MRNA Vaccine mirror at VCU (Richmond VA 2/19/22)

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Matt Weiner
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MRNA Vaccine mirror at VCU (Richmond VA 2/19/22)

Post by Matt Weiner »

This is the general announcement for a mirror site of the "MRNA Vaccine" tournament, to be held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, February 19, 2022 from 8:30 AM to about 5:30 PM. We plan to host this tournament as an in-person event. See the end of this announcement for further information about covid safety.

The registration link is here. Please read the entire announcement before registering.

Location
The tournament will take place in Grace E. Harris Hall at 900 W Main St, Richmond VA, with registration being in room 2122 and all games on the second floor of the classroom wing of the building.

Parking
Parking on Main Street directly in front of the building or on other nearby surface streets is, usually, free and available on Saturdays. In the event that the on-street parking is closed or full, you can use the West Main Street Parking Deck one block east of the tournament building. The parking deck has entrances on Cherry Street and Laurel Street and is nominally located at 801 W Main St for GPS purposes. A campus map is accessible here.

This tournament is for teams of eligible players representing a single university, community college, or other post-secondary institution of higher education. Edge cases regarding eligibility will be handled according to the ACF guidelines. Interested high school teams may play the tournament provided that they represent a team of eligible players from a single high school and have a coach or other chaperone present. No "mixed" or "open" teams are permitted at this site.

Games will be conducted in the normal 20/20 tossup/bonus format; other than the inclusion of power tossups, the ACF rules will be used. The tournament format will endeavor to offer each team the maximum number of games possible within a reasonable timeframe, and will be determined in specific based on the number of teams who register.

Registration & fees:
base fee: +$120 per team to your school's total fee.

buzzer discount: -$5 to your school's total fee for each fully functional system. There is no limit to the number of systems you can bring. A fully functional buzzer system is defined as follows:
  • A buzzer system that clearly indicates which player has buzzed.
  • The control unit and at least 8 activators work, including lights on either or both of the 8 activators and control unit.
  • If the activators plug into a control unit via a modular connector, such as a telephone plug, tape must be provided if any latching tabs are broken.
staff discount: -$40 for a competent moderator (as determined solely by the TD of this tournament) and -$10 for any other staffer (who may be asked to keep score, assist with stats, or perform other duties for the event). The discount may be applied to your club's entry fee for anyone staffing the tournament who meets one or more of the following conditions:
1) Is physically transported to the tournament, from outside the greater Richmond area, as part of your team's travel arrangements to the event.
2) Is recruited to staff the tournament by a member of your club rather than by the TD or the VCU team, or
3) Is a member of your club/student body who would otherwise be eligible to play the tournament, but chooses to staff instead.

A staffer who meets none of the above three conditions may not be claimed for a discount by any team playing this tournament.

travel discount: -$10 to your school's total fee for every 150 miles traveled one-way from your school's address to VCU, according to Google Maps.

minimum fee: The minimum fee is $0. You can bring enough buzzers and staffers to eliminate your fee, but you cannot have a negative fee.

To register for this tournament, fill out this form. Once you have submitted the form, there is no further action needed on your part in order to be officially registered. There will be periodic updates in this thread and by e-mail indicating who has registered. Posts made in this thread do not count as official registrations. Contact [email protected] if you need to modify your registration.

Please feel welcome to share this announcement with any schools that you think would be interested in attending.

Field size

There is an initial 20-team cap on field size at this tournament. There is no limit on the number of teams which may register from the same school. If there is interest from more than 20 teams, then we will update the thread with information on expanded capacity as we recruit staffers to accommodate. Waitlisted teams will be added to the field based first on whether they can provide readers, and thereafter on a first-come, first-served basis.

Method of payment:
All teams must pay by the day of the tournament. We encourage either using electronic payment or mailing a check in advance, though day-of payment will also be accepted on site. Venmo and Zelle information, as well as a mailing address for checks, will be shared with all registrants. For on-site payment, we can accept checks or cash, or run physical credit/debit cards via Square.

All checks must be made out to "Quizbowl at VCU". If you require an invoice or W-9 form in order to have a check cut, you must let us know by January 25, so that we can send you the paperwork in time.

Team & roster size:
There may be a maximum of six players on one team's roster, up to four of whom may play at one time. There will be no exceptions to this rule. If you bring more than six players, you must register a second team to have all of them play. There is a halftime substitution opportunity in each game. Each player may appear on only one team's roster throughout the day; there is no switching from the B team to the A team, etc. Teams may play shorthanded, with fewer than four players, but there is no discount for doing so.

Code of conduct and high school chaperone policy:

All participants in the tournament are expected to be familiar with the code of conduct designed to provide a safe and inclusive environment at Quizbowl at VCU events.

Any high school teams participating in this event are expected to have at least one coach or other designated adult who is present for the duration of the tournament and actively takes responsibility for the conduct of the school's players. One coach may suffice for multiple teams from the same school.

Food:
Neither breakfast nor lunch will be provided by the tournament. We will provide a list of suggested eateries for the lunch break, which will be at some time after 12 PM.

Safety plan:

General guidance on VCU campus closures may be accessed at VCU Alert. This is where official decisions on closing the campus due to weather emergencies and other concerns outside of covid may be found. In the event that there is an emergency situation near the date of the tournament, we will go by what is published on VCU Alert and will run the tournament if the campus is open.

At this time, the plan is to host an in-person event, with the requirement that all attendees at this event must be vaccinated. Except for moderators actively reading games, all attendees should properly wear face masks while inside the building. We will monitor developments in the public health situation between now and the tournament date and make changes as appropriate. In the extreme case of a covid surge that does not abate by mid-February and significantly affects vaccinated individuals, we will retain the option of moving to an online event.

Field as of 2/14:

Haverford- 1
James Madison- 1
Maryland- 2
North Carolina- 4
Thomas Jefferson HS- 1
Virginia- 2
Virginia Tech- 2

Matt Weiner
Advisor and Tournament Director, Quizbowl at VCU
[email protected]
Last edited by Matt Weiner on Sat Feb 19, 2022 6:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Matt Weiner
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Re: MRNA Vaccine mirror at VCU (Richmond VA 2/19/22)

Post by Matt Weiner »

The final update e-mails regarding this tournament were sent to teams and staffers this morning. If you expected to receive something and did not, let me know.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Matt Weiner
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Re: MRNA Vaccine mirror at VCU (Richmond VA 2/19/22)

Post by Matt Weiner »

Congratulations to Virginia A which cleared the field at 11-0 to win this tournament.

North Carolina A, North Carolina B, and Thomas Jefferson were tied for second at 9-2, and we played the tie off on half-games, resulting in Thomas Jefferson taking second.

Full stats are here: https://hsquizbowl.org/db/tournaments/7287/

Thanks to all players and staffers for making our return to in-person collegiate hosting a success. We hope to see everyone again at WORKSHOP in April.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Matt Weiner
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Re: MRNA Vaccine mirror at VCU (Richmond VA 2/19/22)

Post by Matt Weiner »

There was an unlabeled Anderson buzzer left behind at this tournament, which I currently am in possession of. If you are missing a buzzer let me know.
Matt Weiner
Advisor to Quizbowl at Virginia Commonwealth University / Founder of hsquizbowl.org
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Arabidopsis failiana
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Re: MRNA Vaccine mirror at VCU (Richmond VA 2/19/22)

Post by Arabidopsis failiana »

This tournament was a pleasure to attend. Thank you to Matt and everyone from VCU for hosting. I'm looking forward to coming back to Richmond in April.
Mark Bailey
T.C. Williams High School class of 2019
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