2010 High School National Championship
NAQT is pleased to announce that its 2010 High School National Championship Tournament will be held at Chicago's Hyatt Regency O'Hare hotel and the adjoining Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30, 2010. This is the same hotel as last year.
Date:
May 28-30, 2010 (Friday to Sunday). This is Memorial Day weekend.
Teams will check in on Friday, May 28, and have the opportunity to meet each other and play practice matches on official NAQT questions from previous years. The tournament's 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 half of the competition rooms. The other half of the competition rooms will be in the nearby Convention Center which is connected to the hotel by a skyway.
Schedule:
| Friday (evening) | ||
| 5:00-10:00 | Game Official Check-In | Midway Room |
| 6:00-10:00 | Team Check-In | Hyatt Regency Business Atrium |
| 6:00-10:00 | Scrimmage Rounds | O'Hare Ballroom B (go here to sign up) |
| Saturday | ||
| 8:30-8:45 | Player meeting | CC North Ballroom |
| 9:00-12:00 | Rounds 1-6 | CC, hotel meeting rooms, and parlors |
| 12:00-1:30 | Lunch (not provided) | - |
| 1:30-6:15 | Rounds 7-15 | CC, hotel meeting rooms, and parlors |
| Sunday | ||
| 8:00 | Playoff Pairings Posted | CC North Ballroom Foyer |
| 8:00 | Small School Playoff Pairings Posted | Logan |
| 8:30-12:00 | Rounds 16-21 | Convention Center |
| 9:00-12:00 | Consolation Rounds | O'Hare Ballroom B (go here to sign up) |
| 11:30-1:00 | Lunch (not provided) | - |
| 1:00-2:20 | Rounds 22-23 | CC North Ballroom |
| 2:20-3:40 | Finals (rounds 24-25) | CC North Ballroom |
| 3:30-4:15 | Awards | CC North Ballroom |
| 4:15-4:30 | Buzzer Return | CC North Ballroom Foyer |
On Saturday morning teams should be in the Convention Center's North Ballroom by 8:30 a.m. Moderators and other staff should go to Midway to review game procedures and hear any last-minute announcements.
Information Desk:
NAQT will be operating an Information Desk throughout the tournament on the Lobby Level of the hotel. This should be teams' first resort for any sort of question at all. The Information Desk will be in contact with all three control rooms and the stat room throughout the day.
Qualification:
Schools qualify to send teams to the HSNCT 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 200 teams. The current field is listed here.
The 2010 field was originally capped at 192 teams, but was expanded on May 6, 2010 to include all of the teams on the waitlist as of that morning. The field expansion does not affect the number of rounds that will be played in the tournament and it will not change the number of guaranteed games.
Format:
Teams are guaranteed exactly ten preliminary matches on Saturday. Those matches will be determined by power-matching, so that teams with similar records will be playing each other in every round. Every team with a winning record (6-4 or better) will advance to the playoffs. The playoffs will be held on Sunday and will be double-elimination.
A total of 15 rounds will be played on Saturday, so each team will have exactly 5 byes. Either 9 or 10 rounds will be played on Sunday, depending on whether the champion finishes with a playoff loss or not.
This is identical to last year's format, except that it will involve 200 teams rather than 192.
The first-round Sunday pairings will be posted at 8:00 a.m. just outside the North Ballroom in the Convention Center.
As in past years, an overall high school title and a Top Small School title will be awarded.
The top three small school teams and all small school teams that finish 4-6 or better on Saturday are guaranteed spots in the small school playoffs, the exact format of which will be determined based on the number of such teams and the presence or absence of small schools in the overall playoffs. The small school playoff bracket will be posted at 8:00 a.m. outside the Logan Room.
Due to insufficient Canadian registrations, there will not be a Top Canadian Team title awarded this year.
Consolation Rounds:
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 consolation 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. Teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs may also take part.
Teams that want to participate in the consolation rounds should go O'Hare Ballroom B after 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Registration:
The registration fee is $565 per team if payment is received on or before April 23, 2010. The fee is $585 per team after April 28. Schools whose first qualifying event occurred after April 1, 2010, have until May 10 to register at the lower rate. The deadline to accept an invitation is May 24, or when the field fills, whichever comes first.
In addition, as of 23:59:59 ET on April 28, 2010, invitation acceptances will be considered final. Should a team cancel after that date, it will still be liable for one-half of its base registration fee.
The registration fee only covers entrance to the tournament. It does not cover transportation, lodging, food, or other expenses.
Please note that the field has historically filled; qualifying for the tournament does not guarantee a spot in the field, it merely enables your team to register for one of the spots. Once you have qualified, you should register as soon as you can to ensure your team a berth in the tournament.
Teams bringing a working lockout system to the tournament will be eligible for a $30 discount on the registration fee. Each team may claim up to two such discounts. Lockout systems will be tested at check-in, and those that don't have at least eight functioning buzzers will be denied the discount. This is the first year that NAQT has offered such a discount at the HSNCT; we recognize that increased baggage charges have made it difficult for teams to bring their systems, and we would like to provide a financial incentive for them to do so.
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 HSNCT 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 Hyatt Regency Business Atrium on Friday, May 28. This atrium is opposite the reservation desk on the Lobby Level. 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.
To streamline check-in, we are requesting that schools try to follow this schedule based on the first letter of the name of their state/province:
| First Letter | Preferred Check-in Window |
| A-I | 6:00 to 7:00 |
| J-M | 7:00 to 8:00 |
| N-Z | 8:00 to 9:00 |
This is not mandatory; don't rearrange your schedule or accept inconvenience to adhere to it. However, if you are planning to be at the hotel all evening anyway, please come at the appropriate time and it should reduce the total time spent waiting.
Between 6:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday night, rooms will be set up in the hotel for teams to scrimmage against each other on questions from previous NAQT HSNCTs. 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-six 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 120 tossups heard (approximately six 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 (much less convenient; code MDW). There is a free hotel 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 $115 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 6. Please note that there are two Hyatt hotels in Rosemont; the one hosting the tournament is the Regency O'Hare right next to the convention center.
Between the HSNCT and the other events scheduled for the Hyatt Regency O'Hare on that weekend, it is expected that the hotel will fill to near capacity. NAQT strongly recommends that teams book their rooms as early as possible, particularly if they want quadruple-occupancy rooms (with two double beds). We have a room block that is calculated to cover the entire tournament, but it can't hurt for our attendees to make their reservations at the earliest possible moment.
Teams can book their stay online.
Parking is $10/day and includes in-and-out privileges. This includes buses.
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: 847.696.1234
Fax: 847.698.0139
For schools that want to sleep three people in a room, the Hyatt Regency O'Hare is offering free rollaway beds that can turn a double-occupancy room with a king bed into a triple-occupancy room.
Secondary (Overflow) Hotel:
NAQT has arranged an overflow hotel for the tournament, which is the Hyatt Rosemont (this is a different hotel than the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, though that hotel is also in Rosemont):
Hyatt Rosemont
6350 N. River Road
Rosemont, Illinois, USA 60018
Telephone: 847.518.1234
Fax: 847.518.0855
The Rosemont Hyatt has a complimentary airport shuttle (from O'Hare) and will be running a free shuttle to bring teams to and from the tournament site at the convention center. It has the same $115 per night rate for all rooms (including quadruple-occupancy double/doubles and double-occupancy king-size rooms). As of May 12, 2010, the Rosemont Hyatt is out of quadruple-occupancy rooms, but it is offering free rollaways to turn double-occupancy rooms into triple-occupancy rooms. Teams wanting quadruple-occupancy rooms should go to the tertiary hotel.
To make reservations at the Rosemont Hyatt, call 800-233-1234 and say that you are with the "NAQT" group. It is not possible to obtain the discounted group rate through its online reservation system.
The Hyatt Rosemont has complimentary parking and can accommodate a limited number of buses. Teams should be sure to indicate that they will be arriving with a bus when they make their reservations to ensure that a space is a reserved.
Tertiary (Overflow) Hotel:
Since the Rosemont Hyatt ran out of quadruple-occupancy rooms, NAQT has arranged a tertiary hotel, the Embassy Suites Chicago - O'Hare Rosemont:
Embassy Suites
5500 North River Road
Rosemont, IL, USA, 60018
Telephone: 847.678.4000
Fax: 847.928.7659
The Embassy Suites has a complimentary airport shuttle (from O'Hare). It will not be running a shuttle to the tournament site, but is only a 5-minute walk away. It is also offering the $115 per night rate for all rooms (including quadruple-occupancy double/doubles and double-occupancy king-size rooms).
To make reservations at the Embassy Suites, call 1.800.EMBASSY and say that you are with "NAQT." You can also make reservations online.
Parking is available for $10/day with in-and-out privileges. A limited amount of bus parking is available; be sure to indicate that you will be arriving in a bus when you make your reservations. The room rate includes a complimentary, cooked-to-order breakfast. The daily Internet rate is $12.95.
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.
The overflow hotels also offer complimentary shuttles to and from O'Hare airport. The Hyatt Rosemont will also be running a complimentary shuttle to bring teams to and from the competition site. The Embassy Suites will not be offering a complimentary shuttle to the competition site, but it is only a 5-minute walk.
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 2010 High School National Championship Tournament may be interested in purchasing the questions from previous years to prepare for the event. All 85 of NAQT's past regular-season sets are available as are the sets from all eleven 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 HSNCT, please contact us:
- by e-mail at hsnct@naqt.com
- by phone at 888.411.6278 ("NAQT")
- by fax at 413.473.1617
- 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!