The members of Palmyra High School Scholar Bowl welcome your team to join others from across Northeast Missouri, Western Illinois and beyond at our fourth Palmyra Academic Winter Showdown (PAWS), scheduled for February 3rd, 2024. PAWS will consist of a minimum of nine games for all teams in a modified NAQT/national format:
- Each game shall consist of two halves of ten tossups each, with each correct tossup followed by a three-part bonus.
- Correct tossup answers are ten points each, with an additional five-point “Power” for correct answers given prior to a pre-determined point in a tossup. We will not assess a five-point penalty for interrupting the moderator during the tossup with an incorrect answer. All tossups are five seconds, and there is no math computation.
- The team that receives the bonus will have five seconds to answer each part. The moderator will prompt after four seconds. Bonus parts will NOT rebound. Unless otherwise specified in a bonus set, each bonus part shall be ten points each.
- In the event a game is tied after regulation, additional tossups shall be read until the next change in score.
- Each team shall have one 30 second timeout per match. Substitutions, scorechecks, and team conferences may occur at the half, prior to overtime, or during any timeout called by either team. A scorecheck other than at halftime or end of regulation will require the use of a team’s timeout.
- Team rosters shall be limited to seven players; schools are encouraged to bring junior varsity and “B” teams to compete. Four players per team shall play at a time; teams may play with fewer than four players, but we ask that teams have at least two players. Rosters shall be submitted in advance and finalized at registration the morning of the tournament. Players may not change teams during the tournament.
We plan to offer a small school award. At the 2023 PAWS, teams from public schools who had fewer than 250 students in grades 9-11 were eligible for the award.
We have set an initial field limit of 24 teams; this may expand depending on staff availability. We will initially limit schools to two teams. Additional teams will be placed on a waitlist and contacted should an opening occur, with preference given to programs who offer tournament staff. Teams from outside Missouri are welcome to register; however, because of the MSHSAA sanctioning process we ask teams to register no later than December 28th.
Teams will play five morning rounds, break for lunch, then return for at least four afternoon games. (If we have exactly 32 teams, we will again utilize a card system for the morning rounds.) This setup is subject to change, depending on the number of teams signed up. We plan to start the team meeting at 8:30 a.m., with the first round set for 8:50 a.m. and afternoon rounds slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. With the exception of any playoff games for trophies, we anticipate the last game ending around 5:00 p.m.
Fee structure is as follows, per school:
- Each team: $75
- Discount for traveling more than 100 miles each way (determined by Google Maps): $10
- Discount for providing a working buzzer set: $5
- Discount for providing a competent scorekeeper: $10
- Discount for providing a competent moderator: $20
Palmyra High School is located at 1703 S Main Street, along Business Route 61. Plans are to have a lunch service available, as few lunch options are in the area.
The tournament is under the direction of Palmyra High School Coach Kaitlin Hopke and veteran scholar bowl moderator Kyle Hill of the Missouri Quizbowl Alliance, an organization dedicated to promoting quality scholar bowl tournaments around the state. We anticipate receiving certification and assistance from their membership.
To register for this tournament, please visit http://tinyurl.com/24PAWS24. Questions concerning the tournament may be directed to either Kaitlin Hopke at [email protected] or Kyle Hill at [email protected]. Please include “2024 PAWS” in the subject line.
We look forward to seeing you at Palmyra High School on February 3rd.