2009 NTAE

[harpersferry]

Your conclusions are very close to what I concluded last year. Awful matches, but fun other than that. The cons of this tournament are killing it because it is out of touch with the Nationals-level quizbowl community. As its field and budget (and therefore fun) shrink, fewer teams will see it as something worth spending a significant chunk of change on. It will become a vacation for some teams who have always gone from states whose circuits are just as out of touch as the tournament.

[Magister Ludi]

If teams are looking for an opportunity to play an all star tournament on pyramidal questions with a more standard competition format I just wanted remind teams about HSAPQ's first annual All Star Academic Tournament being held next year at Vanderbilt University (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7719).

HSAPQ is paying close attention to all of the feedback about Panasonic in planning the details of our all star tournament and would like to encourage as much discussion as possible about the positive and negative aspects of Panasonic.

[kayli]

If teams are looking for an opportunity to play an all star tournament on pyramidal questions with a more standard competition format I just wanted remind teams about HSAPQ's first annual All Star Academic Tournament being held next year at Vanderbilt University (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7719).

HSAPQ is paying close attention to all of the feedback about Panasonic in planning the details of our all star tournament and would like to encourage as much discussion as possible about the positive and negative aspects of Panasonic.

The biggest positive about NTAE was that my team had fun. It was nice having some down time to just chill around. It would be nice if you could get everyone together for at least opening night and kick it off with some sort of social event. A dance would probably fail horribly here... and parents would probably have a fit with a Monte Carlo night... But I would just like something fun. You work hard all year and make all stars. A little reward is nice.

[dtaylor4]

The biggest positive about NTAE was that my team had fun. It was nice having some down time to just chill around. It would be nice if you could get everyone together for at least opening night and kick it off with some sort of social event. A dance would probably fail horribly here... and parents would probably have a fit with a Monte Carlo night... But I would just like something fun. You work hard all year and make all stars. A little reward is nice.

NTAE/PAC has done a Monte Carlo night in the past, apparently without no known reprecussion.

Ultimately, in my opinion, this event should be about playing really good quizbowl against really good teams. Part of what took away from my experience at NTAE/PAC was the fact that it was similar to in that we played four games, which is the most any one team can play.

[kayli]

The biggest positive about NTAE was that my team had fun. It was nice having some down time to just chill around. It would be nice if you could get everyone together for at least opening night and kick it off with some sort of social event. A dance would probably fail horribly here... and parents would probably have a fit with a Monte Carlo night... But I would just like something fun. You work hard all year and make all stars. A little reward is nice.

NTAE/PAC has done a Monte Carlo night in the past, apparently without no known reprecussion.

Ultimately, in my opinion, this event should be about playing really good quizbowl against really good teams. Part of what took away from my experience at NTAE/PAC was the fact that it was similar to in that we played four games, which is the most any one team can play.

I love gambling... Mahjong in China... whoo!

I think there should be a balance though. We play enough quizbowl for the entire year, and few of us really get to meet and hang out with the other teams. There should definitely be a good number of games being played, but there should also be some fun/down time. After so many games, playing kinda seems like work...

[DumbJaques]

Continuing the casino night is the one thing I recommend retaining from the PAC tournament. Well, that and MD vs. VA chicken fighting.

[mlaird]

I've never been to PAC/NTAE myself, but I've heard plenty about it from the former Team Illinois coaches.

One aspect that I think would translate over to the HSAPQ event and still be fun, in the spirit of meeting new people, and whatnot is the opening night mixed up team scrimmage thing. If there were a requirement that no team have more than one player from a given state at a time, then people would be forced to meet new people. The whole thing could be optional, as well, like I know it is at NTAE.

A coaches' challenge might also be cool, but since I haven't been there myself, I don't know what kind of reaction that elicits from the players.

[BuzzerZen]

Continuing the casino night is the one thing I recommend retaining from the PAC tournament. Well, that and MD vs. VA chicken fighting.

I have never agreed more with you, Chris Ray.