The Macalester College Bowl Team is pleased to announce that it is working with National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC to host a collegiate invitational tournament on Saturday, November 3, 2007.
This is a non-packet-submission tournament targeted at non-circuit programs, young teams, and new students. The goal is to provide a fun and competitive event that prepares teams for the tougher regional, sectional, and national championships of the Spring. Macalester Coach Chris Baxter and NAQT President R. Robert Hentzel will be serving as co-directors of the tournament.
Location:
The exact rooms to be used are TBA.
Schedule:
Teams may check in between 8:30 and 9:00 on Saturday, November 3. At this time they will pay (if they haven't sent a check in advance) and receive a copy of the rules (also available online on the NAQT website), a copy of their schedule for the day, and other pertinent information about the tournament.
From 9:00 to 9:30 there will be an introductory meeting to go over the rules, format, and schedule. Coaches, players, and parents will have an opportunity to ask questions. Teams are also encouraged to ask questions in advance, over e-mail, to make the meeting go as smoothly as possible.
At 9:30, the rounds will begin. The exact schedule and number of rounds will vary with the number of registered teams, but we hope to give everybody at least eight rounds. Teams will have an hour for lunch and we aim to finish up between 4:00 and 5:00, again depending on the number of participating schools and the exact format chosen.
Eligibility and Qualification:
All post-secondary educational institutions are eligible to participate in this event, including four-year colleges, two-year colleges, and junior-senior colleges.
This tournament is targeted at programs and players with comparatively less intercollegiate experience; colleges that don't currently play on the invitational circuit may send any set of players that they wish. Those that do play on the invitational circuit are urged to send players that didn't join the team until the current competition year. This is intended to be a guideline rather than a hard-and-fast rule; if you think that you have players that would enjoy competing on an NAQT A-level set but don't fit that exact criterion, e-mail the tournament director to talk about the situation. We aim to be as inclusive as possible within the general goal of running a tournament that caters to new(er) teams and players.
Staffing:
The tournament will be staffed entirely by current players on the Macalester quiz bowl team, alumni/ae, and collegiate players from other institutions. Coaches will not be required to assist with the running of the tournament and will be able to watch their team(s) throughout the event.
Format:
The format of the tournament will be determined by the number of teams that register, but all participants are guaranteed at least eight games.
Registration:
Please e-mail R. Robert Hentzel if you are interested in attending or in receiving updates on the tournament.
Schools are encouraged to send multiple teams.
The base registration fee is $50. There is a $10 discount for a bringing a working lockout system. There is a $10 penalty for waiting to register until after November 1. This fee includes one printed copy of the questions used at the tournament. Please note that the questions will not be distributed until the conclusion of the tournament; teams that opt to leave early may pay ($5) to have their sets shipped to them.
Teams will be able to pay when they check in at the tournament site. Please make checks out to "Macalester College."
Prizes:
In order to keep registration costs low, this tournament will not be providing any physical prizes.
Question Security:
This tournament will use questions provided by National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC. We are using Invitational Series #71A. It is the responsibility of participating teams to make sure that they have not attended (and do not plan to attend) another tournament anywhere in the country that is using the same packet set. If you have questions about whether or not you have plans to do so, please don't hesitate to contact NAQT. There is a conflict between using NAQT's intramural packets and attending this tournament.
Further Questions:
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact R. Robert Hentzel by e-mail or phone (952.888.2277).