The Quizbowl Resource Center

I apparently made an archive on the MAQT website right before I graduated and passed off maintenance duties to someone else. I've had it on various backups in the ensuing two decades, but mostly forgot about it until coming upon it again today.

If the MAQT still has a website, I can't find it easily. Either way, this is a snapshot of quizbowldom from 20 years ago. I also created the first ACF website and maintained and preserved that too.

One of the pages has the once-infamous, probably now forgotten 1999 April Fool's Onion-like spoof that Josh Allen (RIP) and I created announcing Maryland's triumphant return to CBI. There are also a few other things of mild interest, like Maryland's lexicon, a Brian Hight-created UVA lexicon (not sure why but I have it), and results from tournaments no one remembers anymore.

Anyway, if someone has a way to host or share this in some manner, I'm happy to send what I have. Just sent me a PM. Thanks.

Ryan Rosenberg has volunteered to host it somewhere on the ACF website. More details from him to follow.

augustusmelmotte wrote: ↑Sat Jul 18, 2020 10:52 pm If the MAQT still has a website, I can't find it easily.

For what it's worth, I believe this went down around 2012 or 2013? It lasted shockingly long, but it seems like the age of student organizations having their own websites is basically past.

augustusmelmotte wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:38 pm Ryan Rosenberg has volunteered to host it somewhere on the ACF website. More details from him to follow.

The 1999 ACF archive can be found here.

The MAQT archive from a similar time can be found here.

Dave also included the likely-not-seen-in-20-years 1995 ACF Nationals program, which is up here.

Hope some people enjoy this slice of quizbowl history, and thanks to Dave for sending these files over!

ryanrosenberg wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2020 3:41 pm
The MAQT archive from a similar time can be found here.

This link is dead.

Should be fixed now, I got my index pages mixed up.

ryanrosenberg wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2020 3:41 pm Dave also included the likely-not-seen-in-20-years 1995 ACF Nationals program, which is up here.

I was very surprised to see my name appear in the program. I know I didn't play in the event, and to be honest I don't even remember applying for a wild card bid :)

Hope some people enjoy this slice of quizbowl history, and thanks to Dave for sending these files over!

Yes, this is great, thank you Dave and Ryan!

I suppose this is a question aimed at the old timers who are here, but could someone give a summary of who Matt Colvin was, and more specifically, what his “infamous” “pajama post” re: Chicago was about?

I can't find the original post but you can see the money quote from it and subsequent discussion here:

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.college ... fLoX3DQVwJ

Reading this entire thread in light of recent discussions is certainly interesting.

I hope that guy got his ticket stubs.

Disclaimer: I was a good friend of Matt's, and still talk to him once in a while. BTW, I mentioned this thread to him, and he was overjoyed to see the Gordian Knot graphic again.

The pajama post looks like one of those pointless but anodyne squabbles that Maryland players loved to engage in back on the newsgroup. Matt was friendly with Alice and most of the other people in that thread.

Matt was a great mentor to young players on the MAQT. He even bought me a few reference books out of his own pocket when I had been playing for a few months and he realized I wasn't a nudnik. He was an above average player, but never top tier. He is likely the best Classics player of all time.

His true legacy, however, remains the criticism of bad question writing practices and bad formats like variable point bonuses, which could result in a Colvin Unfair Result. A lot of quizbowl theory was hashed out during the interminable format flame wars back in the mid-'90s. He also coined the term "NACutie" to highlight a certain type of NAQT question structure that was in vogue during the format's early days.

Matt also famously challenged Mike Obstgarten to a three-round format grudge match (it was CBI, ACF, and trash) at the 1995 Penn Bowl, and lost, to the amusement of most of the quizbowl community. Mike and Matt were constant antagonists on the newsgroup, eventually leading to this Battle of the Titans.

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.college ... LfSam_0ZkJ
https://groups.google.com/g/alt.college ... 7JcYgS_gAJ
https://groups.google.com/g/alt.college ... ANv4ABu-cJ

Colvin had a reputation of being an ACF snob, but he played everything from trash to the hardest ACF tournaments.

I wanna see you kids try to buzz in on this toss-up opener presented in a question in the third link above:

"Class Mammalia consists of nineteen separate orders."

I remember those days.