The Quizbowl Resource Center

I am beginning to coordinate the tournament calendar for next year. If you plan to host a tournament or know of anyone who plans to host a tournament, then please send me an email at [email protected]. Thanks!

The minutes of the IHSA Advisory Committee meeting are now posted.

New Rules State:
VII. Rule 3-D (Start of Match)
Proposed Addition
3-D-5 to read: Players must begin the match seated, and must remain seated during toss-ups. The only
time players may stand up during a match is during a bonus (Rule 4-E-4a). If a student requires an
accommodation they should approach the moderator prior to the match. A request form for approval of
player accommodations is available on the IHSA website. (All requests for player accommodations must
be approved by the IHSA office.)
Rationale: Even if a team’s strategy is to have one or more players stand during bonus consultation, all
players must remain seated during toss-ups. Not to do so could lead to unusual situations such as some
players standing and others not; players or entire teams standing in front of their table; players or entire
teams standing on their chairs, and so on

Glad that I won't be doing IHSA next year.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


I just had flashbacks from last Friday's IESA State Finals where an opposing coach wanted my team penalized in some fashion because a player seated on the end looked over at someone and smiled during the reading of a bonus, ergo illegal communication occurred.

I'm sorry, is there some epidemic of standing going on in quizbowl that I have neither seen nor heard of?

If you want to play quiz bowl, you should be just fine with your legs amputated.

The standing issue came up because (and I'm hearing this secondhand from the person who proposed it at the meeting) someone at the IHSA State Series proposed having the whole team stand up during tossups as an intimidation tactic. I don't know whether that proposal was serious or joking, or whether it was a coach, player, or spectator -- if it was a serious coach, and the opposing coach makes an issue of it, the moderator's going to have an annoying hassle on their hands and no clear way of how to settle it. So the rule was proposed, we altered it so that someone who had a good reason to stand could ask to stand, and that was that.

It's one of those rules that clutters the rulebook, but it only took up about 10 minutes of the committee's time, won't actually effect 99.99% of games, and it might save a moderator a weird, confusing confrontation if someone decides to be that particular kind of jerk. Here's hoping that people aren't actually serious about this sort of thing, and that people who joke about it...I don't know, do so more quietly in the future?

This is why we can't have nice things.

Coming soon to a match near you... A coach asking to have a player penalized because he's sitting with a leg tucked under him and thus isn't completely seated.

Gibberish Nonsense wrote:I'm sorry, is there some epidemic of standing going on in quizbowl that I have neither seen nor heard of?

I've seen at least one team stand up in the middle of a match at the HSNCT, but I think it was some sort of lethargy-combating thing. I guess it's fine so long as they can't see the questions.

in on these shenanigans wrote:The standing issue came up because (and I'm hearing this secondhand from the person who proposed it at the meeting) someone at the IHSA State Series proposed having the whole team stand up during tossups as an intimidation tactic. I don't know whether that proposal was serious or joking, or whether it was a coach, player, or spectator -- if it was a serious coach, and the opposing coach makes an issue of it, the moderator's going to have an annoying hassle on their hands and no clear way of how to settle it. So the rule was proposed, we altered it so that someone who had a good reason to stand could ask to stand, and that was that.

It's one of those rules that clutters the rulebook, but it only took up about 10 minutes of the committee's time, won't actually effect 99.99% of games, and it might save a moderator a weird, confusing confrontation if someone decides to be that particular kind of jerk. Here's hoping that people aren't actually serious about this sort of thing, and that people who joke about it...I don't know, do so more quietly in the future?

OH MY GOD HOW DID THEY GET SO MUCH BIGGER ALL OF A SUDDEN I MEAN THEY WERE BEHIND A TABLE FOR AWHILE AND NOW THEY'RE JUST MASSIVE

Who actually comes up with this stuff?

This actually happened at NASAT 2013 when Ladue was down after the first five or six tossups to our Texas team. Granted, clearly the intent was not to intimidate, but rather that Max and Charlie thought it was really funny.

It was actually really funny and Missouri won both the game and the tournament. Maybe seated quizbowl has been wrong all these years.

the return of AHAN wrote:This is why we can't have nice things.

But we can! Things like the proper number of history questions!

Jack--welcome to the boards!

Fred--you'll do anythig to apply your pharmacy degree

The IHSSBCA is now accepting applications for our high school (two) and college (one) liaison positions for the 2015-2016 Academic Year. Prospective applicants are highly encouraged to look through our application guidelines. Applications are due Tuesday, June 9th and can be sent to [email protected].

What are people's hopes/predictions for the Illinois quizbowl circuit this coming year?

bajaj wrote:What are people's hopes/predictions for the Illinois quizbowl circuit this coming year?

IHSA will get rid of the uniform rule?

merv1618 wrote:

bajaj wrote:What are people's hopes/predictions for the Illinois quizbowl circuit this coming year?

IHSA will get rid of the uniform rule?

Hopes, Adam. Not impossible dreams.
Think in terms of hiring a question provider.

bajaj wrote:What are people's hopes/predictions for the Illinois quizbowl circuit this coming year?

Predictions:
Hinsdale Central wins state
People at Barrington including me promise Matthew that they will study and then don't.
IHSA asks about an obscure trig functions
IHSA teaches about Buddhism desiring no comp math tossups is suffering
Hopes:
I actually study
Other people at Barrington besides Matthew study
Masonic questions continue to be good
IHSA questions are not as bad as before....
Our new assistant principle will let us host stuff sorry greys lake Central

the return of AHAN wrote:

merv1618 wrote:

bajaj wrote:What are people's hopes/predictions for the Illinois quizbowl circuit this coming year?

IHSA will get rid of the uniform rule?

Hopes, Adam. Not impossible dreams.
Think in terms of hiring a question provider.

bajaj wrote:hopes

You must feel awfully silly, Jeff.

I am really excited for this year because the circuit will be dominated by juniors, which should make for some very interesting developments. Here are the junior-led teams I am most excited about:

IMSA: Like last year, people are probably expecting a down year for IMSA as they graduate the majority of their A team, including Andrew Salij, who has proven to be one of the top generalists in Illinois history. Nathaniel Smith and Pranav Sivakumar are extremely smart and probably motivated, though, and there is no reason people should count them out of anything. I could see them becoming a fearsome duo of two dominant generalists, though it seems that for the second year in a row, the primary weakness of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy will be... science.

Naperville North: Jakob Myers might as well transform from "THE GREATEST JNAC PLAYER IN HISTORY" into the greatest player in Illinois history, because his intelligence is, to be honest, intimidating. Naperville North's decision to transition to good quizbowl this year is awesome for their program and the Illinois circuit, but bad news for teams like mine who now have to play Jakob with greater regularity, especially as he devours more and more knowledge.

Stevenson: Ali Saeed will lead an extremely motivated group at Stevenson that will have little difficulty returning Stevenson to previous levels of competitiveness. In just one season of "rebuilding," Stevenson already made rapid strides as their younger players started to take on an increased role in studying and attending tournaments, resulting in higher finishes at tournaments and closer games as the year progressed.

Barrington: Last season, Matthew Lehmann managed to singlehandedly lift Barrington to a higher level than it had been the previous year, overcoming the loss of Pranav Sivakumar by simply studying a ton. At PACE NSC, his teammates were getting powers, and when Barrington's science and history holes are adequately covered, they will be contenders at all tournaments they attend.

Hinsdale Central: Our B team seems unmotivated and not entirely willing to capitalize on the collective talent of its members, but a full Hinsdale Central B could be a top 10 Illinois team. Harrison Wang's decision to take on more of a math/chemistry/Bible specialist role as opposed to a generalist role appears to have paid off immensely, as evidenced by his 10 powers (and only 2 incorrect interrupts) as our A team's fourth scorer at PACE NSC, though this does put more pressure on his teammates to cover the rest of the distribution. Those teammates include Atharv Garje, who placed 14th in the Varsity division of the National Geography Olympiad as a sophomore, and Michael Noonan, the defending Junior Varsity History Bee State Champion. The good news is that even though it is extremely rare for all three of them to be available on a given date, each one of them would provide solid support filling in as fourth scorer on the A team.

Hinsdale Central: Wins state

Barrington: Hopefully, we will get a lot of new players next year (about 25 people signed up at our school's club expo). Our science holes should be covered quite well by John (there is a reason his pic is a molecule), and Chris (who should, along with John, also be able to fill the math hole left by Bryce). I believe Matthew, Chris, Wilder, John, and myself will be studying visual arts so hopefully that hole will be filled. John is working really hard to fill the history hole, and Wilder and myself are working with him. Of course, Matthew will be studying so he will continue to be Matthew.

IMSA: After playing with Pranav for two years in middle school, I know he will be able to fill the hole left by Salij. Nathaniel will be doing the exact same thing as Pranav, and the two of them are fearsome generalists. Expect great things from IMSA.

I think Hinsdale Central will be the best team in the state, but don't count out Auburn, IMSA, and Naperville North to contend for tournament titles and high placements. Barrington, Stevenson, and a few others could break into that tier as well with explosive summer improvement.

Craise Finton Kirk Royal Academy of Arts wrote:I think Hinsdale Central will be the best team in the state, but don't count out Auburn, IMSA, and Naperville North to contend for tournament titles and high placements. Barrington, Stevenson, and a few others could break into that tier as well with explosive summer improvement.

Based on how committed Ankush Bajaj is to studying, i wouldn't be surprised if they were even a top five team in the country early in the year.

Auburn returns the far and away best player in the state. Depending on his improvement, Auburn could be the best in the state by the end of the year.

heterodyne wrote:Auburn returns the far and away best player in the state. Depending on his improvement, Auburn could be the best in the state by the end of the year.

I'm pretty sure Usman graduated, actually

MorganV wrote:

heterodyne wrote:Auburn returns the far and away best player in the state. Depending on his improvement, Auburn could be the best in the state by the end of the year.

I'm pretty sure Usman graduated, actually

Wait, really? I retract everything I have said

heterodyne wrote:Auburn returns the far and away best player in the state. Depending on his improvement, Auburn could be the best in the state by the end of the year.

This is true, however keep in mind that God and co. beat Auburn at hsnct when it had both Cole t and Evan Panda. Given that all four of Hinsdale's members will be studying compared to what is essentially a one man team, i'm saying that Auburn would be the underdog compared to Hinsdale for the state title.

At Stevenson, we will attempt to restore our previous level of competitiveness. If my teammates remain committed, I believe we could eventually be the best team from the Vernon Township area. Right now, the only subjects I feel we have a strong control over are classic & alternative rock, post-1965 film, Japanese culture, Catcher in the Rye, and IHSA tossups (but only the anti-pyramidal Ralph Waldo Emerson ones). We are tirelessly studying to cover our gaps. Except me, I'm vacationing in Europe. Now, my predictions for next year:

B.J. Ryan will carry Hinsdale to unforeseeable heights. Likewise, Hinsdale's official history bowl team will avenge its loss against James Zhou, carried of course by Ankush Bajaj, a player with deep history knowledge. Sunny Chen will most likely stop studying quiz bowl to fully dedicate himself to TEAMS.

IMSA will actually attend ATROPHY, because the tournament directors finally acknowledge that the NHBB is a thing, and both tournaments no longer conflict.

Barrington HS will schedule its finals a week earlier, so they will again not attend HSNCT. But don't worry, they could still attend NAC.

For the 2nd year in a row, Naperville North will in fact confer during bonuses, except for Jakob Myers, and yet he will still answer them alone. And very well.

Loyola will continue to dominate all tournaments in which they can place themselves in the second-to-highest division.

Protobowl will add at least 1 more word to its banned list, because the "N" word isn't the only word too inappropriate for discussing your distaste of 1997 NSC tossups.

brownian motion wrote:Likewise, Hinsdale's official history bowl team will avenge its loss against James Zhou, carried of course by Ankush Bajaj, a player with deep history knowledge. Sunny Chen will most likely stop studying quiz bowl to fully dedicate himself to TEAMS.

This is actually untrue. Sunny and I are now dedicated members of Team Zhou B.

Would there be significant (or at least moderate) interest in a tournament run in September? Has Illinois ever had tournaments that early in the past?

The IHSSBCA usually has SchoBowlFest on the last Saturday in September, which takes out the most active coaches. I don't know of any tournaments that have ever run in September.

UPDATE: Somebody with a better memory than me pointed out that two tournaments were held on September 26, 2009: Septemberist at St. Viator run by Dan Don and Fall Novice Mirror at UIUC. I should have remembered this, since I was at the tournament called Septemberist.

no ice wrote:Would there be significant (or at least moderate) interest in a tournament run in September? Has Illinois ever had tournaments that early in the past?

Would this be for the LIMIT mirror tournament?

it looks like limit won't be finished until around the end of november (but we're nearing 50% completion )
edit: this is inaccurate and we'll likely be finished earlier

Okay it looks like our September tournament might actually happen. I know that many teams may not have started meeting yet, so we'll be aiming for a small field. We hope players are motivated enough to attempt to make it to our tournament even if their coaches are unavailable.

An official tournament announcement will come after we work out the details.

Two Illinois teams in the Morlan preseason top 25: Hinsdale (2) and Barrington (9).

http://hsqbrank.com/2015/08/24/2015-preseason-top-25/

That Barrington projection is heavily dependent on whether Wilder and Peter are ready to provide substantial support to Matthew (and Christopher must be a factor in any noise made in IHSA State play). If so, it's going to be a great next two years.

the return of AHAN wrote:That Barrington projection is heavily dependent on whether Wilder and Peter are ready to provide substantial support to Matthew (and Christopher must be a factor in any noise made in IHSA State play). If so, it's going to be a great next two years.

I will admit that both Wilder and I will need to pull together our study habits. John has become a very impressive player, especially in the sciences, so he is a major asset.

bajaj wrote:Two Illinois teams in the Morlan preseason top 25: Hinsdale (2) and Barrington (9).

http://hsqbrank.com/2015/08/24/2015-preseason-top-25/

Ah, the power of returning players.

Can teams qualify for PACE NSC by doing well at Kickoff? Our school cannot attend HSNCT because of graduation that weekend...

You should be able to. That's how we qualified sophomore year.

Now that all the December tournaments are finished, here are my thoughts on the state of QB in Illinois.

Mid-Season "Power Rankings":

1. Hinsdale Central A:

TEAMS (without Sunny): 25.53 PPB on VTACO
Earlybird: 24.50 PPB on BISB
ACF Fall: 24.37 PPB
Ultima (Ankush solo prelim.): 25.45 PPB on BASK
NTV Uber: 16.80 PPB on Missouri Open

As many had predicted, Hinsdale Central A has been the best team in the state this season. While the full A team has not played together many times this season, no one doubts their number one status as they consistently have the highest number of powers and PPB totals. The team posted impressive numbers at NTV Uber on the incredibly difficult Missouri Open. Ankush Bajaj notably had 13 powers (tied with Cole Timmerwilke for the most), showing not only the width, but also the depth of knowledge that he (and HC) possesses. The emergence of Ankush has finally made HC elite, while Harrison Wang can provide great support when needed. Of course, NAQT & Geo specialist BJ Ryan continues to be BJ. I think their weakness is still their well-known penchant for negging, and this has and will continue to cost them a few upset losses. But overall, Summy (and HC) goes to TEAMS, and wins.

2. Auburn A:

Earlybird: 22.80 PPB on BISB
ACF Fall: 23.46 PPB
Kickoff: 24.38 PPB
HFT: 22.93 PPB
Ultima (w/o Cole): 22.64 PPB on BASK

Without Evan Pandya holding him down (?), Cole Timmerwilke has raised his PPG to the triple digits. There is no doubt he is the greatest individual player in the state who was lead scorer at every tournament he has so far played in. Yet he could still use some help. Freshman Ethan Strombeck blew everyone out of the water at his two novice tournaments this season and has found a niche in fine arts, while providing some history knowledge as well. Junior Henry Roe is probably one of the more underrated players. He has a strong grasp on literature, geography, and visual art and is probably the strongest architecture player in the state. The Knights will need Strombeck & Roe to improve not only to finish this year strong, but also to prepare for the future without Cole. We saw a glimpse of the duo at work at Ultima; each recorded almost identical statlines with good buzzer discipline (Ethan technically had zero negs the whole tournament).

3. Stevenson A:

TEAMS: 22.56 PPB on VTACO
Earlybird: 18.83(!) PPB on BISB
Kickoff: 21.86 PPB
HFT: 21.93 PPB

Classic rock enthusiast Ali Saeed has become a very strong generalist, with very deep literature knowledge which will only grow deeper once he starts flashcarding. Stevenson also boasts a wealth of history knowledge, led by Kazuma, Marco, and of course, Ali. Nathan Cha covers fine arts, and so does Young Lee of (sometimes) B team. Young also is probably the strongest philo player in the state. Interestingly, Stevenson has relatively low PPB for a team of its stature but has managed to consistently beat other strong teams at least once each tournament. However, that anomaly will disappear as the team matures and improves. Stevenson also has very promising players currently on its B team, meaning its future is bright.

4. IMSA A:

TEAMS: 24.04 PPB on VTACO
Earlybird: 22.57 PPB on BISB
ACF Fall (w/o Pranav): 18.81 PPB
Kickoff: 23.94 PPB
HFT (Mike): 19.27 PPB
Ultima (w/o Pranav); 24.65 PPB on BASK

IMSA just never goes away, does it? Senior captain Mike Etzkorn is one of the most improved players this year and has cemented himself as one of the top four literature players in the state (if you didn't know, that would be Ankush, Ali, Matthew, and Mike). Like Hinsdale, though, IMSA rarely has the full A team in one place, but when they do, they are a force to be reckoned with. Pranav and Nathaniel provide strong support for this team, and they are still only juniors.

5. Barrington A:

Earlybird: 21.94 PPB on BISB
ACF Fall: 21.84 PPB
Kickoff: 21.48 PPB
HFT: 21.17 PPB

Horse has finally found the second scorer he needed in John Waldron, another contender for Most Improved Player. John's science knowledge has helped significantly, and Matthew Lehmann continues to be Matthew Lehmann. Barrington's greatest weakness is still probably history; Wilder's progress will determine how high the ceiling is for this team.

6. Naperville North A:

ACF Fall: 19.80 PPB
Kickoff: 24.86 PPB

Jakob Myers is very strong, and unbelievably strong on NAQT questions. However, North needs to show up more to tournaments and find a second scorer to be a true contender. On a good set (aka NAQT), Myers & co. can create some interesting upsets (vs. Auburn at Fremd last year), but ultimately are not in the same elite category as the teams mentioned above.

7. Homewood-Flossmoor A:

TEAMS: 18.89 PPB on VTACO
Kickoff: 21.55 PPB
HFT: 18.75 PPB

The Gislason-Hamer combo is deadly and extremely disciplined at the buzzer. Michael is a strong generalist, and Lily is one of the stronger literature players I have played against. Just assume that once they buzz, they will get that tossup.

8. Macomb A:

ACF Fall: 18.33 PPB

Lucas Williams is a very good generalist and the top scorer at this year's NTV Standard, which he and fine arts specialist Will Bordowitz won this year. Zach Sutton provides history and pop culture (NAQT) support.

Other Notable Teams:

Hinsdale Central B: The roster varies for this team, but Harrison Wang and sometimes BJ, along with Atharv and Michael Noonan, make up a very strong squad, especially in history.

Stevenson B: Olivia Lamberti seems like she never negs, and at this point, she is the second best freshman in the state behind Strombeck. Conrad is one of the best geography players, while Young (of sometimes A team) covers FA and philo. Deepak helps out with his myth and science knowledge. Specialization done right.

Latin: Simon Ricci is a great generalist who does not neg. Tatiana Novak provides support.

WWS A: We definitely improved this year, but have much to cover especially in science, FA, and poetry. I am very happy with our 19.43 PPB at HFT though and the 20+ PPB we achieved at multiple tournaments.

OPRF: Specialization seems to work for Pine Garden Stream Woods, which notably won Ultima Standard with a 22.01 PPB.

UC Lab: Lauren Onel has made huge strides in ability this year and has support from FA & science player Harry Ni.

St. Ignatius: Jack Skalitzky can play, as he led scoring at Fenwick Kickoff. They don't show up often though.

Carbondale: Jonathan Huh still leads a strong team, but he probably misses Mahir.

Metea Valley: Arpan and Harsha lead a strong team that is slightly weaker than last year's iteration.

Loyola A: Michael Finnegan is a strong history player with support from Jack Maher and co.

Fremd A: In the absence of Jennie Yang, Fremd is solid but not spectacular.

Bloomington A: The Purple Raiders return IL's best FA player in Meredith Pounds, while Hanson Hao is the biggest supporting player. Obviously, Bloomington is not as strong as last year, but is a regional power nonetheless.

I hope I didn't forget/offend anyone. Feel free to make suggestions/complaints etc.

You forgot Bloomington, which seems to be rebuilding pretty well

randomguy1997 wrote:
Hinsdale Central B: The roster varies for this team, but Harrison Wang and sometimes BJ, along with Atharv and Michael Noonan, make up a very strong squad, especially in history.

This is (sadly) probably not going to be a thing anymore because I'm getting pretty busy with other stuff and will probably take a break from nonconference quizbowl for a while

noobynoob wrote:You forgot Bloomington, which seems to be rebuilding pretty well

Added Bloomington.

noobynoob wrote:You forgot Bloomington, which seems to be rebuilding pretty well

UChiLab should probably be higher up on that list, if you were putting the "other notable teams" in order of strength - they could definitely beat a couple of the teams you put higher up, and they do have interesting upsets from time to time - but other than that, a great analysis of the current usual suspects.

youngflee wrote:UChiLab should probably be higher up on that list, if you were putting the "other notable teams" in order of strength

The Notable Teams section has the particular order of "whichever team came to my mind first". I do think that UC Lab has produced the greatest upsets in our state so far this season.

Good job Illinois for having so many teams in the top 25

#2 - Hinsdale Central A
#6 - Auburn A
#15 - IMSA A
#17 - Naperville North A
#18 - Stevenson A
#22 - Barrington A

I've gotten a number of e-mails asking, so for slightly better exposure:

We are still planning on having a Team Illinois selection event on February 14th at U of I, as has been done in years past. As we've stated before, Illinois will register if and only if the field is of a significant size (12 or more teams, which is what HSAPQ has said is their minimum field size to run anyway) and with a significant number of highly-competitive teams. Right now, NASAT has 7 teams registered; I'm hopeful that more states sign up, and soon.

If HSAPQ has canceled the tournament prior to February 14th, we will still run the selection event, so as to honor a Team Illinois. (I've never been a fan of what happened in 2009, when we stopped going to Panasonic and just didn't name a team.)

I encourage all interested players to e-mail me at [email protected] so that we can plan the selection event.

Today's the no-late-penalty deadline for signing up Bowl teams for the NHBB IL State Championships next Saturday @ Loyola; I'd love to see a couple more teams sign up. (Individuals can sign up for the Bee or qualifying exams on the day-of.) If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at [email protected].

In addition, I'm still taking applications to attend the Team IL tryout on February 14th at U of I; just e-mail me at [email protected] to save a spot. I'll e-mail everyone a confirmation and details once they're finalized, hopefully early next week.