Search found 89 matches

by nsb2
Mon Apr 26, 2021 10:06 pm
Forum: Collegiate Discussion
Topic: Where Are You Going Next Year? (Collegiate 2021)
Replies: 51
Views: 49023

Re: Where Are You Going Next Year? (Collegiate 2021)

Assuming the world doesn't come crashing down, I'll be starting my MA in music composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Tallinn this fall. This probably confirms the end of my time in quizbowl, although there's a very small chance I might show up in the European circuit at some po...
by nsb2
Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:58 pm
Forum: Quizbowl History Forum
Topic: Greatest Upsets in Quizbowl History
Replies: 74
Views: 77807

Re: Greatest Upsets in Quizbowl History

It was on a terrible set, but surely Dunlap's win over Stevenson at IHSA State in 2017 has to be up there
by nsb2
Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:40 am
Forum: Community Discussion
Topic: On HS Teams Without Coaches
Replies: 68
Views: 48437

Re: On HS Teams Without Coaches

Since my original comment on this subject was rather terse, I wanted to add that I do believe teams should have some sort of chaperone - just that, due to school restrictions and bureaucracy, it may not always be possible for a teacher or school staff member to serve this role.
by nsb2
Wed Jul 15, 2020 1:00 am
Forum: Community Discussion
Topic: On HS Teams Without Coaches
Replies: 68
Views: 48437

On HS Teams Without Coaches

Thinking about the above, no more teams should be allowed to attend a tournament rogue. I have noticed that there have been teams allowed to compete at national tournaments that are not under the aegis of their high schools, e.g. "Rogers Academy" at NSC two years ago. I realize there may ...
by nsb2
Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:15 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: This Time, A Stern Warning
Replies: 179
Views: 146933

Re: This Time, A Stern Warning

Obviously, it's both disappointing and frustrating to see cheating in any context, particularly one that quizbowlers paid money to participate in. However, speaking from personal experience, I feel that it is also important to discuss what might influence people to make these decisions. In my senior...
by nsb2
Wed May 30, 2018 12:48 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Matt Bruce (cw: sexual assault, pedophilia)
Replies: 153
Views: 110489

Re: Matt Bruce (cw: sexual assault)

I agree with practically all of the thoughts and opinions stated in previous replies. I found the content of Matt's blog to be very disturbing, to say the least. Although I did not know about these allegations at the time, I feel bad to have played at a small tournament (D2 SCT at Stanford) where Ma...
by nsb2
Fri Apr 06, 2018 1:04 pm
Forum: New High School Teams
Topic: Student looking to start a team
Replies: 5
Views: 12935

Re: Student looking to start a team

In addition to the NAQT packets mentioned in the link Jonah provided, you can access a large number of non-NAQT packets at the Quizbowl Packet Archive, http://www.quizbowlpackets.com/ . In addition, if you're interested in another national tournament that is not run by NAQT, you can take a look at t...
by nsb2
Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:36 pm
Forum: Best of the Best
Topic: What is the most pressing concern in college quizbowl today?
Replies: 68
Views: 60524

Re: What is the most pressing concern in college quizbowl to

For me, what has made it difficult to adapt to college quizbowl is the aggressive nature of discourse in the community, both on the forums and elsewhere. From my (limited) time on the collegiate circuit, it seems that very good college players treat those who are less experienced in the exact same w...
by nsb2
Tue Mar 13, 2018 4:15 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: The looming crisis
Replies: 25
Views: 12525

Re: The looming crisis

As a freshman who wrote about 15 questions for CMST (having written for and edited a few high school sets previously), I've found that the world of collegiate quizbowl, especially the higher echelons, can be extremely exacting. Naturally, collegiate questions are held to a much higher standard, mean...
by nsb2
Sat Mar 03, 2018 8:15 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: All-World Predictions
Replies: 15
Views: 12665

Re: All-World Predictions

I'm biased of course, but I think Hanson Hao of IMSA is certainly worthy of consideration. I also think at least one player from Stevenson could make the cut, despite their balanced scoring.
by nsb2
Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:35 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Working on Illinois question sets
Replies: 11
Views: 7771

Re: Working on Illinois question sets

I would be happy to contribute to both Scobol Solo and Masonic, although I'm not sure how much I will be able to write. I'm not inexperienced as a writer but would be happy to improve my writing skills, especially at slightly lower high school difficulty.
by nsb2
Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:18 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2018 HSNCT sponsorship
Replies: 37
Views: 24146

Re: 2018 HSNCT sponsorship

If this is referring to me, I have been against this sponsorship from the beginning. Every news story I read about Russian interference and Alfa Group makes me more dissatisfied with it -- especially this one, since an individual with a known connection to LetterOne has been charged.
by nsb2
Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:57 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: 2018 HSNCT sponsorship
Replies: 37
Views: 24146

Re: 2018 HSNCT sponsorship

A false-statements case has been filed by the FBI against the son-in-law of a LetterOne board member.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ssia-probe
by nsb2
Sun Feb 11, 2018 11:15 pm
Forum: New High School Teams
Topic: Studying History and Art
Replies: 5
Views: 13198

Re: Studying History and Art

First of all, this is a great question! Here are some general methods (other than the ones Jon covered) I used to go from a good player at the end of junior year to a really good player in my senior year: 1. Plan out your studying time for national tournaments (both those happening this season and f...
by nsb2
Tue Feb 06, 2018 1:46 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 Division II SCT: specific question discussion
Replies: 23
Views: 1996

Re: 2018 Division II SCT: specific question discussion

A few more things I remembered from after the tournament: -I understand that the other clues in the Mercury tossup refer exclusively to Mercury, but Urbain Le Verrier is commonly associated with the discovery of Neptune (independently along with John Adams) so it might be misleading to hear his name...
by nsb2
Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:26 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 Division II SCT: specific question discussion
Replies: 23
Views: 1996

Re: 2018 Division II SCT: specific question discussion

Could I see the tossup on Mercury, please?
by nsb2
Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:25 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 SCT general discussion
Replies: 22
Views: 1869

Re: 2018 SCT general discussion

I played D2 SCT at the Stanford site. Here are some observations I wrote down: -There were a lot of questions on musicals. This probably balances out in the long run, since musicals have not been represented at all in other tournaments this year, but it did feel excessive when I played. -There were ...
by nsb2
Sat Feb 03, 2018 12:19 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 NAQT ICT: April 14, Chicago
Replies: 30
Views: 20007

Re: 2018 NAQT ICT: April 14, Chicago

Taken from Fred's post on the HSNCT announcement:

LetterOne is founded and headed by Mikhail Fridman. He also co-founded Alfa-Group, which includes Alfa-Bank. Alfa-Bank is accused of having covert communication with the Trump Organization prior to the 2016 Presidential election.
by nsb2
Tue Jan 30, 2018 2:33 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 ACF Regs packets, recordings, and detailed stats survey
Replies: 67
Views: 32184

Re: Packets, recordings, and detailed stats warm-up survey

I would predict that a large majority of music buzzes (maybe up to 90%) were after the third line or so, even more than for other categories. From personal experience (both from playing the set at UCSD and from watching other teams play), good players were converting music consistently around the fo...
by nsb2
Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:21 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WAO II Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 88
Views: 22081

Re: WAO II Specific Question Discussion

That makes a lot of sense -- I completely forgot about all the other things one could ask about. Thanks!
by nsb2
Sun Jan 28, 2018 3:52 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WAO II Specific Question Discussion
Replies: 88
Views: 22081

Re: WAO II Specific Question Discussion

Can I see the Angolan Civil War tossup? I was surprised that Cuito Canavale (where I buzzed) was still in power, as I'm not sure how many clues one could use after that.
by nsb2
Sun Jan 28, 2018 3:47 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: WAO II Difficulty and General Discussion
Replies: 40
Views: 10162

Re: WAO II Difficulty and General Discussion

I thought some of the ideas in this set were interesting, but there were a few things I thought could be fixed: 1. Some of the tossup answerlines felt too hard (migratory insertion, Gerontion, and mitochondrial inner membrane, for example.) It might be understandable if they went dead on our (Berkel...
by nsb2
Sun Jan 28, 2018 3:26 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 ACF Regionals @ UCSD (1/20/18)
Replies: 3
Views: 5044

Re: 2018 ACF Regionals @ UCSD (1/20/18)

Are there any plans for a detailed OphirStats spreadsheet to be put up, as with other tournaments played using this system?
by nsb2
Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:51 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 ACF Regionals Thanks and General Discussion
Replies: 36
Views: 13963

Re: Thanks and General Discussion

So, if you want to say this year's set was harder, that's fine! I wasn't intending to do any more than make an observation -- I didn't see any issue with the tossups or bonuses themselves. I wrote about my buzz points on last year's set as an example of how I felt the set had gotten harder, so my a...
by nsb2
Mon Jan 22, 2018 3:08 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 ACF Regionals Thanks and General Discussion
Replies: 36
Views: 13963

Re: Thanks and General Discussion

Copying Jon's disclaimer, I'm a freshman with only a limited amount of regs-level experience. I can't speak for all categories, but I also felt the set was a lot harder than last year's, particularly in fine arts. When I played the 2017 set at NASAT tryouts, I was sometimes able to third-line or fou...
by nsb2
Sun Jan 21, 2018 1:29 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 ACF Regionals Global Announcement (1/20/18)
Replies: 43
Views: 51670

Re: 2018 ACF Regionals Global Announcement (1/20/18)

Are there plans for a private discussion forum within the next few days? I didn't see it on the list in my control panel. with modern technology we might even be able to run a public discussion thread I was asking about a private forum in light of the possible continuation of NASAT; ACF Regs was us...
by nsb2
Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:59 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: 2018 ACF Regionals Global Announcement (1/20/18)
Replies: 43
Views: 51670

Re: 2018 ACF Regionals Global Announcement (1/20/18)

Are there plans for a private discussion forum within the next few days? I didn't see it on the list in my control panel.
by nsb2
Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:43 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018
Replies: 4
Views: 3426

Re: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018

Logistical information has just been sent out for the registered teams.
by nsb2
Tue Jan 09, 2018 12:59 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018
Replies: 4
Views: 3426

Re: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018

There's still one spot left in the field, so register soon if you would like to play!

Logistical information will be sent out tomorrow.
by nsb2
Sun Jan 07, 2018 2:28 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: An inexperienced writer among experienced writers
Replies: 11
Views: 6107

Re: An inexperienced writer among experienced writers

Thank you to everyone for your advice -- I have a lot to think about in the next few days.

Mods, you can FZ this.
by nsb2
Sat Jan 06, 2018 12:50 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: An inexperienced writer among experienced writers
Replies: 11
Views: 6107

An inexperienced writer among experienced writers

Today, I began writing questions for a widely mirrored college set. I was asked to contribute a small number of questions to the set; I agreed to do so despite a lack of high-level writing experience, as I wanted to contribute more to the quizbowl community. Shortly after the plan for this tournamen...
by nsb2
Sun Dec 24, 2017 11:28 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018
Replies: 4
Views: 3426

Re: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018

Field (as of 1-8-17):

Loyola (2)
Fremd (2)
Metea Valley
Chicago Christian
Mahomet-Seymour
Sandburg
Stevenson (3)
Byron
by nsb2
Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:52 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018
Replies: 4
Views: 3426

Re: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018

The following teams have pre-registered or expressed interest before this announcement (and thus have first priority for registration): Loyola Fremd Metea Valley Chicago Christian Sandburg Stevenson (2) Any teams on this list that are not planning to attend the tournament should email Dennis Loo at ...
by nsb2
Mon Dec 18, 2017 3:34 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018
Replies: 4
Views: 3426

IMSANITY 5 @ IMSA, 1/13/2018

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) will be hosting IMSANITY 5 on January 13, 2018. The tournament will be running on the IMSANITY set , written mostly by members of the IMSA quizbowl team. Building and parking information will be made available closer to the tournament date. Registr...
by nsb2
Sat Oct 28, 2017 4:15 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Open high school teams playing collegiate tournaments
Replies: 35
Views: 14653

Re: Open high school teams playing collegiate tournaments

I generally agree with the premise of this post (to not allow open or chimera teams in college tournaments), but as a former motivated high school player, I'd like to raise one issue in particular: They [high schoolers] have high school tournaments designed to meet their needs. It seems you're hinti...
by nsb2
Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:46 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Quizbowl and Mental Health
Replies: 30
Views: 25047

Re: Quizbowl and Mental Health

Thank you to Auroni for creating this thread and for everyone else who's responded. I had a similar recent experience to some posters and wanted to offer some advice on this front. At the Stanford mirror of Penn Bowl, just a few days ago, I got very frustrated that we (Berkeley C) lost to our B team...
by nsb2
Thu Oct 19, 2017 3:16 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: HSQBRank 2017-18: Now with a Patreon page!
Replies: 122
Views: 89684

Re: HSQBRank 2017-18: Now with a Patreon page!

Since this news is bound to get spread further and further, and more and more questions are coming my way, I might as well tell it to all: Due to a bad concussion, I am out for the first portion of the season until at least December. I hope to be back for Columbia Winter, but even when I return, I ...
by nsb2
Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:48 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Illinois '17-'18
Replies: 154
Views: 92686

Re: Illinois '17-'18

FYI: IMSA was playing without two A-team players (Becky and Shivani) at Earlybird, so that may have affected their performance.
by nsb2
Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:45 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: FONS III
Replies: 18
Views: 13883

Re: FONS III

El Salvadoreno wrote: I think its wrong to read this as persistence. This is an inability to take criticism.
I agree with the above statement -- I was merely trying to be less overt and state my position in a more constructive way.
by nsb2
Mon Oct 16, 2017 10:37 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: FONS III
Replies: 18
Views: 13883

Re: FONS III

It's hard not to admire your persistence, but I have two suggestions: Since the distribution used in this set is different from what one might find in standard high school sets, you might not want to market this as "another option for teams looking at a Novice competition for the 2017-18 school...
by nsb2
Tue Aug 29, 2017 1:57 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: Preseason Poll
Replies: 37
Views: 20365

Re: Preseason Poll

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea wrote:Minnesota gains John Waldron (and I think someone else)
You're right -- Minnesota also gains solid lit and science player Brian Kalathiveetil.
by nsb2
Mon Aug 28, 2017 3:13 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: FACL 3 -- 8-8-17
Replies: 13
Views: 6126

Re: FACL 3 -- 8-8-17

This packet has been uploaded to the archive; you should be able to find it soon under the FACL listing.

If you have any suggestions regarding this packet, please let me know; I'll likely be writing at least one more packet this year.
by nsb2
Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:02 am
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Preseason Predictions
Replies: 20
Views: 19463

Re: Preseason Predictions

The thing that, for me, really separates TJ from other top teams is the balanced nature of their team, which makes them more, rather than less, reliable.
by nsb2
Wed Aug 23, 2017 1:43 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: The Barbarism of Monetization
Replies: 128
Views: 57261

Re: The Barbarism of Monetization

We believe that a significant portion of our customer base considers older packets to be sufficient substitute goods for newer packets that if older packets were free, people would not buy newer packets. This is not personally the case for me, so I'd like to hear from others in the quizbowl communi...
by nsb2
Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:32 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: The Barbarism of Monetization
Replies: 128
Views: 57261

Re: The Barbarism of Monetization

I appreciate everything NAQT has done for the quizbowl community (which is a lot, even to my limited knowledge) but don't understand why they are so protective of 4-5 year old packets. It seems like the licensing policy regarding school affiliation discourages collaboration between members of the wi...
by nsb2
Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:40 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Preseason Predictions
Replies: 20
Views: 19463

Re: Preseason Predictions

Here's my general ranking of teams for the coming year. Just a caveat: these are my personal opinions based on playing these teams/seeing their stats, and I'd be happy to see surprises in the national circuit this season. I think TJ are an incredibly well-rounded team, and I could see them winning b...
by nsb2
Thu Aug 10, 2017 10:31 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Illinois '17-'18
Replies: 154
Views: 92686

Re: Illinois '17-'18

For those of you that are wondering, I missed Auburn in error; of course they belong in that group.
by nsb2
Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:03 pm
Forum: High school area archives
Topic: Illinois '17-'18
Replies: 154
Views: 92686

Re: Illinois '17-'18

I'm not sure enough about anything to post numerical rankings, but I'd expect the best teams in Illinois this year to be (in no particular order) IMSA, Stevenson, Fremd, OPRF, Auburn, and Barrington. I could also see several of the downstate teams mentioned getting into this group, but it's impossib...
by nsb2
Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:40 am
Forum: College area archives
Topic: FACL 3 -- 8-8-17
Replies: 13
Views: 6126

Re: FACL 3 -- 8-8-17

Update: The field is now closed, and free agents have been assigned to teams. As Michael suggested, this will be played via Discord at 8 PM Central Time today. All seven teams will be playing in one room in a shootout-style format. To access the Discord server, you can go to the following link: http...
by nsb2
Sun Aug 06, 2017 6:17 pm
Forum: College area archives
Topic: FACL 3 -- 8-8-17
Replies: 13
Views: 6126

Re: FACL 3 -- 8-8-17

Mike Bentley wrote:Not sure how much the audience overlaps for this, but my playtest of Eyes 9 is already scheduled for 8/8.
I am aware of this, but 8/8 is the only day I can read this packet for the next few weeks, and several people have indicated that they can't make it until that evening.