PACE 2008: May 31 to June 1

quizbowllee · Post by **quizbowllee** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:11 pm

E.T. Chuck told me in Michigan that the NSC will likely be the first weekend in June, seeing as the HSNCT will likely be over Memorial Day weekend again. Is this set in stone? I know it's early, but I need to get some idea of travel plans into place well in advance this year.

Byko · Post by **Byko** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:15 pm

GiveMeBrindleeOrDeath wrote:E.T. Chuck told me in Michigan that the NSC will likely be the first weekend in June, seeing as the HSNCT will likely be over Memorial Day weekend again. Is this set in stone? I know it's early, but I need to get some idea of travel plans into place well in advance this year.

Yes: it will be May 31-June 1. The rooms on George Mason's campus have already been reserved, according to my understanding.

quizbowllee · Post by **quizbowllee** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:22 pm

Awesome. Thanks.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:21 am

And it's officially an event on Facebook: http://gmu.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2941525712 .

ragnarok2012 · Post by **ragnarok2012** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:53 am

I am curious to how much entry of one team into PACE would cost.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 10:00 am

While we haven't discussed it, any increment above what we have charged last year will not be a significant one. We will likely hold the line on the registration fees as much as we can this year, but considering that we need to financially support the bulletin board (considering how much more bandwidth we have added) and perhaps other projects (like finally getting a workable calendar), we have to see. It would most certainly depend on the anticipated number of teams that indicate interest in attending the NSC.

That's probably the best "non-answer" I can say, at least on the personal opinion side of things. However, we are committed to being one of the most financially accessible of the nationals and THE most community-minded of all the nationals.

cvdwightw · Post by **cvdwightw** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 2:18 pm

Will Run PACE for Reese's wrote:However, we are committed to being one of the most financially accessible of the nationals and THE most community-minded of all the nationals.

You need testimonials about this on your website.

Sir Thopas · Post by **Sir Thopas** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 4:55 pm

cvdwightw wrote:
Will Run PACE for Reese's wrote:However, we are committed to being one of the most financially accessible of the nationals and THE most community-minded of all the nationals.
You need testimonials about this on your website.

As a student at a public high school, I am grateful for PACE's financial accessibility while still maintaining its prestige as a national tournament. I also appreciate how the administrators give back to and are always thinking about the community. The tournament is well-run, and the questions are really good too!

--Guy Tabachnick, Hunter College High School, looking forward to attending his first NSC in June.

BuzzerZen · Post by **BuzzerZen** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:07 pm

Guy, I'm pretty sure that does not count.

Sir Thopas · Post by **Sir Thopas** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:51 pm

:(

. . . Unless you're just kidding as well and I missed it, I wasn't being serious.

Byko · Post by **Byko** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:30 pm

Will Run PACE for Reese's wrote:While we haven't discussed it, any increment above what we have charged last year will not be a significant one. We will likely hold the line on the registration fees as much as we can this year, but considering that we need to financially support the bulletin board (considering how much more bandwidth we have added) and perhaps other projects (like finally getting a workable calendar), we have to see. It would most certainly depend on the anticipated number of teams that indicate interest in attending the NSC.

That's probably the best "non-answer" I can say, at least on the personal opinion side of things. However, we are committed to being one of the most financially accessible of the nationals and THE most community-minded of all the nationals.

While I don't have any budgetary numbers together yet (I'd like to do that by the end of this calendar year, but efforts involved in buying a house may get in the way), based on quick examinations of last year's finances, I personally would oppose any increase in entry fees from last year.

rchschem · Post by **rchschem** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:25 am

Is PACE still the only national tournament banned by the Chinese government? If you're looking for endorsements:

"If you love freedom, attend PACE Nationals!"

STPickrell · Post by **STPickrell** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:48 am

Byko wrote:While I don't have any budgetary numbers together yet (I'd like to do that by the end of this calendar year, but efforts involved in buying a house may get in the way), based on quick examinations of last year's finances, I personally would oppose any increase in entry fees from last year.

You can attribute keeping a cap on entry fees to generous donations from the DAB Charitable Trust (I forget your middle name, sorry.)

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:20 am

rchschem wrote:Is PACE still the only national tournament banned by the Chinese government? If you're looking for endorsements:

"If you love freedom, attend PACE Nationals!"

Oh I forgot about that... I'd have to check with people who are over in China...

Byko · Post by **Byko** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:15 pm

STPickrell wrote:You can attribute keeping a cap on entry fees to generous donations from the DAB Charitable Trust (I forget your middle name, sorry.)

Close: DBB (Bradford). But the DBB Housing and Suburban Development Fund would be a better place to send any donations.

BuzzerZen · Post by **BuzzerZen** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:12 pm

Bradford? Oh man.

quizbowllee · Post by **quizbowllee** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:43 pm

What airport is most convenient to George Mason?

-Lee

rchschem · Post by **rchschem** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:48 pm

Reagan. Though it probably sucks equally from Dulles.

DrakeRQB · Post by **DrakeRQB** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:50 pm

rchschem wrote:Reagan. Though it probably sucks equally from Dulles.

Really? Isn't Dulles right up Highway 28 from Manassas and Fairfax?

rchschem · Post by **rchschem** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:53 pm

As the crow flies, Dulles is closer. With the stoplights...heck--let Dr. Chuck answer. I'm only up there on weekends.

DrakeRQB · Post by **DrakeRQB** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:09 pm

rchschem wrote:As the crow flies, Dulles is closer. With the stoplights...heck--let Dr. Chuck answer. I'm only up there on weekends.

Anywhere you stay or fly into in that area, you're looking at an epic traffic cluster. My best friend lives in Fairfax and that's the only downside of going to visit him.

ieppler · Post by **ieppler** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 5:28 pm

You can take the Metro from National (as a DC local, I refuse to call it Reagan) but you can't take the Metro from Dulles. However, flights from Dulles tend to be cheaper. Baltimore (BWI) tends to have the cheapest flights, and if you arrive on a weekday there is a commuter train to downtown DC, where you can take the Metro to GMU.

closesesame · Post by **closesesame** » Thu Nov 22, 2007 12:15 am

Living a grand total of 5 miles from GMU, I will tell you that the best airport to fly into is Dulles. Then you can hitch a ride by various means (taxi, shuttle, rental car, etc.) to get to the GMU area. As much as we may like to glorify the Metro in DC, it's not a terribly convenient way to get around the suburbs. A car is probably your best bet to get around, so the fact National has Metro doesn't help you much (plus that's on the Blue/Yellow line, GMU is near but not directly on the Orange line, so you'd have to go to DC to change lines - fun fun).

There's a lot of stuff to do around GMU within walking distance such that you wouldn't need a car. Take for example the University Mall, where you can watch second-run movies for $3.99 or some outrageously low price like that. There's a good deli there, too, I believe. If you feel the itch to go to DC, the Metro is reasonably close.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:22 pm

The GMU Freshman Center has finally "printed" a brochure of places to eat in Fairfax. Granted, it's for our new students here, but if you plan to "visit", I can send you this brochure.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:08 pm

I also wanted to let everyone know that we are seriously considering a significant change in the tournament format for 2008 and beyond. The last ten years have given us great confidence in our ability to identify strong teams that would be participating at the NSC, and given the evolution of the game over the last decade, we now feel it is important that we revise and upgrade the quality of our event to attract the best teams and those teams that aspire to be the best.

Matt Weiner will describe the new format in greater detail for discussion on the board. This format is still under discussion by members of PACE but I felt it was important to get full feedback from possible participants and whether this change would increase our ability to attract more teams. For this format to work optimally, we must get 48 teams in our field, a goal that we have not yet achieved over the past 10 years of running this event. I think this is a very attractive option for some of the great teams that play quiz bowl to get the PACE NSC experience without sacrificing the intimacy of the event.

The significant advantages of this format:
* The number of teams in contention for the championship will increase from 12 to 16. Those teams will still play divisional round robin for championship contention. "Playoff" records will be kept and be consistent with past records.
* A full 1-48 ranking based on statistical performance can be achieved, with all teams playing 14 games, with a final 15th game to be played for the two teams that make it into the championship game.
* Consolation round play will be standardized and integrated with the scheduling of the championship playoff schedule.
* The tournament can end in the early afternoon on Sunday (even including all-star game and awards).

quizbowllee · Post by **quizbowllee** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:55 pm

Will Run PACE for Reese's wrote:I also wanted to let everyone know that we are seriously considering a significant change in the tournament format for 2008 and beyond. The last ten years have given us great confidence in our ability to identify strong teams that would be participating at the NSC, and given the evolution of the game over the last decade, we now feel it is important that we revise and upgrade the quality of our event to attract the best teams and those teams that aspire to be the best.

Matt Weiner will describe the new format in greater detail for discussion on the board. This format is still under discussion by members of PACE but I felt it was important to get full feedback from possible participants and whether this change would increase our ability to attract more teams. For this format to work optimally, we must get 48 teams in our field, a goal that we have not yet achieved over the past 10 years of running this event. I think this is a very attractive option for some of the great teams that play quiz bowl to get the PACE NSC experience without sacrificing the intimacy of the event.

The significant advantages of this format:
* The number of teams in contention for the championship will increase from 12 to 16. Those teams will still play divisional round robin for championship contention. "Playoff" records will be kept and be consistent with past records.
* A full 1-48 ranking based on statistical performance can be achieved, with all teams playing 14 games, with a final 15th game to be played for the two teams that make it into the championship game.
* Consolation round play will be standardized and integrated with the scheduling of the championship playoff schedule.
* The tournament can end in the early afternoon on Sunday (even including all-star game and awards).

Well, damn. That sounds mighty nice.

TheCzarMan · Post by **TheCzarMan** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 2:32 pm

This all sounds very interesting. Hopefully we're able to qualify for this tournament, somehow, unlike last year.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:06 pm

Well, if you don't automatically qualify, there's no reason why you can't ask for an at-large bid anyway. If you qualify after being told your at-large bid is granted, you get the auto bid discount anyway.

But this year, we want 48 teams, and this system needs 48 teams to optimally work.

quizbowllee · Post by **quizbowllee** » Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:22 pm

Will Run PACE for Reese's wrote:Well, if you don't automatically qualify, there's no reason why you can't ask for an at-large bid anyway. If you qualify after being told your at-large bid is granted, you get the auto bid discount anyway.

But this year, we want 48 teams, and this system needs 48 teams to optimally work.

I hope to bring 3 again.

-Lee

mithokie · Post by **mithokie** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:11 pm

So, are the automatic qualification standards the same for 2008 NSC as they were for the 2007 NSC? If so, then I understand that Auburn (VA) can claim automatic qualification for one team by virtue of qualifying for the VHSL State Tournament. I am pretty excited about the prospect of attending. This falls the weekend before our underclass exams, so I will probably need to convince our administration to allow us to go. I will fill out the registration form when I know I've got enough kids and the administration's support.

Thanks,

Matt Beeken
Auburn HS
Riner, VA

pretzeldude92 · Post by **pretzeldude92** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:32 pm

So, are the automatic qualification standards the same for 2008 NSC as they were for the 2007 NSC? If so, then I understand that Auburn (VA) can claim automatic qualification for one team by virtue of qualifying for the VHSL State Tournament. I am pretty excited about the prospect of attending.

Ditto for Rappahannock County. The money and stuff shouldn't be a problem, my coach and principal are behind it, etc.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:14 am

To answer the question, we have not changed the qualification rules from last year, as long as the tournament is affiliated with PACE (by sending statistics to David Bykowski and/or making those results public on this board).

Otherwise, please go to http://www.hsquizbowl.org.netfirms.com/ ... php?t=4857 and have the advisor or responsible team member fill out the pre-registration form.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:08 pm

Update 22 teams have been pre-registered out of a 48 team field. Plenty of space here.

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:30 pm

You know what PACE needs? A little dose of Vitamin T.

btressler · Post by **btressler** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:25 am

Is there an official hotel for this event?

(Sorry if it's listed somewhere and I missed it.)

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:54 am

While there are many hotels around campus, the "official" is the Hampton Inn Fairfax City. There's also a Comfort Inn and a bunch of other hotels around.

For all visitor information: http://www.gmu.edu/vcenter/ .

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:51 pm

The summer schedule for dining services suggests that we will definitely be limited on lunch choices in the Johnson Center, but not impossibly so: http://dining.gmu.edu/PDF/Hours/Summer2008.pdf . So sub sandwiches, Chinese, and Indian for sure. And the Starbucks. Otherwise, I would suggest online ordering pizzas for delivery to GMU would be good.

Unfortunately the Damon's and the Game Room in SUB I will be closed, though I have been told Corner Pocket (just north of the library) might be open. Trying to get more info if any of you kids want to enjoy pool after a long tournament day. There also is a nice quad area for football, frisbee, cricket, hide-and-seek, and pillow fights.

closesesame · Post by **closesesame** » Mon May 05, 2008 10:10 pm

There also is a nice quad area for football, frisbee, cricket, hide-and-seek, and pillow fights.

Dr. Emil Thomas Chuck has predicted the coming wave of Indians...

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Mon May 05, 2008 10:35 pm

closesesame wrote:
There also is a nice quad area for football, frisbee, cricket, hide-and-seek, and pillow fights.
Dr. Emil Thomas Chuck has predicted the coming wave of Indians...

Well... it is Fairfax. It does happen. :)

Byko · Post by **Byko** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:37 am

There also is a nice quad area for football, frisbee, cricket, hide-and-seek, and pillow fights.

If a game of cricket breaks out at a point where I'm not serving in an official capacity, I'll be happy to be involved, even if only as the 3rd umpire.

(yeah, I watched a LOT more of the Stanford 20/20 than any American probably should have)

closesesame · Post by **closesesame** » Tue May 06, 2008 1:48 pm

Dr. Chuck can be a field umpire, and signal by way of a rectangular gesture the need for a TV referral. I am notorious for running people out...

dtaylor4 · Post by **dtaylor4** » Tue May 06, 2008 2:05 pm

closesesame wrote:Dr. Chuck can be a field umpire, and signal by way of a rectangular gesture the need for a TV referral. I am notorious for running people out...

So Dr. Chuck would be no more than a pawn of the cricket gods?

I think more sports in general need to adopt such gesturing.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Tue May 06, 2008 2:14 pm

dtaylor4 wrote:
closesesame wrote:Dr. Chuck can be a field umpire, and signal by way of a rectangular gesture the need for a TV referral. I am notorious for running people out...
So Dr. Chuck would be no more than a pawn of the cricket gods?

I think more sports in general need to adopt such gesturing.

I'm definitely afraid of being the wicket...

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Tue May 06, 2008 2:17 pm

In other news, all of you who are volunteering are welcome to join us in the Saturday "dinner" post-event. It will take place after our official Cooper Awards/Saturday announcements slot, hopefully by around 7pm. I'll likely see if I can request a buffet-style dinner set-up, but if not, we're going to have more pizza.

I am planning on at least one chicken entree and one pasta-based entree. Yes, there will be salad. And iced tea. Not sweetened. But if you have suggestions, email me.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Sat May 10, 2008 5:23 pm

PARTNERSHIP FOR ACADEMIC COMPETITION EXCELLENCE: 2008 INFORMATION

Thank you everyone for your interest in the NSC. After a lot of discussion among the tournament staff, we have decided to stay with our field size of 48. This means that right now we have teams on a waitlist: Russell (KY), St. Charles Prep (OH), and Centennial (MD) [in that order]. I am doing what I can to get the teams on the waitlist accommodated, but there is no guarantee that I can do it. Those of us who direct the NSC are engaged in tournament format discussions for 2009 so we can consider expanding our field. We have thus decided that to minimize the number of variables when we expand the field, we will run the 2009 NSC at George Mason University (dates to be determined).

If you have not received a copy of the 2007 NSC set, please let me know. All other packets are found at http://quizbowlpackets.com/. Also if you require an invoice for payment, please let me know. David Bykowski will also issue receipts on-site.

Here’s the current information about this year’s event:

0. Tournament staff

Host and Organizer: Emil T. Chuck
Directors: Jessie Bykowski & Tricia Southard
Statisticians: David Bykowski & Evan Silberman
Assistant Organizers: Dan Greenstein & Chris Ray

1. Rosters

If you have not already done so, Fred Morlan and I would like to get pictures and copies of your roster with the following information:
1) Name of student
2) Year the student is completing (9-12)
3) Male/Female
4) College choice of graduating students
5) Years the student has participated at NSC; we recognize individuals who have competed for 3 or 4 years at the NSC.

If bringing more than one team, declare the appropriate team roster. All rosters are considered tentative until the first game is played. Everything will be verified at on-site registration.

2. Revised rules

Revised rules for 2008 have been sent by email to the coaches. If you have any questions, please let me and Matt Weiner know. The document has tracked changes so you should be able to know what was replaced or changed. We hope that all teams will have reviewed these rules before the start of the Saturday morning session. Otherwise, you can discuss the rules on hsquizbowl.org.

3. Schedule of events (intended)

I apologize for not getting the final schedule of events out until now. The likely location for the Saturday morning meeting will be in the Student Union Building I (SUB I) or the quad area outside it. We are trying to secure the Patriot Lounge area of SUB I for registration, but at this time, we have not completely confirmed it. We will update on the hsquizbowl forums under National Tournaments.

Friday, May 30
New staff orientation at Hampton Inn Fairfax City: TBA

Saturday, May 31
Registration: 8:00-9:00 (please be prompt)
Brief opening meeting (and staff instructions): 9:00-9:15
Round 1: 9:30a
Round 2: 10:15a
Round 3: 11:00a
Round 4: 11:45a
Lunch: 12:30p (STRONGLY recommend online ordering pizza to deliver at GMU. Use the Johnson Center as your meeting location.)
Round 5: 2:00p
Round 6: 2:45p
Round 7: 3:30p
Tiebreakers: 4:30p
5:00p: Cooper Presentation, Three and Four Year Participant Recognition, Announcement of Sunday Schedule.
7:00p: PACE meeting (Johnson Center Meeting Room C): a reasonable hour afterwards, all volunteers welcome before business meeting. Dinner included.

Sunday, June 1
NO meeting in the morning (please arrive by 8:15 am so we can start on time)
Round 8: 8:30a
Round 9: 9:15a
Round 10: 10:00a
Round 11: 10:45a
Round 12: 11:30a
Lunch: 12:15p (on your own again)
Tiebreakers as necessary: 1:30p
Semifinals: 1:45p if no tiebreakers, 2:15p if there are
Finals: 2:30p/3:00p
All-Star Game: 3:15p/3:45p
Awards: 4:00p/4:30p
All teams will be done NO LATER than 5:00p.

Please note that this is our conventional schedule with the top 12 teams making the final championship groups. We would really like to have as many people witness the championship and all-star games, so if you do not have other travel constraints, please stay to the end.

Everyone will be divided into six groups of eight, carefully selected based on data from this past academic competition year. Other considerations for placement include geographical origin and distribution of top ranked teams in each group. We have very seldom had problems with seeding using the past performances of the teams.

4. Parking (Map: http://www.gmu.edu/univserv/parking/FxM ... ng07v2.pdf)
If you are bringing a rental car or van, the best parking spaces would be the Mason Pond Visitor's Parking Lot (#74).
Enter/Exit off Mason Pond Dr by the Concert Hall or off George Mason Blvd behind Student Union Building I (SUB I)
Open 24 hours a day/7 days a week. No overnight parking allowed.
No credit cards are accepted.
$2.00/hour with $8.00/day maximum. (I’m doing what I can to secure some validation passes so you can park in the garage each day, though “in-and-out” privileges are not possible.)
Bus parking (free) is likely going to be in Lot A or Lot K, both of which are close to the Patriot Center. There may be graduations going on, so it may be tricky to find parking, so park "remotely". An alternative MIGHT be Lot H, but we would prefer you try Lot A or K.

Where we meet Saturday: SUB I is building #66 on the map. We will end our day Saturday and Sunday in Enterprise Hall (#8).

Quantum Mushroom Billiard Hat · Sat May 10, 2008 5:42 pm

I think you mistyped the link to old sets; it should be http://www.quizbowlpackets.com/ instead of qbpackets.com

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Sat May 10, 2008 8:09 pm

Thanks...

Also for clarification... Championship Sunday consolation matches will involve the remaining 36 teams in a 5-round swiss pair schedule ("card-swapping" system to shorten up the time). If two teams survive this undefeated, they will play off for the consolation championship. All teams are expected to participate in the consolation rounds.

In theory, there should not be more than two teams that survive undefeated. However, I have a schedule already set up for review just in case. If you would like to review this, please let me know.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Sun May 11, 2008 12:08 am

Rosters:
The contacts should be emailed a link to a Google document in order to fill out a team roster. Others can view the rosters at http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key= ... 5eSw&hl=en . I'd like to include all the teams on waitlist just in case something happens.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Sun May 11, 2008 2:32 pm

Buzzer count

Please let me know if you are bringing buzzers.
According to invoices, here is who I have. If you need an invoice, please tell me.

We need at least 24 buzzers. Accounted so far: 18, and there are 2 PACE buzzers (so far).

Bringing zero buzzers:
Wheaton North High School
Rockford (IL.) Auburn H.S.
Parkersburg Catholic High School
Northmont (OH)
North Allegheny Senior High School
James Monroe High School
Collegiate School
Hunter (NY)

Bringing one buzzer:
Garfield Heights High School
Rappahannock HS VA

Bringing two buzzers:
Cave Spring High School
Brookwood HS
Riner (VA) Auburn HS

Bringing three buzzers:
Wilmington Charter
Dorman High School

Bringing four buzzers:
Raleigh Charter High School

Sir Thopas · Post by **Sir Thopas** » Sun May 11, 2008 6:57 pm

We have no buzzers.

The Quizbowl Resource Center

PACE 2008: May 31 to June 1

PACE 2008: May 31 to June 1

Re: PACE 2008: May 31 to June 1

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Dining services at GMU

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