HALO at Douglas Freeman (Richmond, VA): May 21

Matt Weiner · Post by **Matt Weiner** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 2:24 pm

In conjunction with the quizbowl team at Douglas Freeman High School, I am now announcing the Hsquizbowl.org Amusingly Late Open (HALO), to be held at Freeman on Saturday, May 21. For those unfamiliar with the immediate area, Freeman is located just blocks to the north of Richmond proper, in Henrico County, and is easily accessible via I-95 for teams outside of the area. Specific driving directions will follow this message shortly.

The field is limited to the first 24 teams to register. At this time, there are no geographic restrictions or limits on the number of teams from one school who can attend, but see below for one restriction based on previous tournaments attended. The cost will be $50 per team, minus $10 from your school's total fee for each buzzer system (working, with eight working activators) that you bring.

This tournament is a late PACE qualifier. The top 4 teams will receive automatic bids to the 2005 PACE National Scholastics Championship (June 11 in Orlando, Florida). In the event that any of the top 4 teams have already qualified twice, those bids will be passed down the standings until 4 new teams receive them. Teams that enter the PACE NSC based on this tournament will of course be exempt from the late-fee rules.

This tournament will use questions previously seen at the following tournaments: UT-Chattanooga's Bob Selcer in October 2004, and West Virginia Wesleyan's Bobcat Bowl 2.0 in February 2005. If you played either of those tournaments, or bought the questions, you are not eligible for this event. The format of these questions is straight tossup/bonus, and we will use the corresponding rules; i.e.: Tossups are worth 10 points with no conferring, bonuses are worth 30 points and conferring is encouraged, matches last for 20 tossups and as many corresponding bonuses as earned. The decision on using bouncebacks on the bonuses will be left up to the preference of a majority of teams.

Each team is guaranteed 7 games (3 brackets of 8) with the top 2 teams from each bracket advancing to four further games of crossover playoffs. The top 4 teams and the top 8 individuals will receive tangible recognition at the tournament. The expected timeframe for the event is 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM for all teams, with playoff teams continuing until 4:00 PM.

If you have any questions or would like to register, e-mail me at [email protected] .

--Matt Weiner
TD, Hsquizbowl.org Amusingly Late Open

Chanman · Post by **Chanman** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:23 pm

So, this will not be the sort of transitioning tournament that was envisioned in the previous thread, but the real deal?

Encyclopedia Brown · Post by **Encyclopedia Brown** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 5:51 pm

I saw people from Spotswood's team today, and they have expressed interest, as has Charlottesville.

MamaFlanagan · Post by **MamaFlanagan** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:26 pm

Being one of those people from Charlottesville who expressed interest, I was wondering if it would be transitional. Assuming our mercurial powers-that-be grant approval, we would bring a fairly young, or at least less experienced team. Our captain and another A-Team member have theatrical obligations and we see the tournament as a chance for next yers A-team to gain some confidence. Anyway, just looking for some info that way

Matt Weiner · Post by **Matt Weiner** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:16 am

I will not be officially limiting the field to returning players, but by the nature of the event and the fact that late-year conflicts are more likely to affect seniors, I expect many of the teams will be juniors and below. As this is the latest tournament on the calendar in Virginia, it is as good a place as any for your possible 05-06 team to start playing together.

Encyclopedia Brown · Post by **Encyclopedia Brown** » Tue Apr 19, 2005 1:47 pm

Our younger team made its debut at the NAQT State tournament recently, and they are ready to compete. Also, you are right, events such as proms and AP exams will be taking their toll on younger players, who will be more than likely consumed by such activities. I have also given advertisements to various coaches I saw at the NAQT tournament, and I heard some possible interest from various schools who were competing there.

Encyclopedia Brown · Post by **Encyclopedia Brown** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 3:35 pm

Is anyone interested in coming to this tournament on May 21? Please contact Matt if you are interested in bringing a team. I know that some schools may have prom that evening, so please plan accordingly.

MamaFlanagan · Post by **MamaFlanagan** » Wed Apr 27, 2005 8:08 pm

Have you sent out e-mails? I'm not sure how many area teams frequent the site. If we have 6 free people that weekend we (Charlottesville) will come (barring objections of coaches).

Encyclopedia Brown · Post by **Encyclopedia Brown** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:24 am

I recently emailed Matt with a list of about 25 coaches from all over Virginia (mostly within the competition range for WTVR's "Battle of the Brains"), and I also suggested that he email Charlottesville about the tournament. Of course, he is available at [email protected]. You could ask a coach at Freeman about the tournament as well. I also made a suggestion that Shaun Pickrell and John Barnes (Gov coach) advertise the tournament, as they would likely get interest from more schools than us. I myself have emailed Clover Hill, STAB, Deep Run, and various other schools in the Richmond area. Some of the coaches I suggested include Meredith Zirkle of Spotswood, Paige Whitten of Mills Godwin, Nancy Kreloff of TJ, and the coaches at Princess Anne, Kecoughtan, and Collegiate, just to name a few. If you are interested, please email Matt at the address I mentioned above, or me at [email protected], and I will forward all information to Matt and our coaches/sponsors. Thank you for your information.

-Dave

STPickrell · Post by **STPickrell** » Sat May 07, 2005 5:44 pm

Dave, did you get my contact list? Email me if you've not, there might be time to get 1-2 more teams.

Matt Weiner · Post by **Matt Weiner** » Tue May 10, 2005 1:07 am

Due to insufficient registration, this tournament is cancelled for the time being. I will be trying to run an event in the Richmond area again in the fall.

Encyclopedia Brown · Post by **Encyclopedia Brown** » Tue May 10, 2005 9:48 am

While I am ceding any authority I have with the team this June, the coaches at Freeman have expressed continuing interest in in hosting a tournament in the coming year. However, I may be a "long-distance consultant" for the team next year, and could be available to read questions.

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