Illinois '09-'10

[abnormal abdomen]

I hope more teams start coming to good quizbowl events. I know that teams like Richmond Burton went to Loyburn last year and they were pretty happy with the tournament, at least from what I heard their coach saying. Huskie Bowl, run on an HSAPQ set, had a good turnout, as did Decemberist and Winnebago, run on NAQT sets, and NTV, on a tough house-written set. I think many teams are certainly up to going to a few good tournaments a year.

If Deveau goes to Ig, then I hope he can convince them to go to good tournaments, because it'd really be a shame not seeing him, a lock for first team all state, at the best level of competition.

Co-sign.

You should be more original in your comments. LloyBid should be an association of differing but complementary and friendly views.

You know what would be a devastatingly ironic response to that?

"I disagree."

[Edit: coherence]

[Jane Fairfax]

I hope more teams start coming to good quizbowl events. I know that teams like Richmond Burton went to Loyburn last year and they were pretty happy with the tournament, at least from what I heard their coach saying. Huskie Bowl, run on an HSAPQ set, had a good turnout, as did Decemberist and Winnebago, run on NAQT sets, and NTV, on a tough house-written set. I think many teams are certainly up to going to a few good tournaments a year.

If Deveau goes to Ig, then I hope he can convince them to go to good tournaments, because it'd really be a shame not seeing him, a lock for first team all state, at the best level of competition.

Co-sign.

You should be more original in your comments. LloyBid should be an association of differing but complementary and friendly views.

You know what would be a devastatingly ironic response to that?

"I disagree."

[Edit: coherence]

I think it's inappropriate that we're getting off the topic of quizbowl. We don't want to get the buzzer gods angry at us. So let's steer back the convo to the quizbowl side.

NAQT's new rules say that individual tournaments will have the choice of having computational math...will Illinois NAQT tournaments be doing that?

[David Riley]

A few comments:

1) Richmond-Burton's coach is now at Jacobs HS in Algonquin; hopefully he will work witrh the qb team there.

2) Dan--I was not aware that SAT IIs are being given on Oct 10, was that a last minute addition to the CEEB schedule of test days? That might undercut our attendance as well, if it indeed is.

3) Unless there is a rule of "all or none", I would think whether or not Illinois NAQT tournaments use computational math would be up to the individual tournament hosts.

4) There are still a couple of open dates on the schedule (see above) for anyone wanting to host a good quiz bowl tournament.

[jonah]

I doubt there are any IS set hosts in Illinois who will choose the version of the set without computation.

Do we have a Loyburn date yet?

Someone please host good tournaments on January 9, February 20, March 6, and whichever of January 30/February 13 Loyburn isn't on.

[Kanga-Rat Murder Society]

At the very least, I will enter (with some teammates hopefully) most good tournaments under a name like "Arlington Heights Quizbowl Club" (credit goes to Jonah for the name) since most good TDs won't have a problem with that.

Not trying to be the ultimate pessimist, but I am not sure that this is true. I know that last year we tried this multiple times, usually to no avail. It is often not up to the TD. If a school is running the event (which is pretty much every event), it is often against school rules to allow a person to play without a school sponsorship.

If you get permission for the "Arlington Heights Quizbowl Club", I would also be curious to see if they would let a BG player or two play with you. They will probably have similar issues attending tournaments, and conveniently happen to be from Arlington Heights.

February 20

Does this mean that we are expecting the best teams in state to boycott the Masonic tournament now that it is run on QG questions?

[jonah]

February 20

Does this mean that we are expecting the best teams in state to boycott the Masonic tournament now that it is run on QG questions?

Yes, which is perhaps inordinately optimistic.

[Dresden_The_BIG_JERK]

February 20

Does this mean that we are expecting the best teams in state to boycott the Masonic tournament now that it is run on QG questions?

Yes, which is perhaps inordinately optimistic.

Due to long-established tradition, I think most teams will be willing to give them a chance this year at least.

[David Riley]

Coach Greene is awaiting word from her AD as to whether or not we can do it on Jan 30, which is the preferred date. We want to avoid Feb 13 because of the large number of people who think Valentine's Day is more important than quiz bowl.

[Dan-Don]

2) Dan--I was not aware that SAT IIs are being given on Oct 10, was that a last minute addition to the CEEB schedule of test days? That might undercut our attendance as well, if it indeed is.

Yeah, I have to to take the SAT Subject Tests for Early Decision at Northwestern. However--and I'm going to call NU and confirm this--it appears I might be able to take them on November 7th. I'd miss NT Solo, but, with no disrespect to Jonah or Mr. Reinstein, I think I'd rather play the HSAPQ set with my team at Earlybird. Also, Mrs. O'Laughlin's daughter is at U of I, so Mrs. O. has volunteered to drive us down for Earlybird and EFT.

Someone please host good tournaments on January 9, February 20, March 6, and whichever of January 30/February 13 Loyburn isn't on.

Are there any HSAPQ sets left? Maybe we can try and get our hands on one and host a tourney (very unlikely).

Not trying to be the ultimate pessimist, but I am not sure that this is true. I know that last year we tried this multiple times, usually to no avail. It is often not up to the TD. If a school is running the event (which is pretty much every event), it is often against school rules to allow a person to play without a school sponsorship.

If you get permission for the "Arlington Heights Quizbowl Club", I would also be curious to see if they would let a BG player or two play with you. They will probably have similar issues attending tournaments, and conveniently happen to be from Arlington Heights.

That's too bad....I guess we'll have to take it on a tournament-by-tournament basis. I don't expect to have every Viator starter to show up for every tournament, so there's certainly room for Greg Ward (who I meet a couple of weeks ago at Popkulturkampf) and other BGers.

February 20

Does this mean that we are expecting the best teams in state to boycott the Masonic tournament now that it is run on QG questions?

Yes, which is perhaps inordinately optimistic.

Due to long-established tradition, I think most teams will be willing to give them a chance this year at least.

We're going to deal with it. We need the cash for nationals. Bad.

[dtaylor4]

Someone please host good tournaments on January 9, February 20, March 6, and whichever of January 30/February 13 Loyburn isn't on.

Traditionally, that first weekend is when we down at the U of I run our novice tournament, which would be appropriate for high school teams wanting to get good at quizbowl.

[Boeing X-20, Please!]

January 9

Other from the U of I Tourney there is some good quizbowl even if it is only for us 'kiddies' (see: RA Knight's Challenge)

[Siverus Snape]

Just want to point out that Illinois teams are pretty darn low in Fred's rankings. Obviously, Fred doesn't have access to insider info about who may be good now or who can step up to replace the holes that the really strong class of '09 left. But either way, you guys have some work to do.

[David Riley]

I'm still ahead of Fred in Bejeweled Blitz

Seriously, though, Siva's right...we can't rest on past laurels. We had a lot of firsts last year (e.g. number of teams at PACE and NAQT, and in making playoff brackets); let's continue to work toward more teams embracing good quiz bowl.

[Dresden_The_BIG_JERK]

Well, the pressure's on Loyola, since they're actually ranked. Regardless though, it's all another step in the right direction. A few years ago how many teams would Illinois have had, even in the "just missed" section? Slowly but surely the state is starting to embrace good quizbowl. For every obstinate coach/team there is, theres also a Richmond-Burton and St Viator ready to take the step up. We'll get there.

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

I may be an outsider, but my guess is that if it really was a 1:1 ratio, a lot of rules would change a lot easier in Illinois.

[Dresden_The_BIG_JERK]

I'd be inclined to argue that it is similar to a 1:1 (or better!) in the Chicago/Northern Illinois area, but Illinois is a much larger state than that (which is why we continue to have Chicagoan successionists, but I digress). Since quizbowl is a state-run activity, with a "state series" receiving funding, most schools have a team that participates in some function, even if its only in the state tournament and Masonics. So while the involved, passionate teams may be moving in the right direction, there are a ton more across the state that are unaware anything is even occuring. So, yes, Illinois as a true whole is certainly not one to one, but in regions where change can at least be hoped for in the short run, things are certainly moving in the right direction.

[jonah]

Yeah, there are over 550 teams in Illinois. No more than 30 of them care to any extent at all about good quizbowl (and that includes a lot who, for example, want pyramidal questions but also want computation), while roughly the same amount actively push maintenance of the status quo, and the remainder don't care at all which is functionally equivalent to pushing the status quo.

edit: BJ, I don't agree that even in Chicagoland it's nearly a 1:1 ratio, though it's somewhat better than the rest of the state. You've got Loyola, New Trier, St. Viator, et al, but you've also got Fremd, Evanston, GBN, GBS, and so forth.

[JackGlerum]

Inspired by Fred’s recent undertaking and my incessant reading of ranking-infused fantasy football magazines, I’ll post my top ten. Because I CAN.

1. Auburn
Certainly won’t be as good as last year, but neither will anybody else in the state. No doubt Lloyd will emerge as a star, and Abid is learning things too. Of course, Zahed is lurking somewhere in Rockford and he is the only year-long starter returning from last year. He tends to be inconsistent on the buzzer, but his experience helps this youthful squad. Interesting to see how he performs without Michael & Siva. Also, both of the Jordans may come out of their figurative shells this year. They are the wild cards, I think. If either of them can lock down an area (say, science), that will be a huge boost.

2. Loyola
Again, big drop-off from last year. 4 seniors on the A team, 4 seniors on the B team. However, the C team of underclassmen followed us everywhere, and stepped up at HSNCT when we had to get our diplomas. Marcel is the stud, and Nolan could blossom into a specialist type if he works hard. Christian and Will return as the lone seniors, and both of them know things. They don’t study, but they’ve played a long time and put what they learn in school into games. Whereas I think Auburn’s potential depends on the seniors, I think Loyola’s lies in the sophomores. You know what you’re going to get from Christian and Will. If Marcel and Nolan get their act together, this team could be legit.

3. Stevenson
This is hard to gauge. Zach shows so much promise, but continues not to live up to the hype, in my mind. He’s the Harold Miner of Illinois Quizbowl. People claimed he would be the next big thing because he “owned the middle school circuit”, but consistently puts up flashy numbers against crap teams or feeds off of IHSA-type questions against good ones. He will continue to make all-tournament at basically every tournament, and will most likely lead his team to many victories. That said, I don’t think he will overcome the balanced attack of Auburn and Loyola when it counts. As far as the rest of the roster, they lost a bunch of seniors, but probably return a couple of people.

4. St. Ignatius
Again, hard to predict. Andrew Deveau is a rare talent on a crap team with an allegedly uninterested coach. I don’t know him well enough to say if he really wants to improve. He went to ACE camp, and took non-math/science classes (right?), which is a good sign. Despite comp. math being his bread and butter at IHSA, he could beat any of the three previous teams if he put his mind to it. I rank Ig 4th because I don’t know if they will attend tournaments or if Andrew will get better.

5. St. Viator
The best story of last year, hands down. Came out from the rug of an annoying varsity coach and went to both nationals. Unbelievable. Unfortunately, it was a senior-led team, but Dan returns with enthusiasm. Can’t speak to his supporting cast, but he likes quizbowl and has written some questions—something to be valued in a state where nobody produces a good-housewrite (by varsity players, I mean).

6. Carbondale
Jeremiah is the lone relic from the Carbondale team we all knew and loved. He definitely knows things, but is sporadic and negs hard sometimes. He also shakes people’s hands way too violently. They traveled 926487206963408 miles to go to top-notch events last year, but that may have been because they were so damn good. I’ll be interested to see if they continue to (have the funds to?) travel far and wide.

7. Buffalo Grove
Another story of a team who defied its uninterested coach. David and Nick have moved on, and Greg Ward remains, along with a science-inclined girl who’s name I can’t come up with right now. Ward will get points, but I don’t see the desire of last year’s team coming to fruition this time around.

8. Wheaton Warrenville South
Went to nationals for the first time (I think) last year. Don’t know much about the team, but I’m pretty sure Alex and Ashok graduated. No idea how good they will be; just putting them here because they usually assemble a decent squad.

9. New Trier
This was Ben’s team last year, and he punished people. The best NAQT player I’ve ever played against. The problem was, he accounted for 90% of NT’s production, and there isn’t an underclassman to hand the torch to. Steve Server showed promise and returns as a senior, but his ceiling is pretty low. Reinstein might have a trick up his sleeve, but New Trier will have a fall from grace this year. Even more concerning is the fact that I don’t remember seeing any B teams/underclassmen last year, which makes me fear for the program.

10. Everyone else.
Fremd. IMSA. Maine South. Springfield. H-F. Etc.

[jonah]

St. Ignatius...allegedly uninterested coach

[citation needed]
I disagree with this. St. Ignatius last went to a lot of tournaments in 2007, when they had a very good team. We can debate cause and effect of going to tournaments and being good all we want, but when they have talent, they go places, and this year they've got talent.

[dtaylor4]

I'd be inclined to argue that it is similar to a 1:1 (or better!) in the Chicago/Northern Illinois area, but Illinois is a much larger state than that (which is why we continue to have Chicagoan successionists, but I digress). Since quizbowl is a state-run activity, with a "state series" receiving funding, most schools have a team that participates in some function, even if its only in the state tournament and Masonics. So while the involved, passionate teams may be moving in the right direction, there are a ton more across the state that are unaware anything is even occuring. So, yes, Illinois as a true whole is certainly not one to one, but in regions where change can at least be hoped for in the short run, things are certainly moving in the right direction.

From personal experience, most of this is very very wrong. There are a large number of coaches who don't care about question quality (proof: the petition circled last academic year.) Given the recent events involving Masonic, and the fact that the IHSA State Series continues to suck, and I would argue that we're actually moving backwards as it stands.

[Jane Fairfax]

Also, both of the Jordans may come out of their figurative shells this year. They are the wild cards, I think. If either of them can lock down an area (say, science), that will be a huge boost.

JHoff knows a bit of science.

Marcel is the stud, and Nolan could blossom into a specialist type if he works hard.

I can't wait to play them. It'd be fun to play Marcel in F/S. Is he planning on playing F/S next year?

He went to ACE camp, and took non-math/science classes (right?), which is a good sign. Despite comp. math being his bread and butter at IHSA, he could beat any of the three previous teams if he put his mind to it. I rank Ig 4th because I don’t know if they will attend tournaments or if Andrew will get better.

Deveau is good at all aspects of quizbowl.

Unfortunately, it was a senior-led team, but Dan returns with enthusiasm. Can’t speak to his supporting cast, but he likes quizbowl and has written some questions—something to be valued in a state where nobody produces a good-housewrite (by varsity players, I mean).

I think a few of his junior teammates are adherents to good quizbowl, but I may be wrong.

6. Carbondale
Jeremiah is the lone relic from the Carbondale team we all knew and loved. He definitely knows things, but is sporadic and negs hard sometimes. He also shakes people’s hands way too violently. They traveled 926487206963408 miles to go to top-notch events last year, but that may have been because they were so damn good. I’ll be interested to see if they continue to (have the funds to?) travel far and wide.

I laughed way too violently at this. Carbondale's got some of the most talented sophomores in the state. They'll be good.

10. Everyone else.
Fremd. IMSA. Maine South. Springfield. H-F. Etc.

Greg Dzuricscko is pretty good too.

[Boeing X-20, Please!]

Marcel is the stud, and Nolan could blossom into a specialist type if he works hard.

I can't wait to play them. It'd be fun to play Marcel in F/S. Is he planning on playing F/S next year?

I think Mr. Riley might not let him play since he will be on A next year and he thinks it is unfair, or something, although he mentioned that he would probably let him do it if none of the other teams object. He seemed to make quite a note of you guys doing that in the past (maybe Siva played f/s as a soph when there wasn't varsity tournaments??). I think the implication that you will be playing f/s might coerce Mr. Riley a bit, so I'd say there's a pretty good chance seeing him.

Of course, this is all just my speculation and I'm sure Mr. Riley's post will be soon to follow and I in no means express his views.

[abnormal abdomen]

Yeah, I do think that Greg Dzuricsko/Lisle is overlooked at times.

I'm really excited to play Loyola and Carbondale's sophomores as well in the few F/S tournaments that Ms. Greene is going to have us play in. Unfortunately, the latter won't be at Knights' Challenge, but I know they were at D&G (which, unfortunately, I ended up missing).

[Edit: coherence]

[Jane Fairfax]

I'm really excited to play Loyola and Carbondale's sophomores as well in the few F/S tournaments that Ms. Greene is going to have us play in. Unfortuantely, the latter won't be at Knights' Challenge, but I know they were at D&G (which, unfortuantely, I ended up missing).

"Unfortuantely" times 2, you can't spell. Anyway, there should be no political presentations on Russia or broken collarbones to impediment our presence at Loyola F/S this year.

[David Riley]

And here it is

I have no objection to Marcel--or Nolan, for that matter--playing f/s in f/s tournaments. We're only playing two f/s as it is: Knights Challenge, and our own Davey and Goliath. They will play varsity in our remaining tournaments.

I realize some coaches won't like this, but you know what Abe Lincoln said....

[abnormal abdomen]

I'm really excited to play Loyola and Carbondale's sophomores as well in the few F/S tournaments that Ms. Greene is going to have us play in. Unfortuantely, the latter won't be at Knights' Challenge, but I know they were at D&G (which, unfortuantely, I ended up missing).

"Unfortuantely" times 2, you can't spell. Anyway, there should be no political presentations on Russia or broken collarbones to impediment our presence at Loyola F/S this year.

Yeah, that typing was really bad.

I totally forgot that the reason you weren't there was the collarbone...

Do we have any idea which F/S tournaments Ms. Greene is sending us to? I would assume Auburn F/S and D&G. I wonder if we're going to be sent to Sterling again...

[Jane Fairfax]

I'm really excited to play Loyola and Carbondale's sophomores as well in the few F/S tournaments that Ms. Greene is going to have us play in. Unfortuantely, the latter won't be at Knights' Challenge, but I know they were at D&G (which, unfortuantely, I ended up missing).

"Unfortuantely" times 2, you can't spell. Anyway, there should be no political presentations on Russia or broken collarbones to impediment our presence at Loyola F/S this year.

Yeah, that typing was really bad.

I totally forgot that the reason you weren't there was the collarbone...

Do we have any idea which F/S tournaments Ms. Greene is sending us to? I would assume Auburn F/S and D&G. I wonder if we're going to be sent to Sterling again...

That's probably it, or at least, that's all I want to play. I don't want to spend a day hearing Question Galores' computational foreign language questions.

[abnormal abdomen]

That's probably it, or at least, that's all I want to play. I don't want to spend a day hearing Question Galores' computational foreign language questions.

Haha. Or having rounds which ended up being like 2/3 TU/B on astronomy.

[Boeing X-20, Please!]

Question Galores' computational foreign language questions.

Oh.....Mon....Dieu!

[rjaguar3]

I'm really excited to play Loyola and Carbondale's sophomores as well in the few F/S tournaments that Ms. Greene is going to have us play in. Unfortuantely, the latter won't be at Knights' Challenge, but I know they were at D&G (which, unfortuantely, I ended up missing).

"Unfortuantely" times 2, you can't spell. Anyway, there should be no political presentations on Russia or broken collarbones to impediment our presence at Loyola F/S this year.

Yeah, that typing was really bad.

I totally forgot that the reason you weren't there was the collarbone...

Do we have any idea which F/S tournaments Ms. Greene is sending us to? I would assume Auburn F/S and D&G. I wonder if we're going to be sent to Sterling again...

That's probably it, or at least, that's all I want to play. I don't want to spend a day hearing Question Galores' computational foreign language questions.

Wheaton North F/S will be house-written this year, for your information.

[Jane Fairfax]

I'm really excited to play Loyola and Carbondale's sophomores as well in the few F/S tournaments that Ms. Greene is going to have us play in. Unfortuantely, the latter won't be at Knights' Challenge, but I know they were at D&G (which, unfortuantely, I ended up missing).

"Unfortuantely" times 2, you can't spell. Anyway, there should be no political presentations on Russia or broken collarbones to impediment our presence at Loyola F/S this year.

Yeah, that typing was really bad.

I totally forgot that the reason you weren't there was the collarbone...

Do we have any idea which F/S tournaments Ms. Greene is sending us to? I would assume Auburn F/S and D&G. I wonder if we're going to be sent to Sterling again...

That's probably it, or at least, that's all I want to play. I don't want to spend a day hearing Question Galores' computational foreign language questions.

Wheaton North F/S will be house-written this year, for your information.

Oh I didn't know that :( But a schedule check says Loyburn might be on that day.

[Dan-Don]

Unfortunately, it was a senior-led team, but Dan returns with enthusiasm. Can’t speak to his supporting cast, but he likes quizbowl and has written some questions—something to be valued in a state where nobody produces a good-housewrite (by varsity players, I mean).

I think a few of his junior teammates are adherents to good quizbowl, but I may be wrong.

Indeed. These are the names you guys probably wanna know:

Jack Nuelle ('11): he went All-Tourney at Knight's Challenge and put up 10 ppg at UIUC's mirror of the 2009 MUT (no small achievement for a sophomore at a college tourney where we had to play Charlie Dees twice). He knows a lot of Brit Lit and Classical Music that I don't and a lot of random shit--watch out for him. He likes good quiz bowl.

Eddie Zahrebelski ('11): this guy was taking senior science courses as a sophomore--he's great on on physics and chem and he's found a new subject in U.S. History. He went to Campbellsville ACE Camp and had some moderate success in the middle bracket/rooms III and IV. Just found out today that he destroyed the curves as a sophomore in APUSH last year (it's a Junior class at our school) and came with like 5% on Sean "the history guru" Koller's score on a diagnostic AP Euro test today. He could be our the best history players in the state. Likes good quiz bowl, very enthusiastic.

Kyle Metler ('11); almost a guranteed answer on bio and math ( ) questions. I think he likes good quiz bowl, but I'm not sure.

Richard Hutyra ('10): Always our 5th man last year. He came to NSC when our captain couldn't, and went to ACE camp where he (I think) led a team to Middle Tourney victory one night at SEMO. He's pretty good at Science and World History, although he didn't have much chance to show that off last year with Sean "I-can-power-5-history-tossups-at-the-same-time" Koller. He puts up with good quiz bowl, but he'll probably want us to go to some bad tourneys this year. Maybe not. We'll see.

Joe Park ('12): Can instantaneously "power" a math tossup.

Other notable mentions: Ryan Gilmore (put up like 10 ppg as our 4th at HSNCT), Carolyn Hutyra (went to ACE Camp). With transfers from the recently closed Driscoll Catholic High School and a couple "You're on Scholastic Bowl" letters sent to the wrong people, our program is now up to around 24 people. Hopefully Mrs. O'Laughlin will take B and C teams with us to good tournaments.

Except for me, our 4-man lineup is undecided right now. For mACF events, it'll probably be: Dan/Richard/Jack/Eddie and for NAQT it'll be Dan/Kyle/Jack/Eddie. 5-man will probably those 5 upperclassmen, and we might bring Joe Park into a Regional game. I suggest other teams make a "preview" similar to this one so we all know what we're talking about.

EDIT: exciting news about Eddie

[Charley Pride]

Long time no post...

Speaking for my team, I anticipate we'll have the same buzzer judgment issues that players relatively new to the big stage usually have. I remember that during my sophomore year, during which I captained the F/S team immediately after the ascendance of Siva and Michael, I put up big numbers in tournaments while negging a ton. Lloyd buzzes in when he knows the answer, and he has good discipline, so I think he'll experience the least fluctuation as far as buzzing in at the right time. We saw that Jordan Hoffmann has vast, vast science knowledge, but his lack of aggressiveness hurt him big time last year. We'll see if his now-expanded and far more critical role on this team will get him to attack a little bit more. Abid is really new to the varsity stage, so we'll see how his confidence develops/over-develops over the year.

It's getting close...it's gonna be a fun year.


Abid and Lloyd, stop bickering so much. You fight like a couple.

[Jane Fairfax]

While we somewhat expect that Haseebs + Lloyd and Hoffman will be our starting lineup, we will definitely experiment near the beginning of the year. So this is who we're experimenting with, likely:

Dayne Rogers, 2010-math guy. Knowledge in other things. I'm not so sure about his role on the team, though.
Alex Cooper, 2011- Good science knowledge, won the science finals at SEMO. Also pretty good in history, geography, and is really really committed to studying a lot and learning about all subjects (just look at his facebook statuses). ATM though I think he's overshadowed in science/history by Hoffmann/Zahed. However if Jordan doesn't buzz as much as he should then the extremely buzzer-happy Alex might win the spot.
Maddie Witt, 2011- If LloyBid didn't exist, she'd be the lit/arts player. She's deep in both and while she'll probably be sitting on B teams in the later part of the year she will score a lot on those B teams.
Saad Sheikh, 2011- Science/math guy who is TOTALLY AWESOME COOL. However he's overshadowed, but he'll be a good B team player like Maddie.
Other 2011 people: Ariana Munger-played on A teams last year, but doesn't really have a subject that she's very deep in, just a vast knowledge, also she's committed to a lot of other activities too. Sami Siddiqui-once again, an undefined subject strength, a lot like Ariana except probably more leaned towards science.
Andrew Hudson, 2012- probably will get a spot on IHSA team and tournaments with comp math because that's what he eats, drinks, lives, breathes, and mates with. Otherwise he mainly just sleeps. He literally did at the HFT mirror, once.

For the future/Frosh-soph
Samantha George, 2012- someone who went to ACE camp and is surprisingly somewhat committed to getting better. We want her to be our science girl in three years, and that may or may not happen but as of right now she will probably be a contributor on C and occasionally B teams at varsity tournaments.
Filip Milovanovic, 2012- he's Serbian and Eastern Orthodox, and not only does he like history, he was part of some of it, coming from Bosnia/Montenegro/Serbia/somewhere in Eastern Europe. We want him to explode into a fantastic history player within the next few years and hopefully he'll be a F/S force this year. Me and Abid reallllly realllly love this kid.
Jessica Beard, 2013- Never played with this girl outside of middle school questions, but I definitely think she showed promise and commitment back then and maybe we can form her into a subject (science PLZ) player for the future.

Also got a few kids I <3 from the class of 2014 but that's next year.

[Charley Pride]

Sami Siddiqui has retired from quiz bowl, as has Jordan Frahm.


Jordan is pushing for a Trashtastrophe appearance, however.

[David Riley]

But when will Usnan play?

[Jane Fairfax]

But when will Usnan play?

Usman will be a freshman when LloyBid are seniors. I've heard the sister probably has more promise. I don't know her name.

[abnormal abdomen]

Filip Milovanovic, 2012- he's Serbian and Eastern Orthodox, and not only does he like history, he was part of some of it, coming from Bosnia/Montenegro/Serbia/somewhere in Eastern Europe. We want him to explode into a fantastic history player within the next few years and hopefully he'll be a F/S force this year. Me and Abid reallllly realllly love this kid.

He sets fire to phone books, too.

I think it should be mentioned that Alex Cooper won the science solo at camp over Zahed, by 1 question. That was fun to watch. It should also be mentioned that Deveau did not take part in that.

Basically, the summary of Lloyd's post is that there will likely be some form of experimenting with the A and B teams. That also indicates that the B teams that Auburn sends to tournaments will be strong in knowledge.

Usman? Haha, maybe. I feel like he'll end up playing basketball for Auburn.

[Edit: coherence]

[Jane Fairfax]

I think it should be mentioned that Alex Cooper won the science solo at camp over Zahed, by 1 question. That was fun to watch. It should also be mentioned that Deveau did not take part in that.

If I'm not mistaken, I think Deveau was leading his room in the social studies tournament, and then negged out. I am pretty confident that he would have ran away with the social studies finals if he hadn't negged out.

[the return of AHAN]

And here it is

I have no objection to Marcel--or Nolan, for that matter--playing f/s in f/s tournaments. We're only playing two f/s as it is: Knights Challenge, and our own Davey and Goliath. They will play varsity in our remaining tournaments.

I realize some coaches won't like this, but you know what Abe Lincoln said....

??? What coach, besides those who wrote the Mid Suburban League code, would object to freshmen and sophomores playing varsity AND F/S??

[Dresden_The_BIG_JERK]

And here it is

I have no objection to Marcel--or Nolan, for that matter--playing f/s in f/s tournaments. We're only playing two f/s as it is: Knights Challenge, and our own Davey and Goliath. They will play varsity in our remaining tournaments.

I realize some coaches won't like this, but you know what Abe Lincoln said....

??? What coach, besides those who wrote the Mid Suburban League code, would object to freshmen and sophomores playing varsity AND F/S??

I remember many complaints from my playing days about "Moving to varsity is a one-way street"...many coaches feel that once a player is good enough to move up to the big leagues, playing them in the f/s circuit is unfair.

The situation is (slowly) starting to shift though, since the importance of younger players playing as B/C teams is becoming much more recognized as instrumental and even necessary for future success. But to answer your post directly, I would not be in any way surprised to hear ire regarding players catching "double duty".

[abnormal abdomen]

I think it should be mentioned that Alex Cooper won the science solo at camp over Zahed, by 1 question. That was fun to watch. It should also be mentioned that Deveau did not take part in that.

If I'm not mistaken, I think Deveau was leading his room in the social studies tournament, and then negged out. I am pretty confident that he would have ran away with the social studies finals if he hadn't negged out.

Correct, as long as he wouldn't have negged out in the finals (see: William Horton). I fail to see how he would have had to be so aggressive, though.

[Edward Elric]

Filip Milovanovic, 2012- he's Serbian and Eastern Orthodox, Also got a few kids I <3 from the class of 2014 but that's next year.[/quote]

Yay another serbian. Id be interested to see this kid play. To answer some local questions WWS lost some ringers on their team but i expect them to be decent with Quinn leading the way. WN didn't just lose me but we also had 2 other members of our team quit. So really we have only 3 returning starters plus some lil ones (i.e. sophomores). I'm hoping Mark Mascari does a good job, he was pretty good as a sophomore last year.

[AlphaQuizBowler]

I think it should be mentioned that Alex Cooper won the science solo at camp over Zahed, by 1 question. That was fun to watch. It should also be mentioned that Deveau did not take part in that.

If I'm not mistaken, I think Deveau was leading his room in the social studies tournament, and then negged out. I am pretty confident that he would have ran away with the social studies finals if he hadn't negged out.

Correct, as long as he wouldn't have negged out in the finals (see: William Horton). I fail to see how he would have had to be so aggressive, though.

Thanks Bid. I'd managed to forget about that up until now.

[Charley Pride]

Hey, remember when William Horton negged out of the Lit finals at ACE, then dropped his buzzer and it rang again? Classic

[abnormal abdomen]

Hey, remember when William Horton negged out of the Lit finals at ACE, then dropped his buzzer and it rang again? Classic

Sitting a few chairs away (and not getting questions), it took a ridiculous amount of effort for me to not laugh at that gesture. I think Nick Clusserath was mildly amused, but still irritated.

William, I'm sorry. You know I'm a fan of yours.

[mlaird]

And here it is

I have no objection to Marcel--or Nolan, for that matter--playing f/s in f/s tournaments. We're only playing two f/s as it is: Knights Challenge, and our own Davey and Goliath. They will play varsity in our remaining tournaments.

I realize some coaches won't like this, but you know what Abe Lincoln said....

??? What coach, besides those who wrote the Mid Suburban League code, would object to freshmen and sophomores playing varsity AND F/S??

I wrote an article about this in a Newsletter a few years ago. It was spurred by the many complaints of people who had to play Siva, Greg G., and Bonny Jain when their coaches played them every F/S opportunity they got. The article takes a neutral stance, but I can see why teams in the developmental league might not be happy playing a first team all-stater.

Re: BJ

Playing kids on Varsity B and C teams is becoming increasingly important, but that is a different issue. Since there aren't even that many F/S tournaments around anymore, it doesn't really matter. I'm all for dropping the F/S circuit and having those kids play Varsity B and C in order to prepare them for the big leagues.

[Jane Fairfax]

And here it is

I have no objection to Marcel--or Nolan, for that matter--playing f/s in f/s tournaments. We're only playing two f/s as it is: Knights Challenge, and our own Davey and Goliath. They will play varsity in our remaining tournaments.

I realize some coaches won't like this, but you know what Abe Lincoln said....

??? What coach, besides those who wrote the Mid Suburban League code, would object to freshmen and sophomores playing varsity AND F/S??

I wrote an article about this in a Newsletter a few years ago. It was spurred by the many complaints of people who had to play Siva, Greg G., and Bonny Jain when their coaches played them every F/S opportunity they got. The article takes a neutral stance, but I can see why teams in the developmental league might not be happy playing a first team all-stater.

Re: BJ

Playing kids on Varsity B and C teams is becoming increasingly important, but that is a different issue. Since there aren't even that many F/S tournaments around anymore, it doesn't really matter. I'm all for dropping the F/S circuit and having those kids play Varsity B and C in order to prepare them for the big leagues.

I can say for myself, and probably Abid too, that if we had been restricted to just the F/S level last year and hadn't consistently gone to varsity tournaments, we'd be pretty bad quizbowl players. There are lots of reasons why playing varsity as a F/S player is important--it introduced us to a higher level of play and when we weren't getting anything, we figured the only way to feel important was to study. So, varsity tournaments inspired us and motivated us to study harder, and get to the actual varsity level. Also, just knowing what is canon and what is not canon in the varsity circuit is important when it comes to studying, and that knowledge of the canon wouldn't have come if we had just played frosh soph tournaments.

Basically, playing on the lower teams at high tournaments makes you work harder.

[Kanga-Rat Murder Society]

I can say for myself, and probably Abid too, that if we had been restricted to just the F/S level last year and hadn't consistently gone to varsity tournaments, we'd be pretty bad quizbowl players. There are lots of reasons why playing varsity as a F/S player is important--it introduced us to a higher level of play and when we weren't getting anything, we figured the only way to feel important was to study. So, varsity tournaments inspired us and motivated us to study harder, and get to the actual varsity level. Also, just knowing what is canon and what is not canon in the varsity circuit is important when it comes to studying, and that knowledge of the canon wouldn't have come if we had just played frosh soph tournaments.

Basically, playing on the lower teams at high tournaments makes you work harder.

Yes, but do you see the Frosh/ Soph circuit as the enabler for coaches to not let underclassmen play Varsity? As a former underclassman who should have played Varsity but wasn't allowed to, I am sure that it is. And if you do believe it is an enabler, do you believe that this circuit should exist? (And yes, I know that we had a thread similar to this last year. That said, I am curious as to how people who support the F/S circuit will respond to these questions.)

[Jane Fairfax]

I can say for myself, and probably Abid too, that if we had been restricted to just the F/S level last year and hadn't consistently gone to varsity tournaments, we'd be pretty bad quizbowl players. There are lots of reasons why playing varsity as a F/S player is important--it introduced us to a higher level of play and when we weren't getting anything, we figured the only way to feel important was to study. So, varsity tournaments inspired us and motivated us to study harder, and get to the actual varsity level. Also, just knowing what is canon and what is not canon in the varsity circuit is important when it comes to studying, and that knowledge of the canon wouldn't have come if we had just played frosh soph tournaments.

Basically, playing on the lower teams at high tournaments makes you work harder.

Yes, but do you see the Frosh/ Soph circuit as the enabler for coaches to not let underclassmen play Varsity? As a former underclassman who should have played Varsity but wasn't allowed to, I am sure that it is. And if you do believe it is an enabler, do you believe that this circuit should exist? (And yes, I know that we had a thread similar to this last year. That said, I am curious as to how people who support the F/S circuit will respond to these questions.)

I don't wanna say abolish the F/S circuit, because it does do the deed of keeping kids interested in quizbowl. It seems to me that the kids who are just sitting there doing nothing because they can't contribute always are out of quizbowl fairly quickly. The F/S circuit does offer some positives as far as keeping up confidence levels that would be evaporated if varsity was the only level available, but I think the difficulty of F/S levels could go up.