Early Bird/Southeastern @ Berry College -- 11/7/09

[BerryCollegeBowl]

Greetings all!

The Berry College College Bowl Team would like to announce that our 37th Annual Scholar's Bowl/Southeastern will be held on our beautiful Mount Berry, GA campus on November 7, 2009. This will be a packet submission tournament. Fees and packet deadlines will be posted in the coming weeks. This year's tournament will be edited by Berry alum Eric Emmett.

If you have any questions or would like to reserve a spot in the field, please contact us @ [email protected]


We look forward to hearing from you all!

Regards,

BCB

[Mettius Fufetius]

I would like to recommend this tournament to Furman, since it's close by and is likely to have an appropriate difficulty level for introducing new members to the college game. I won't do it, though, unless you release the questions used in last year's tournament. I suppose I'm happy that you're no longer producing the house-written Southern college football theme packets that I played on in 2007, but, due to the lack of record, I can't even go back and fairly judge how those questions were today, much less evaluate how well Berry did with its packet submission experiment.

You wrote in advance of last year's tournament: "We hope that this year's edition will enhance our reputation." It hasn't, and could not have -- because, even if the questions were the best thing produced that year, it would be difficult for the word to get out. Few of the people who attended your tournaments in 2008 and 2007 are connected to the larger quizbowl community, so the reaction to Berry material is largely unknown; we don't even know how well you hit your target difficulty in 2008, because you didn't post stats. The way to enhance one's reputation in the modern game is to release good questions.

Alternatively, you might consider asking an editor with an established reputation in the modern game to help you produce this set. Such an action would almost guarantee that the most competitive and vibrant programs in the SE circuit will return to your tournament, and, if the result is good, it would enhance your reputation nationwide.

[Bender Bending Fernandez]

What would last year's set prove? Packet submission tournaments will differ depending on the question writing abilities of the teams submitting, and even if the same teams attend, the team composition will be different. The editor may be the same, but even an experienced tournament editor can only do so much.

[Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN)]

I think all ACF events, Minnesota Undergrad, Terrapin Invitational, and, well, every other well edited packet submission event disagrees.

[Mechanical Beasts]

I think all ACF events, Minnesota Undergrad, Terrapin Invitational, and, well, every other well edited packet submission event disagrees.

It's also just a show of good faith. Why hide the packets?

[The King's Flight to the Scots]

I think all ACF events, Minnesota Undergrad, Terrapin Invitational, and, well, every other well edited packet submission event disagrees.

It's also just a show of good faith. Why hide the packets?

Not to mention good community behavior.

[Bender Bending Fernandez]

It's also just a show of good faith. Why hide the packets?

Not to mention good community behavior.

Is it good community behavior to insinuate that there's something to "hide" because the packets aren't online for whatever reason? I don't know why they haven't released the packets, maybe they will, maybe they can't, but I don't see any reason we can't assume good faith if we're going to demand it of others. There's a couple of tournaments that currently only exist as photocopies in my closet. I'm not hiding them, I just don't see any reason to take the time to type them up for the archive.

[dtaylor4]

It's also just a show of good faith. Why hide the packets?

Not to mention good community behavior.

Is it good community behavior to insinuate that there's something to "hide" because the packets aren't online for whatever reason? I don't know why they haven't released the packets, maybe they will, maybe they can't, but I don't see any reason we can't assume good faith if we're going to demand it of others. There's a couple of tournaments that currently only exist as photocopies in my closet. I'm not hiding them, I just don't see any reason to take the time to type them up for the archive.

If memory serves, the writers actually try to sell copies of the questions. Given the plethora of good questions available for the cost of free (I make the assumption that any costs relating to a computer, internet connection, and/or printing are sunk), either people who try to sell questions in this manner know a lot of teams who are ignorant of such free sources (and probably the circuit at large), or are not really thinking things through.

[Susan]

It's also just a show of good faith. Why hide the packets?

Not to mention good community behavior.

Is it good community behavior to insinuate that there's something to "hide" because the packets aren't online for whatever reason? I don't know why they haven't released the packets, maybe they will, maybe they can't, but I don't see any reason we can't assume good faith if we're going to demand it of others. There's a couple of tournaments that currently only exist as photocopies in my closet. I'm not hiding them, I just don't see any reason to take the time to type them up for the archive.

If memory serves, the writers actually try to sell copies of the questions. Given the plethora of good questions available for the cost of free (I make the assumption that any costs relating to a computer, internet connection, and/or printing are sunk), either people who try to sell questions in this manner know a lot of teams who are ignorant of such free sources (and probably the circuit at large), or are not really thinking things through.

I can't imagine they're making loads of money selling the questions. If the organizers of this tournament were willing to make the questions publicly available (or even to put up a sample packet!) they would probably attract some more teams to their tournament--teams that would otherwise be unwilling to buy a pig in a poke and go to a tournament of unknown question quality. Surely entry fees add up a lot faster than question sales.

[BerryCollegeBowl]

I think all ACF events, Minnesota Undergrad, Terrapin Invitational, and, well, every other well edited packet submission event disagrees.

It's also just a show of good faith. Why hide the packets?

It's not that we're hiding anything. It's just that we don't have a large amount of packets that are ready for archiving at this point. We're currently working to gather packets from past tournaments which we will happily provide in the coming weeks. For six years prior to last year, the Southeastern was non-packet submission. The writers who put together the tournament made a conscious decision to not release those questions for sale or release online. That was their decision, not ours. We recognize that was a colossal mistake, which we are trying to rectify. We also cannot place blame for that decision. The writers in question are former players who have remained extremely loyal to the program, and for that we are eternally grateful. One of the major reasons why the Southeastern is the longest running Undergraduate only tournament in the nation is because of the hard work of the Berry College Bowl alumni.

After nearly 40 years of hosting the Southeastern, we have an enormous amount of material that could be archived. However, we have neither the manpower or the time to do that. If anyone would like to assist us in such a venture, feel free to let us know.

Lastly, this is a worthy discussion. However, it may be better suited for a different area of the board. All we're trying to do is announce the latest edition of a competition that has been around longer than (probably) the majority of the people who use this board. The Southeastern was started when the game was virtually dead in the early 70's. It is a legacy we're proud of, and we will change with the times as needed to keep it going.

[at your pleasure]

After nearly 40 years of hosting the Southeastern, we have an enormous amount of material that could be archived. However, we have neither the manpower or the time to do that. If anyone would like to assist us in such a venture, feel free to let us know

That's reasonable, but since the most recent runs of this tournament is going to be the most useful for evaluating whether this is worth going to and likliest to already be on someone's computer, couldn't you get a start on this by sending what's already on someone's computer off to Christian Carter for posting?

[Broad-tailed Grassbird]

It's also just a show of good faith. Why hide the packets?

Not to mention good community behavior.

Is it good community behavior to insinuate that there's something to "hide" because the packets aren't online for whatever reason? I don't know why they haven't released the packets, maybe they will, maybe they can't, but I don't see any reason we can't assume good faith if we're going to demand it of others. There's a couple of tournaments that currently only exist as photocopies in my closet. I'm not hiding them, I just don't see any reason to take the time to type them up for the archive.

Shockingly in 2009, there are scanners that exist in your college, and the corresponding software that will allow you to scan to Microsoft Word. It still takes time, but just pointing out that there is another option.

[Marble-faced Bristle Tyrant]

Is it good community behavior to insinuate that there's something to "hide" because the packets aren't online for whatever reason? I don't know why they haven't released the packets, maybe they will, maybe they can't, but I don't see any reason we can't assume good faith if we're going to demand it of others. There's a couple of tournaments that currently only exist as photocopies in my closet. I'm not hiding them, I just don't see any reason to take the time to type them up for the archive.

You could scan them.

Edit: Argh ninja'd

[Bender Bending Fernandez]

Shockingly in 2009, there are scanners that exist in your college, and the corresponding software that will allow you to scan to Microsoft Word. It still takes time, but just pointing out that there is another option.

I'd never considered it. Not that I don't keep up with new technologies like the "computer" and the "internet", but this is something I've given about zero thought to, aside from occasionally moving that box around. So yes, I have a scanner, or I could put my feet in gear and take my stone car over to campus and use one there. But then I'd have to find the appropriate software. If anyone knows of a free/shareware version of the appropriate software that is painless to use, I'd appreciate a link. I may very well take this opportunity to rid myself of that box in the closet.

[pray for elves]

Shockingly in 2009, there are scanners that exist in your college, and the corresponding software that will allow you to scan to Microsoft Word. It still takes time, but just pointing out that there is another option.

I'd never considered it. Not that I don't keep up with new technologies like the "computer" and the "internet", but this is something I've given about zero thought to, aside from occasionally moving that box around. So yes, I have a scanner, or I could put my feet in gear and take my stone car over to campus and use one there. But then I'd have to find the appropriate software. If anyone knows of a free/shareware version of the appropriate software that is painless to use, I'd appreciate a link. I may very well take this opportunity to rid myself of that box in the closet.

http://www.simpleocr.com/
(For a more direct link: here)

[Bender Bending Fernandez]

http://www.simpleocr.com/
(For a more direct link: here)

Thank you! Now back to your regularly scheduled tournament announcement.

[dtaylor4]

I'd never considered it. Not that I don't keep up with new technologies like the "computer" and the "internet", but this is something I've given about zero thought to, aside from occasionally moving that box around. So yes, I have a scanner, or I could put my feet in gear and take my stone car over to campus and use one there. But then I'd have to find the appropriate software. If anyone knows of a free/shareware version of the appropriate software that is painless to use, I'd appreciate a link. I may very well take this opportunity to rid myself of that box in the closet.

If there are computers on campus with scanners, they probably have software that can do this.

[eldermaas]

The Berry College College Bowl Team would like to announce that our 37th Annual Scholar's Bowl/Southeastern will be held on our beautiful Mount Berry, GA campus on November 7, 2009. This will be a packet submission tournament. Fees and packet deadlines will be posted in the coming weeks.

Any more info available on fees and deadlines?

[BerryCollegeBowl]

Greetings all --

Here is the fee schedule for this year's Early Bird/Southeastern

Base Fee -- $95
Buzzer (working) Discount -- $5
Moderator Discount -- $5
Travel Discount -- $10 / 200 miles traveled
Packet Discount -- $ 10 if packet is received before midnight 10/15.
Packet Fee -- $40 (for teams who need us to provide a packet for them)
Packet Penalty -- $45 (For packets received later than midnight 10/31).
Max Fee -- $140
Min Fee -- $55

Packet Schedule:

All teams who turn in packets by midnight 10/15 will receive a $10 discount. For those teams who will need to have a packet provided for them, there is a $40 fee. We will need to hear from those teams by no later than 10/7. There will be a $45 penalty assessed for those teams who do not submit a packet by midnight 10/31.If a team reserves a spot in the field but does not submit a packet by midnight 11/2, we will assume that you have withdrawn from the field unless other arrangements have been made. We ask that all teams who intend to compete contact us no later than 10/21.

Packet Distribution (in brief):

5/5 History
5/5 Science
5/5 Literature
3/3 Religion/Philosophy
3/3 Fine Arts
2/2 Social Science
1/1 Trash

Please contact us if any clarification is needed.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Regards,

BCB

[BerryCollegeBowl]

Quick Field Update:

AUM
Alabama
Berry
Georgia Perimeter
Shorter
Dalton College

Shown Interest:
North GA College

There's plenty of space still available. Please contact us @ [email protected].

[BerryCollegeBowl]

Apologies for not posting this sooner. Things have been hectic as of late.

Here's the Final Field update for the 2009 Southeastern:

Alabama
AUM
Berry
Dalton
GPC
Oxford of Emory
Shorter
Wofford

Registration begins at 8am in the Krannert Center Lobby. Rounds will begin between 8:30-9:00. We look forward to seeing all of you there!

Regards,

BCB

[BerryCollegeBowl]

Congratulations to the University of Alabama for winning the 37th Annual Berry College Early Bird/Southeastern!

The host team took 2nd place while Georgia Perimeter College finished in 3rd.


Full round results and stats can be located @ http://quizbowl.gimranov.com/stats/stat ... erryse2009.


We look forward to an even more successful event in 2010!


Regards,

BCB

[Mettius Fufetius]

So, is Berry planning to release the questions that were used at this tournament?

[BerryCollegeBowl]

We're working on it.