CAT III: Chatham (NJ) Academic Tournament, 5/16/09

[ChathamNJ]

Chatham High School will host its third annual tournament on Saturday, May 16. We will use NAQT set IS-83 -- please note this is the same set to be used at Blue Hen (3/21) in Delaware and E.O. Smith (5/2) in Connecticut.

For details and a registration form, please email me at sfinemanATchathamHYPHENnjDOTorg.

Highlights:
- Premier Division (self-selected) teams will only face one another in the prelims and automatically advance to the playoffs.
- Main Division teams will face each other as well, the top handful will also advance to the playoffs.
Playoffs will likely be single elimination and conclude by 4:30.
- Freshman Division will be played on NAQT Speed Check set #21, with a separate playoff.
- After lunch, all eliminated teams are invited to play our house-written trash rounds.
Playoff academic q's will be available for consolation scrimmages by request.
- Our bagels are outstanding.

$80 base cost, with discounts for multiple teams, readers, buzzers. Email me for the details.

[Mechanical Beasts]

It's great that you're hosting this tournament. Why do you think freshmen (by the end of their first season playing) can't play an IS set? It's also very likely that the speed check won't be easier; it'll just be shorter.

[ChathamNJ]

It's great that you're hosting this tournament. Why do you think freshmen (by the end of their first season playing) can't play an IS set?

Freshmen are certainly invited to play in the Main (or even Premier) Division. The goal is to increase participation by getting students who may never have entered a tournament before. We ran this last year with 6 or 8 teams who loved it. Pingry brought a couple of 8th-grade teams.

It's also very likely that the speed check won't be easier; it'll just be shorter.

A fair point. The advantage of the Speed Check IMHO is that it's faster-paced and the questions should be less intimidating to complete newbies. We run a quasi-TU/Bonus system: if a team answers Question #1 correctly, then #2 becomes their bonus (with a bounceback so both teams stay attentive). If #1 goes dead, then Question #2 is a tossup.

Again, we tried this last year, it got positive feedback, so we're doing it again.

[mhardmanster]

Any news whether this is still happening? If so, Freedom High School will attend, with one team.

[ChathamNJ]

The event is absolutely happening - I've been preoccupied with States, but we have 15 teams already (yours makes 16) with a month left. I'll put up a field update soon.

Please email me at sfinemanATchathamHYPHENnjDOTorg so I can send you a registration form.

[Ondes Martenot]

Do you need an extra reader coach?

[ChathamNJ]

Do you need an extra reader coach?

That would be very excellent - thanks!

[Ondes Martenot]

do you know if bergen is registered? I could use a ride there....

[ChathamNJ]

Field update:

Premier Division
Delbarton
Kellenberg
Livingston
MAST (maybe)
St. Joseph's

Main Division
Colonia
Eastern Christian
Kellenberg
Livingston (x2 or 3)
MAST (if not in Premier)
North Babylon (x2)
Phillipsburg (x2)
St. Joseph's

Freshman Division
Colonia
Livingston (maybe)
MAST
North Babylon
St. Joseph's

Several more schools have expressed interest, but I haven't received registration forms yet.

-UPDATE 4/17: Alphabetized lists, added a couple teams

[ChathamNJ]

do you know if bergen is registered? I could use a ride there....

Sorry, didn't mean to skip over your post. Bergen is not registered yet, but hopefully they will come. If you're representing your alma mater they even get an extra reader discount. Score.

[jonpin]

do you know if bergen is registered? I could use a ride there....

Sorry, didn't mean to skip over your post. Bergen is not registered yet, but hopefully they will come. If you're representing your alma mater they even get an extra reader discount. Score.

We're on break this week. We'll firm up the details and I'll try to make sure we fill out a registration form to give you in a week at states.

[ChathamNJ]

Field update - 11 days to go and it's looking good...

Premier Division
Bergen County Academies
Delbarton
Hunter C
Ithaca
Kellenberg
Livingston
MAST (maybe)
Newark Academy
Pingry
Seton Hall Prep
St. Joseph's

Main Division
Bergen County Academies
Colonia
Eastern Christian
Governor Livingston (2)
Jonathan Dayton
Kellenberg
Livingston (2)
MAST (maybe)
Millburn (3)
Morristown Beard
Mother Seton
Mt. St. Mary
North Babylon (2)
Phillipsburg (2)
Pingry
Seton Hall Prep (2 or 3)
St. Joseph's
St. Peter's Prep
Teaneck
William Tennent

Freshman Division
Colonia
Jonathan Dayton
MAST
Mt. St. Mary
North Babylon
Pingry (2)
Seton Hall Prep (1 or 2)
St. Joseph's

Expressed interest, but no form yet
Columbia
Freedom
Verona

[ChathamNJ]

Just a bump - field is updated above.

[TheCzarMan]

Me and a few teammates are interested in coming to help moderate, like I did last year.

[ChathamNJ]

Me and a few teammates are interested in coming to help moderate, like I did last year.

Superb! Thank you very much - please let me know how many of you there are, unless you want to hang together in one room, then it doesn't matter.

[SHP Pirate]

SHP is coming. I will have one "premier" division team, two or three "regular" teams, and one or two "freshman" teams. I will e-mail final paperwork either tomorrow or Friday. Also, I have 2/3 buzzers and, as always, I will be happy to read!

Pax,

Michael

[ChathamNJ]

SHP is coming. I will have one "premier" division team, two or three "regular" teams, and one or two "freshman" teams.

Got it. Please let me know your final number as soon as is humanly possible. I may need to put one of your teams on standby
status so there can be an even number in each division, but I have some other teams waiting for extras so we should be good.

Also, I have 2/3 buzzers

What good will that do? We need at least a full set to play a game!

[SHP Pirate]

Two (2) or three (3) buzzers.

Put us down for 1 premier, 2 regular (I can push it to 3), and one freshman team (which I can expand to 2). I will have final numbers tomorrow.

- MTZ

[ExcessStrausses]

Stuyvesant will also be sending a team.

[ChathamNJ]

Aidan -
Please email me at sfinemanATchathamHYPHENnjDOTorg. Our deadline has passed, but we maaaaay be able to expand depending on # of rooms, buzzers, and staff. I can send you a registration form; I'll need coach info and a contact phone number at the very least.

[SHP Pirate]

Quick results ... I will let Stephen (and others) post more in greater detail.

Semifinal 1: Millburn d. ? (I think that it was Stuy but I am not sure.)
Semifinal 2: Kellenberg d. Seton Hall

Final: Kellenberg d. Millburn

In the freshman tournament ...

Semifinal 1: Pingry D d. Pingry C
Semifinal 2: St. Joe's D d. Seton Hall D
Final: St. Joe's D d. Pingry D

All in all, a good day.

[ChathamNJ]

Prelim standings are now posted at http://results.scobo.net/SQBS.aspx?org= ... =standings. We did not keep individual stats, but I will include any stats sent to me next week in an updated results post.

Premier/Main playoffs:
Playin games to be posted in a couple days.
Scores to be posted in a couple days.

1) Kellenberg A d. Livingston B
8) Delbarton d. Kellenberg B
12) Seton Hall Prep A d. Hunter C
13) Newark Academy d. St. Joseph's A
3) Stuyvesant d. St. Joseph''s B
11) MAST A d. Pingry A
7) Millburn A d. Bergen B
2) Bergen A d. Livingston A

Kellenberg A d. Delbarton
SHP A d. Newark Academy
Stuy d. MAST A
Millburn A d. Bergen A

Kellenberg A d. SHP A
Millburn A d. Stuyvesant

Kellenberg A d. Millburn A

In case you're wondering how the seeds were generated, it was published in the tournament welcome notes that all 10 Premier teams would advance to the playoffs seeded 1-5,7,9,11,13,15. The top 8 Main Division teams plus any tied by W/L would fill in the remaining seeds; I decided to allow one extra team due to an odd scorekeeping error. This led to 23 playoff teams: #10-23 played a play-in game, #2-9 played a bumper round game (2 vs. 3 for the #2 seed, 4 vs. 5 for the #4 seed, etc.), and #1 Kellenberg played an exhibition against Hunter A who had come to read. The format came with pluses and minuses, but didn't seem to cause too much delay.

More will come later - it's time to collapse (and finish planning my wedding!).