Exe Line
Tidus
Posts: 623
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:02 pm

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Tees-Exe Line »

ThisIsMyUsername wrote:
RyuAqua wrote:This looks pretty exciting.

Is the 3/3 for Social Science, Geography, Current Events, and "Thought" subdivided in a specific way for each packet (e.g. 1/1 social science, 1/1 "thought", .5/.5 each Geo and CE), or can that vary from packet to packet?
I would have to check again with Marshall, but I believe that his plan is for the 3/3 to be divided as 2.5/2.5 Social Science / "Thought" and .5/.5 Current Events / Geography, and for this to be constant from packet to packet.
That is indeed my plan.
Marshall I. Steinbaum

Oxford University (2002-2005)
University of Chicago (2008-2014)
University of Utah (2019- )

Get in the elevator.
Ras superfamily
Wakka
Posts: 187
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:21 pm

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Ras superfamily »

Penn is confirmed as the host for the East on 3/1
Saajid Moyen
Penn '15
User avatar
Mike Bentley
Sin
Posts: 6461
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:03 pm
Location: Bellevue, WA
Contact:

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Mike Bentley »

Any word on a California mirror?
Mike Bentley
Treasurer, Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence
Adviser, Quizbowl Team at University of Washington
University of Maryland, Class of 2008
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

Mike Bentley wrote:Any word on a California mirror?
I have not yet sent out an e-mail to the California schools about this. I will do so sometime in the next couple of weeks.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
Cheynem
Sin
Posts: 7220
Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 11:19 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Cheynem »

online mirror?!$@$@
Mike Cheyne
Formerly U of Minnesota

"You killed HSAPQ"--Matt Bollinger
User avatar
Mike Bentley
Sin
Posts: 6461
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:03 pm
Location: Bellevue, WA
Contact:

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Mike Bentley »

Cheynem wrote:online mirror?!$@$@
We might do this if there aren't better options (and that the writers are okay with it). I'd also encourage other schools out there to consider hosting online mirrors (not just for this tournament). It's a bit of a bummer having to host every tournament we want to play.
Mike Bentley
Treasurer, Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence
Adviser, Quizbowl Team at University of Washington
University of Maryland, Class of 2008
User avatar
Cheynem
Sin
Posts: 7220
Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 11:19 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Cheynem »

What does online hosting entail?
Mike Cheyne
Formerly U of Minnesota

"You killed HSAPQ"--Matt Bollinger
User avatar
Mike Bentley
Sin
Posts: 6461
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:03 pm
Location: Bellevue, WA
Contact:

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Mike Bentley »

Cheynem wrote:What does online hosting entail?
Providing moderators, organizing the schedule, entering stats, dealing with issues as they arise. It's not terribly hard.
Mike Bentley
Treasurer, Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence
Adviser, Quizbowl Team at University of Washington
University of Maryland, Class of 2008
User avatar
grapesmoker
Sin
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 5:23 pm
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by grapesmoker »

Sign me up.
Jerry Vinokurov
ex-LJHS, ex-Berkeley, ex-Brown, sorta-ex-CMU
presently: John Jay College Economics
code ape, loud voice, general nuissance
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

Assuming that we are successful in securing physical sites in our target regions for mirrors, Marshall and I do not intend to set up an online mirror of the set.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
Cheynem
Sin
Posts: 7220
Joined: Tue May 11, 2004 11:19 am
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Cheynem »

Would you allow people to play the packets online once the other sites were run?
Mike Cheyne
Formerly U of Minnesota

"You killed HSAPQ"--Matt Bollinger
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

Cheynem wrote:Would you allow people to play the packets online once the other sites were run?
This tournament is meant to function as an open tournament for veterans and a Nats-prep event for current collegiate teams, much as Minnesota Open or Harvard International has functioned in the past. As such, we encourage interested players to try to attend physical sites, so that the fields at those sites can be as robust and competitive as possible, thus improving the Nats-prep aspect for the collegiate teams, and allowing the vets to be less constrained in combining into strong teams.

But yes, after the mirrors are over, I cannot object to anyone using the set for any non-profit purpose, including a free online scrimmage, just as I could have no objection to teams' using the packets for practice.

Further discussion of whether online tournaments are good or evil has been split into a new thread. --Mgmt.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

After further consideration and consultation with my writers, I have decided to dial down the Social Science / Misc. Academic distribution from 3/3 per packet to 2/2, both in order to take pressure of the writers so that better-quality questions can be produced, and to stop us from going overboard with increasingly clever (or desperate) ways of trying to fill this answer-space. This brings the overall distribution down to 20/20, so there will now be a constant distribution across packets. For tie-breakers, we will be instead be writing a set of 5/5 or 6/6 extra questions.

Playtesting of portions of the set will begin next week. Stay tuned for details.

EDIT: Missing words
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

For those who played the Penn site or who do not plan to play the set at all, there is a private subforum for discussing Cane Ridge Revival, which you may request to join via your user control panel.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
User avatar
Adventure Temple Trail
Auron
Posts: 2754
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:52 pm

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

I'll just pitch in that if anybody was on the fence about playing this set due to quality concerns or previous editing history of its writers, that it was quite enjoyable and more-or-less well written, and is definitely a step up for everyone involved. I wouldn't want to have missed it.
Matt Jackson
University of Chicago '24
Yale '14, Georgetown Day School '10
member emeritus, ACF
User avatar
Adventure Temple Trail
Auron
Posts: 2754
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:52 pm

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

Is this set now clear for public posting and discussion?
Matt Jackson
University of Chicago '24
Yale '14, Georgetown Day School '10
member emeritus, ACF
User avatar
naan/steak-holding toll
Auron
Posts: 2515
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 11:53 pm
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by naan/steak-holding toll »

I need to talk with Nick about whether we plan on hosting an online mirror.
Will Alston
Dartmouth College '16
Columbia Business School '21
User avatar
ThisIsMyUsername
Auron
Posts: 1005
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:36 am
Location: New York, NY

Re: Cane Ridge Revival (03/01 and 03/08/2014)

Post by ThisIsMyUsername »

Also, there's a tentative Texas mirror in April.
John Lawrence
Yale University '12
King's College London '13
University of Chicago '20

“I am not absentminded. It is the presence of mind that makes me unaware of everything else.” - G.K. Chesterton
Locked