2011 Middle School National Championship
NAQT is pleased to announce that its inaugural 2011 Middle School National Championship Tournament will be held at Chicago's Hyatt Regency O'Hare hotel on the weekend of May 6-8, 2011. This is the same hotel that hosted the 2010 High School National Championship Tournament.
Date:
May 6-8, 2011 (Friday to Sunday). This is Mother's Day weekend.
Teams will check in on Friday, May 6, and have the opportunity to meet each other and play practice matches on official NAQT questions. The tournament's preliminary games will take place on Saturday, and the playoff games will take place on Sunday. Teams may arrive earlier than Friday, or stay later than Monday, to explore Chicago at the discounted hotel rates negotiated by NAQT. Teams that cannot arrive by Friday evening 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.
Schedule:
This schedule is tentative.
| Friday (evening) | ||
| 5:30-10:00 | Game Official Check-In | Logan (Lobby Level) |
| 6:00-10:00 | Team Check-In | Business Atrium (Lobby Level) |
| 6:00-10:00 | Scrimmage Rounds | outside Gatwick (International Level) |
| Saturday | ||
| 9:00-10:00 | Team Check-In | outside Gatwick (International Level) |
| 9:30-10:00 | Staff Meeting | Gatwick (International Level) |
| 10:00-10:30 | Player meeting | International Ballroom ABC |
| 10:30-12:00 | Preliminary Rounds | International Level |
| 12:00-1:30 | Lunch (not provided) | - |
| 1:30-4:30 | Preliminary Rounds | International Level |
| 4:30-4:45 | Break | - |
| 4:45-5:05 | Tiebreaker Round (if necessary) | - |
| Sunday | ||
| 8:00 | Playoff Pairings Posted | outside Gatwick |
| 8:30-8:50 | Playoff Staff Meeting | Heathrow (International Level) |
| 8:30-8:50 | Consolation Staff Meeting | Gatwick |
| 9:00-12:00 | Playoff Rounds | International Level |
| 9:00-12:00 | Consolation Rounds | Tegel (International Level) |
| 12:00-1:30 | Lunch (not provided) | - |
| 1:30-2:30 | Finals | International Ballroom ABC |
| 2:30-3:00 | Awards | International Ballroom ABC |
| 3:00-3:30 | Buzzer Return | outside Gatwick |
On Saturday morning teams should be in the International Ballroom (section ABC) by 9:55 a.m.
Information Desk:
NAQT will be operating an Information Desk throughout the tournament outside the Gatwick room on the International Level of the hotel. This should be teams' first resort for all questions.
Qualification:
Schools qualify to send teams to the MSNCT through their performance at NAQT invitational events and other selected events held throughout the year.
Field:
The field for the tournament is limited to 64 teams. Online registration is now open and the current field may be seen online.
Format:
The field will be divided into four brackets of nine, each of which will play a round robin schedule on Saturday. The top three teams from each bracket will advance to double-elimination playoffs on Sunday.
A more detailed explanation of the format (PDF) is also available. Copies of this document will be handed out at the tournament.
Rules and Eligibility:
This tournament will use NAQT's Official Rules and Middle School Eligibility Rules.
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 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. Teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs may also take part. These are unofficial rounds that do not count as part of the tournament standings.
Teams that want to participate in the consolation scrimmage rounds should go to the Tegel room (on the International Level) after 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. Teams may play all, some, or none of the scrimmage rounds.
Registration:
The registration fee is $495 per team if payment is received on or before April 12, 2011. The fee is $525 per team after April 12. Schools whose first qualifying event occurred after March 1, 2011, have until April 22 to register at the lower rate. The deadline to accept an invitation is April 29, or when the field fills, whichever comes first.
In addition, as of 23:59:59 ET on April 12, 2011, 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.
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 enough functioning buzzers will be denied the discount.
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.
Online registration is now open.
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 Business Atrium on Friday, May 6. 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 (it is not necessary for the players to be present). 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 10:00 p.m. on Friday night, rooms will be set up in the hotel for teams to scrimmage against each other on questions from NAQT's archives that are comparable in difficulty to those that will be played in the actual tournament. 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. Teams interested in participating in these rounds should meet outside the Gatwick room on the International Level.
Prizes:
The top 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). The top twelve individual scorers will receive All-Star awards. In addition, the top four non-8th graders who are not overall All-Stars will receive Rising 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 (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:
The official hotel for the tournament is the Hyatt Regency O'Hare itself. Quadruple-occupancy rooms (with two double beds) are available for $119 per night. To receive that rate, teams may either book their stay online or mention "NAQT" when making a reservation over the phone. The last day to reserve rooms at this special price is April 22. 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.
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.
Parking is $10/day and includes in-and-out privileges. This includes buses.
Guest room Internet access is $5.95/day.
Hyatt Regency O'Hare
9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue
Rosemont, Illinois, USA 60018
Telephone: 847.696.1234
Fax: 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.
Further Questions:
To ask specific questions about the MSNCT, please contact us:
- by e-mail at msnct@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!