The Quizbowl Resource Center

ANNOUNCEMENT
I’m very pleased to announce that this year's NAQT Illinois State Championship will take place on Saturday, February 13, 2016 on the campus of the University of Illinois. This event is jointly hosted by the University of Illinois Academic Buzzer Team and Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association. I have the honor of directing this tournament once again.

As with the previous 11 iterations, this year's NAQT Illinois State Championship will be the best venue of competition for Illinois’ very best teams. We award prestigious state titles - both overall and Small School - as well as bids for both national tournaments, PACE NSC and NAQT HSNCT, and we are happy to accept any excellent team, regardless of where in Illinois they happen to be from. You can thus expect the highest level of competition, and commensurate moderation, facilities, and questions from this event, which will also serve as the greatest preparation for other state and national championships.

QUALIFICATION, REGISTRATION & FIELD
To qualify for the Illinois NAQT State Championship, your team must finish in the top 25% at a high school varsity event (tournament, conference, or league;) or in the top 10% at an event with a restricted field, like a turnabout tournament (freshman/sophomore-only events are not qualifiers.) If all of the otherwise-qualifying teams from an event were Large Schools by NAQT's definition, then the highest-finishing team from a Small School also qualifies, so long as they finished in the top half of the tournament. Schools may qualify as many teams as the maximum number from that school that met the above criteria at any single tournament.

Tyler Vaughan of the IHSSBCA is doing the service of finding, verifying and contacting qualified teams. If you qualify, including if you have received notification from IHSSBCA, you may register via NAQT's system by clicking here. To register, you'll need to make an NAQT account unless you already have one.

The field is tentatively capped at 36 teams - check NAQT's site for the current field status. I am aggressively attempting to increase the field cap and will do so as soon as I can secure enough staff. Qualified registrants below the cap will enter the field on a first come, first served basis. Teams above the cap will be added to a standby list. If and as I am able to increase the cap, I reserve the right to admit further teams in the order that I deem best for the tournament, which may not be the order of addition to standby list. Thus, in order to guarantee your spot, please register via NAQT's system as soon as you can!

If you are not (yet) qualified but wish to request a wildcard bid, please e-mail us. For other registration and qualification questions, especially if you think you have qualified but cannot register, contact Tyler Vaughan.

TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS, RULES & FORMAT
This year's NAQT Illinois State Championship will be played on NAQT's 2016 Division II SCT set. Compared to an IS set, this is somewhat harder, contains more rounds, and has no computation tossups (like HSNCT) or bonuses (unlike HSNCT; and further, the SCT set may contain bonus parts that require computation, but no entire bonuses,) but is otherwise substantially similar.

This tournament will be played under NAQT rules, including timed play. As they were last year, halves will be 10 minutes in length, as at SCT, as the questions are designed to use that timing.

The format of the NAQT Illinois State Championship will depend on the field size, so I will announce it nearer the event. If possible, I hop to use a seeded, record-matching card system (a la HSNCT,) with re-bracketed playoffs. Meaningful record ties will be played off rather than broken statistically.

LOCATION & TRAVEL
The NAQT Illinois State Championship will take place at David Kinley Hall at the University of Illinois. Free weekend parking is available nearby in Lots E2 & E3 and several other places nearby. If you have any travel questions, including requests for directions to the tournament via public transit, please contact us.

DISCOUNTS & FEES
The registration fee for the NAQT Illinois State Championship is $75 for each team. Available discounts are: $5 for each working buzzer system and $10 for each qualified reader who is able to read for the whole tournament (to be clear: we'll also pay any staffers brought by teams - the discount is for teams helping us to locate staffers and bringing them to the tournament.) Obviously, our tournament can’t happen without working buzzer systems or able staff, so please bring as many as you can! You can see more information from NAQT's site.

Checks for registration fees should be made out to the IHSSBCA. If you wish to pay in advance, please contact us for the address. Otherwise, payment is due at the start of the tournament. You'll receive an invoice by e-mail after you register.

CALL FOR STAFF
The NAQT Illinois State Championship can’t happen without staff. Fortunately, our state has a large, able and supportive corps of tournament staffers. If you are one, please register to help at this tournament through Google forms as soon as you can. Staffers will receive monetary compensation ($40 for a qualified, full time moderator) as well as food. I may also be able to assist with travel and even lodging. If you have any questions or want to sign up to staff, please contact us.

MORE INFORMATION
You can post any questions not otherwise addressed here: I'll check this thread and reply daily. You can also contact us by e-mail. Please check this thread for general updates, and check your e-mail for items specific to you.

SUMMARY
NAQT Illinois State Championship is 2/13 at the University of Illinois. Register teams through NAQT's site. Register to staff by filling in a brief Google form. Post questions, or e-mail us with them.

(Accidental post...)

It's less than a week before the start of the tournament, so let me update you. Please note that all the information up-thread is still useful and relevant and I'll avoid repeating it to the extent possible, so it's a good idea to give that another read.

TRANSPORTATION
The tournament is still in David Kinley Hall (DKH,) near Sixth Street and Gregory Drive in Urbana - click here for Google Maps directions. If Google can't get you here, please contact us for help, including if you need help getting to the tournament via public transit.

DKH touches two large parking lots, E2 & E3, where you can park at any metered spot - those are free to the public on weekends. Note, I'm talking about metered spots, not spots with blue signs indicating they are reserved 24/7. Do not park in any spot that has a blue sign spot saying that it is rented 24/7 or you are likely to be towed! Lot E2 also has an inner area with a sign indicating no public parking on weekends, but per the University Parking Department, you may park at metered spots there, too. There's also limited street parking on Sixth Street and Loredo Taft Drive.

LODGING
The Illini Union Hotel has rooms in easy walking distance to DKH held just for you! Call 217-244-8792 and mention "Scholastic Bowl" to get one.
Should those rooms fill or if you prefer a brand new, rather nice hotel, there are also rooms available at the nearby TownePlace Suites, also walking distance to DKH. To get one of those, call 217-344-1600 and once again mention "Scholastic Bowl."

CHECK-IN & INITIAL MEETING
Teams will check in with Tyler Vaughan of the IHSSBCA and University of Illinois ABT starting at 8:00 outside 114 DKH. At that time, you'll receive your schedule and other information as well as a card indicating what to do with your buzzer systems (if any.) If you haven't paid in advance, you should make payment at registration, or confirm with Tyler other arrangements you've made in advance.

Inside room 114, we'll have a brief meeting for teams at 8:40, and then games will commence as soon as possible, but not later than 9:00. Teams should plan to arrive by 8:35 at absolute latest. If your team isn't here by 8:35 and you haven't let Tyler know where you are and when to expect you (check your e-mail for Tyler's number, in case of emergency) expect to miss out on important information, or even forfeit a game.

FORMAT & END TIMES
We're currently on my ideal number of 40 teams. That means our format will begin with a phase of 5 pools of 8 which play a round robin (7 rounds.) We'll then break for lunch for at least an hour, and longer for teams who don't have a tiebreaker to play. I'll post more on the rest of the schedule shortly.
Lunch should be around 12:30, so eat a big breakfast and bring snacks if you're used to eating earlier than that. Play should wrap up for most teams around 4:00. Finals and awards should conclude by 5:30 and will be played mostly in room 114.

INVOICES & RECEIPTS
I've e-mailed all coaches an invoice, except those who had already paid as of last night. If you didn't get your invoice, need an updated or corrected invoice, or need something else in that way like a paper invoice at check-in or receipt, let us know. Please do be prepared to pay at check-in, or make other arrangements with us in advance.

ROSTERS
Almost all teams have already submitted a roster through NAQT's site but those who hadn't got an e-mail from me a little while ago. Please check your roster and make sure it's correct by close of business Friday. This will greatly ease our running of the event and shouldn't take you more than a minute or two!

QUALIFICATION
I'm happy to announce that this tournament is PACE Gold Certified, which means that we qualify additional teams for the 2016 PACE NSC in Chicago.

As ever, please post in this thread with questions of general interest and send me an e-mail with anything particular to you. Thanks, see you in a few days!

Here are a couple answers to questions I've received recently:
1. "How hard is Division II SCT?"
While I summarized this upthread relative to your average IS Set, and that's certainly instructive, you can get more information here.
2. "Is the 7 rounds just the initial part of the schedule?"
Yes! We're playing all that before lunch. Awesome, huh? There will be 3-5 more rounds minimum for all teams after that, and then maybe a third phase or finals. Stay tuned!

According to my calculations, the following schools are Small Schools per NAQT's definition and thus their teams are eligible for our Small School title on Saturday:
Warrensburg-Latham (241)
Morrison (246)
Piasa Southwestern (370)
Greenville (407)
Macomb (434).

(The parenthetical figures are the school's ADE 10-12.) If you feel this is in error, let me know and I'll fix it!

The schedule is (at last, back once again!) up and available to view (and note that versions from earlier than 23:00 tonight will have the Phase I schedule correct, but the format substantially wrong!) If you spot any problems with it, let me know.

Also, our plan is to use Neg5 for stats. Check those out here. They should be nearly live throughout the day, so you can easily follow along from anywhere!

We are getting ready to start the afternoon session in Urbana, and it has been a great tournament, so far!

Undefeated pool champions are Hinsdale Central A, Auburn, Stevenson A, IMSA, and Naperville North.

The top individual in the morning was Jakob Myers of Naperville North with 167.14 PPG. Cole Timmerwilke of Auburn got to 127.14 PPG. Also scoring at 80 PPG were: Jonathan Suh of Wheaton Warrenville South (99.29), Ali Saeed of Stevenson A (89.29), Lucas Williams of Macomb (82.14), and Lauren Onel of Chicago Lab A (80).

Is there a link to the afternoon pools?

Is it possible to see afternoon stats?

A great day of quizbowl looks like it is getting ready to end with a bang! We have just concluded the first game of a best of three final, with Hinsdale Central taking the last two tossups to claim the first game by ten points. Great play on both sides! Game two starting in seconds!

Game 2 is over ... and we do not have a state champion yet! Auburn storms back for a big win ... 520-295. Game 3 is coming up next.

Game 3 is at the half, and we aren't close to a decision ... Auburn sweeps the penultimate TU/B to take a 10 point lead, only to see Hinsdale Central take the final tossup of the half and sweep to restore a 30 point lead. An outstanding final!

This was a true competition of champions. Auburn only started to edge away at question 21. Auburn edges Hinsdale Central, 420-355, in a game that was much closer than that.

Truly a phenomenal series of matches. Both teams were worthy teams.

As Tom said, Auburn High School of Rockford overcame Hinsdale Central High School A in the 3rd and final game of a best-of-3 finals. Congratulations to the Knights for holding the Egan Trophy in a series of most thrilling games! It was a special honor for me to read them and direct the tournament of which they were the culmination.

In the Small School division, Macomb High School A was a very worthy champion, having finished alone in the top Tier of Phase II. The runner up was Southwestern High School A of Piasa.

A full wrap will be my Valentine's day present to quizbowl. For now, you can view the full stats (care of Tom and Brad McLain - thanks, gentlemen!)

This Saturday, I had the great honor to direct this year's IHSSBCA/NAQT Illinois State Championship at the University of Illinois. Congratulations to our State Champions, the Knights of Auburn High School of Rockford (Cole Timmerwilke, Henry Roe, Ethan Strombeck - Coach Linda Greene!) Though undermanned, Auburn came out on top of a really formidable field of 40 teams to retain the William & Janet Egan Memorial Trophy.

Replicating last year's order of finish, second overall was the Red Devils of Hinsdale Central High School A (Ankush Bajaj, Sunny Chen, James Zhou, B.J. Ryan - Coach Alan McCloud) and third was the Titans of Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy of Aurora (Michael Etzkorn, Nathaniel Smith, Pranav Sivakumar, Becky Mathew - Coach Mike Kolton.) Phases I & II finished with 4 blind packets, Auburn and Hinsdale Central A having 0 losses and IMSA having 1, so the teams were re-seeded by fewest losses, then PPB, to play double-elimination games ("So much quizbowl!") Hinsdale Central A (0 losses, 23.2 PPB) thus played IMSA (1 loss) and won to force a best-of-3 finals against Auburn (0 losses, 23.8 PPB.) Hinsdale Central A took the first game of that series, but Auburn rallied to win the second and third games and take the laurels.

In the Small School division, the Bombers of Macomb Senior High School A (Lucas Williams, William Bordowicz, Zach Sutton, Micah Flores, Gabrielle Torrance, Jared Rhoads - Coach Suellyn Rieckelman,) held the title as the only Small School team to make the upper Tier of Phase II. The Birds of Southwestern High School A of Piasa (Kaeden Kessinger, Jacob Simmons, Jonathan Tutterow, Brandon Wyatt - Coach Matt Hasquin) repeated as runners up.

The All-Tournament Teams, based on points per game (PPG) in Phase I (7 rounds,) were:
FIRST TEAM:
Jakob Myers of Naperville North High School (167.14 PPG)
Cole Timmerwilke of Auburn High School (127.14 PPG)
Jonathan Suh of Wheaton Warrenville South High School (99.29 PPG)
Ali Saeed of Adlai E. Stevenson High School A (89.29 PPG)
Lucas Williams of Macomb Senior High School A (82.14 PPG)
SECOND TEAM:
Lauren Onel of University (of Chicago) High School A (80 PPG)
Simon Ricci of Latin School of Chicago (77.41 PPG)
Jonathan Huh of Carbondale Community High School (77.14 PPG)
Matthew Lehmann of "Lake County Academy" (75.71 PPG)
Mark Thomas Patterson of O'Fallon Township High School (73.57 PPG)
(Honorable mention to Iain Carpenter of Mahomet-Seymour High School (73.33 PPG,) whose P/TUH was in the top 10 and who thus missed the above honors by tenths of a PPG.)

As posted above, full results are available from Neg 5. Corrections (misspelled names, mis-scored rounds, etc.) may be addressed by e-mail.

I hope you'll joing me in offering fullsome thanks and acknowledgement to the tournament staff:
Carolyn Aiken (Morrison H.S.)
Tim Coughlan
Ritu Dave (Centennial H.S.)
Alex Dzurick (Illinois ABT)
Tom Egan
Ryan Fedewa (Stevenson H.S.)
Michael Feltes
Brad Fischer (Keith Country Day Sch.)
Alex Fregeau (Illinois ABT)
Teja Guntupalli (Centennial H.S.)
Matt Hasquin (Southwestern H.S.)
Huy Huynh (Champaign Central H.S.)
Randy Janson (Centennial H.S.)
Jen Jaroch (Bloomington H.S.)
Zeno Jo (Centennial H.S.)
Ike Jose (Illinois ABT)
Varun Kala (Centennial H.S.)
Anne Kidwell (Charleston H.S.)
Erika Knolhoff (Greenville H.S.)
Gary Liu (Illinois ABT)
Sharon Lorinskas (Carbondale H.S.)
Bradley McLain (Illinois ABT)
Peter Miller (Illinois ABT)
Andrew Nadig
Shayaan Naseer
Victor Niu (Illinois ABT)
Zachary Pease (Illinois ABT)
Vikram Ramavarapu (Centennial H.S.)
Michael Stephens (Quincy H.S.)
Kristin Strey (Winnebago H.S.)
Andy Sun (Illinois ABT)
Donald Taylor
Alison Tomchik
Hollee Trent (Champaign Central H.S.)
Tyler Vaughan (Illinois ABT)
Steven Vo (Illinois ABT)
Andrew Wang (Illinois ABT)
Justin Wang (Centennial H.S.)
Yu Xia (Centennial H.S.)

As you can see, many coaches, players on local college and high school teams, and just all around good people did a ton of hard, difficult work all day to bring you this tournament. While the excellence of your play and satisfaction at a job well done are excellent recompense, I know that my best motivation is your thanks, and I suspect everyone named above feels the same. I know these guys never get enough thanks and praise from me, so I hope you'll help me by thanking them the next time you see 'em!

While everyone did plenty of excellent work, these staffers are due special commendation:
Alison Tomchik (control room, stats, catering)
Tom Egan & Brad McLain (stats, control room)
Tyler Vaughan (qualification; assistant TD: teams)
Andrew Wang (assistant TD: staff)
Andrew Nadig (dove down from Wisconsin and slept on my couch just because I needed him!)

Extra special thanks to:
Centennial High School (as you can see, the majority of the Chargers were working when they could have been playing.)
Champaign Central High School and coach LaDonna Fletcher (thanks for all the staffers!)
University of Illinois F&S, Parking, etc.
NAQT

Good luck to everyone for the rest of the season. See you again next year!

(And apologies for the late Valentine's Day present; I've been laid up with a dodgy lat for the past couple days - never get old, kids!)

Just want to give some shout-outs to people (it's a pretty common thing we do in SSBM tournaments, and I'm not sure why it's not done more here):

Auburn - Well done, Cole. Despite having your worst game against us (which was still a really good game for you), you ended up pulling through. Mad props to Henry and Ethan for some impressive buzzes to clutch the victory.

HC - Ankush is a busta who frauds all his lit. In all seriousness, you guys played really well as always. I didn't see the games against Auburn, so I can't really comment on those.

IMSA - Pranav Sivakumar actually showed up to something, and we had a decent result. I'm really fortunate to have teammates who studied some things. Definitely wouldn't have made it this far without them.

Naperville North - Didn't get a chance to see you guys play today, but Jakob Meyers ppg was scary high. Look forward to seeing you guys at IHSA Sectionals!

Lake County - Didn't get to play you guys either. RIP Horse. I'm not sure how you guys played throughout the day, but an impressive result nonetheless.

Macomb A - That game was scary close. All of you gave us a real run for our money. It's nice to see you still playing Lucas (still would've had that neg prize at ACF if you didn't show up). I imagine William did great on music as usual.

Stevenson A - Ali, gj beating me to lit that I should know. It's a shame that there's no time to think after buzzing (but I guess it's still a good system). Also, my snapchat didn't send ): Young and Kazuma seem to be contributing a lot more, so props to them as well.

HF A - Michael, you and Lily, are super good, especially Lily w/ lit. I just happened to catch a good packet haha. Usually our games are somewhat closer than that.

UC Lab - Good job, Lauren. You guys seemed to play well today getting some key wins. I again think that our games would be closer had I and Pranav not caught such a good packet.

Meta Valley - Didn't get to see you guys play, but look forward to seeing you at Masonic!

U of I Lab - Getting a win against WWS is no easy feat. You guys also seem to spread the points around too. Keep up the good work.

Stevenson B - That game was so close which is both really good on your team's part and really bad on ours. Unfortunate negs, Deepak. Hope to see some of you move up to A-team in the future.

WWS - Didn't seem to be your day Jsuh, best of luck at the other state tournaments, nats and of course yale ;)

Huge shout out to the staff and Sorice for helping to make this happen.

Joker wrote: WWS - Didn't seem to be your day Jsuh, best of luck at the other state tournaments, nats and of course yale ;)

Thanks for the shoutout Mike. The biggest thing I learn from going to these tournaments is that I have so much more to learn.
Of course, congrats to you and IMSA's excellent performance as well. Your improvement this year has been quite remarkable.