NAQT has found enough staffers for its 2008 High School Championship Tournament. It's not too early to let us know that you'd like to be contacted when we start recruiting for the 2009 championship!
NAQT is still looking for moderators, scorekeepers, and statisticians for the 2008 NAQT High School National Championship Tournament that will be held May 23-25, 2008 (Memorial Day weekend) at the Wyndham O'Hare hotel in Rosemont, IL. The hotel is about 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
NAQT will cover the transportation, Chicago parking, and lodging costs of all staffers. Transportation will be by plane, train, or automobile as the staffer's situation requires; lodging will generally be in quadruple-occupancy rooms at the Wyndham O'Hare itself, though special provision can be made for staffers traveling as couples to help out. NAQT will also provide lunch on Saturday during the tournament. All other meals and incidental costs are the responsibility of the staffer.
In general, NAQT expects non-local staffers to arrive by 5:00 p.m. on Friday and stay until the completion of the tournament (roughly 3:00 p.m. on Sunday) to help with pre- and post-tournament activities. Limited arrangements can be made for moderators to arrive later than this (or leave earlier). Local moderators (who don't need hotel rooms or significant travel compensation) may have much greater flexibility in which parts of the tournament (Friday-night scrimmages, Saturday preliminary rounds, Sunday playoffs) they want to be present for.
Moderators and scorekeepers can expect to have Saturday and Sunday evenings free of tournament-related responsibilities. They may travel into the city, enjoy local attractions, or organize mini-tournaments on their own.
NAQT expects potential moderators to have experience reading NAQT questions on the clock and to expect to get through at least 21 (and preferably 23) tossup/bonus cycles in 18 minutes of play. Moderators should also be thoroughly familiar with NAQT's rules. The requirements on scorekeepers are less stringent: merely an attention to detail, willingness to follow instructions, and ability to do arithmetic relatively quickly. We will be using Tournament Director for data entry; no prior experience is required with it to act as a statistician as we will have the undivided attention of the system's developer the entire day.
This offer is open to the public; NAQT expects that it will be of primary interest to current and former college quiz bowl players, but we would love to have high school players, high school coaches, and members of the general public assist with the event if they are interested. Please note that it may be unrealistic to expect a job as a moderator with no prior experience.
If you have questions about staffing, or would like to volunteer, please contact us at hsnct@naqt.com.