NAQT is pleased to announce that its 2009 High School National Championship Tournament will be held at Chicago's Hyatt Regency O'Hare hotel on May 29-31, 2009. Note that this is the weekend after Memorial Day weekend. Also, note that this is near the hotel used last year, but not the same place.

Date:

May 29-31, 2009 (Friday to Sunday). This is the weekend after Memorial Day weekend.

Teams will check in on Friday, May 29, and have the opportunity to meet each other and practice on official questions. The preliminary games will take place on Saturday, and the playoff games will take place on Sunday. Teams may stay through Monday (or longer!) to explore Chicago at the discounted hotel rates negotiated by NAQT. Teams that cannot arrive on Friday night will have a chance to check in on Saturday morning if they notify NAQT of the situation in advance.

Site:

The Hyatt Regency O'Hare. This building contains both the official hotel and the competition rooms. No overflow hotel will be necessary.

Schedule:

This schedule is tentative.

On Saturday morning teams should be in the Rosemont Ballroom by 8:30 a.m. Moderators and other staff should go to United B to review game procedures and hear any last-minute announcements.

Qualification:

Schools qualify to send teams to the HS NCT through their performance at NAQT invitational events and NAQT State Championships held throughout the year. Qualified teams may now register online.

Field:

The field for the tournament is limited to 192 teams.

Format:

The precise format will be determined by the final size of the field. Teams are guaranteed ten preliminary matches on Saturday. The playoffs will take place on Sunday. The format will likely be similar to last year's in which 176 teams played 10 preliminary games (over the course of 14 rounds) on Saturday and every team with a winning record advanced to double-elimination (10 rounds) playoffs on Sunday.

Titles:

As in past years, an overall high school title and a Top Small School title will be awarded.

In addition, if there are at least five Canadian schools in attendance, a Top Canadian Team title will be awarded after a final; if at least ten are in attendance, a parallel playoff for the Canadian title will be held (similar to what is done to determine the Top Small School). The exact format of that playoff will be determined by the overall finish of the Canadian teams.

Scrimmages:

Teams that do not qualify for the playoffs are encouraged to return on Sunday to play against any other teams they want (or to mix-and-match from across the country) on the playoff questions. These scrimmage rounds will be held in various game rooms of the hotel and will be moderated by NAQT staff and other volunteers. Please note that all students, even alternates or observers, are welcome to take part.

Registration:

The registration fee is $535 per team if payment is received on or before April 26. The fee is $555 per team after May 1. Schools whose first qualifying event occurred after April 1, 2009, have until May 10 to register at the $535 rate. The deadline to accept an invitation is May 24, or when the field fills, whichever comes first.

Please note that the registration fee only covers entrance to the tournament. It does not cover transportation, lodging, food, or other expenses.

Teams supplying a qualified, experienced scorekeeper for the tournament will be eligible for a $75 discount on the registration fees. This scorekeeper will not necessarily scorekeep for his or her school's matches; he or she will be assigned as the tournament director sees fit. Also, a team claiming this discount must still have at least one adult coach/chaperone with the team at all matches.

Every competing school will receive a complete copy of the question set used at this tournament. Please note that teams that do not pick up their questions at the tournament itself will be charged a shipping fee ($10) by NAQT to mail them.

Teams should register online to ensure that NAQT has their information. After NAQT receives that registration information, an electronic invoice will be generated. Teams that need paper invoices may request them in the "additional information" box on the registration form. Please note that team rosters may be changed at any time before the start of the HS NCT so it is neither necessary (nor desirable) to wait to register until a team's composition has been definitively decided. Register as soon as possible and, if necessary, re-register when the composition of a team changes.

Checking In:

NAQT will be checking teams in, disbursing information folders, answering questions, and handling outstanding administrative matters between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. in the Rosemont Foyer on Friday, May 29. When teams arrive at the hotel on Friday night, the coach should check in. He or she will receive a folder containing a copy of the official rules, the schedule for the tournament, and information on local attractions. Team members are encouraged to take advantage of the social and practice opportunities on Friday night.

Friday Night:

Between 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., rooms will be set up near the check-in area for teams to scrimmage against each other on questions from previous NAQT HS NCTs. This scrimmaging is free and will be moderated by tournament staff. We encourage all teams to come by to play a practice game or two.

Prizes:

The top twenty teams will each receive a team trophy, and the members (and coach) of those teams will receive individual awards (up to six per team). In addition, the top three small schools (by NAQT's definition) will receive a team trophy and individual awards. The top twenty-five individual scorers will receive All-Star awards. In addition, the top five freshmen and the top five sophomores who are not overall All-Stars will receive freshman or sophomore All-Star awards. All individual awards will be based on the results of the preliminary rounds. Players must have at least 100 tossups heard (approximately five games) to be eligible for individual awards.

Flights:

Teams will want to fly into one of the two major Chicago airports, either O'Hare International (much more convenient; airport code ORD) or Midway International (mucn less convenient; code MDW). There is a free shuttle that runs every 15 minutes to bring teams to and from O'Hare Airport (but not Midway).

Hotel (Official):

The official hotel for the tournament is the Hyatt Regency O'Hare itself. Quadruple-occupancy rooms (with two double beds) are available for $109 per night. To receive that rate, enter "NAQT" as your group code when registering online, or mention "NAQT" when making a reservation over the phone. The last day to reserve rooms at this special price is May 12.

Teams can book their stay online.

Parking is $10/day and includes in-and-out privileges.

The hotel has a complimentary shuttle to O'Hare. The cost of a taxi from Midway is approximately $35. For public transportation between Midway and the hotel (via the Orange and Blue "El" train lines), the cost is $2.00 per person. Teams taking the El should get off at the Rosemont exit, from which the hotel is easily walkable.

Hyatt Regency O'Hare
9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue
Rosemont, Illinois, USA 60018
Telephone: +1 847 696 1234
Fax: +1 847 698 0139

Transportation:

The Hyatt Regency O'Hare operates a complimentary shuttle between O'Hare airport and the hotel. Since the official hotel is also serving as the competition site, NAQT will not be providing additional shuttle or bus services.

Teams that want to explore Chicago are encouraged to rent a car and/or use Chicago's public transportation, including the famed El.

Practice Questions:

Teams that have been invited to compete at the 2009 High School National Championship Tournament may be interested in purchasing the questions from previous years to prepare for the event. All 76 of NAQT's past regular-season sets are available as are the sets from all ten past national championships.

Teams may also want to purchase NAQT study guides listing the works of literature, art, music, and non-fiction (and their creators) that have been mentioned most frequently in NAQT questions from 1996 to the present. These are also available on our practice questions page.

Finally, teams will want to look at the information contained in NAQT's free You Gotta Know articles before the tournament. These detail the most frequently asked about question topics in a wide variety of areas.

Further Questions:

To ask specific questions about the HS NCT, please contact us:

1. by e-mail at hsnct@naqt.com
2. by phone at 888.411.6278 ("NAQT")
3. by fax at 413.473.1617
4. by postal mail at:

   NAQT
   11521 W 69th Street
   Shawnee, KS 66203
   

We look forward to answering any and all questions, no matter how expansive or trivial, in the hopes of eliminating any possible confusion or mistakes in teams' plans. If something's not clear, let us know!