2012 Middle School National Championship
NAQT is pleased to announce that its second annual Middle School National Championship Tournament (MSNCT) will be held at Chicago's Hyatt Regency O'Hare hotel on the weekend of April 20-22, 2012. This is the same hotel that hosted the 2011 championship.
Online registration is now open.
Date:
April 20-22, 2012 (Friday to Sunday).
Teams will check in on Friday, April 20, 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 arrive earlier than Friday, or stay later than Sunday, 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) | ||
| 5:00-10:00 | Game Official Check-In | Conference Center Foyer (Lobby Level) |
| 6:00-10:00 | Team Check-In | Conference Center Foyer (Lobby Level) |
| 6:00-10:00 | Scrimmage Rounds | International Level Foyer |
| Saturday | ||
| 8:00-9:00 | Team Check-In | outside International Ballroom |
| 8:30-9:00 | Staff Meeting | Vienna |
| 9:00-9:30 | Player meeting | International Ballroom DEF |
| 9:30-11:30 | Preliminary Rounds | various |
| 11:30-1:00 | Lunch (not provided) | - |
| 1:00-3:30 | Preliminary Rounds | various |
| 3:30-3:45 | Break | - |
| 3:45-4:15 | Tiebreaker Round (if necessary) | various |
| Sunday | ||
| 8:00 | Playoff Pairings Posted | International Level Foyer |
| 8:30-8:50 | Staff Meeting | Vienna |
| 9:00-12:00 | Playoff Rounds | Meeting Rooms |
| 9:00-12:00 | Consolation Rounds | Organized from 916 |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch (not provided) | - |
| 1:00-2:00 | Playoff Rounds | International Ballrooms |
| 2:00-3:00 | Finals | International Ballroom DEF |
| 3:00-3:30 | Awards | International Ballroom DEF |
| 3:30-4:00 | Buzzer Return | Tech Center |
On Saturday morning teams should be in the International Ballroom (section DEF) by 8:55 a.m.
Information Desk:
NAQT will be operating an Information Desk throughout the tournament in the foyer of 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. Qualified teams may now register online.
Field:
The field for the tournament is limited to 72 teams. Online registration is now open and the current field may be seen online.
The field was initially capped at 64 teams, but it was expanded to 72 on April 4.
Format:
The field will be divided into eight pools of nine teams, each of which will play a round robin schedule on Saturday. The top four teams from each pool will advance to double-elimination playoffs on Sunday.
This is similar to last year's format, except that it will involve 72 teams rather than 36, and four teams from each pool will advance to the playoffs instead of only three.
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.
Registration:
The registration fee is $495 per team if payment is received on or before March 30, 2012. The fee is $525 per team after March 30. Schools whose first qualifying event occurred after March 1, 2012, have until April 6 to register at the lower rate. The deadline to accept an invitation is April 13, or when the field fills, whichever comes first.
In addition, as of 23:59:59 ET on April 10, 2012, the acceptance of invitations will be considered final. Should a team cancel after that date, it will still be liable for one-half of its base registration fee. This deadline was originally March 30, but was pushed back because NAQT did not send a reminder e-mail in advance of the first date.
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.
Buzzer system discounts will only be for systems that NAQT can keep from the beginning of the tournament until the lunch break on Sunday. NAQT will not be giving buzzer discounts for systems that teams want to pick up prior that lunch break.
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.
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 Conference Center Foyer on Friday, April 20. This foyer 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 in the foyer on the International Level.
Prizes:
The top sixteen 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 Hyatt Regency O'Hare is completely full. Teams should book rooms at the overflow hotel (described below).
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, teams may either book their stay online or mention "NAQZ" (sic) when making a reservation over the phone (888.421.1442). The last day to reserve rooms at this special price is April 6. Please note that there are two Hyatt hotels in Rosemont; the one hosting the tournament is the Hyatt Regency O'Hare 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
Reservations: 888.421.1442
General Phone: 847.696.1234
Fax: 847.698.0139
Overflow Hotel:
Since the Hyatt Regency O'Hare is completely full, NAQT has arranged for the DoubleTree O'Hare-Rosemont to serve as the overflow hotel.
The DoubleTree is a 5-minute walk from the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, just across Des Plaines River Road. A map can be viewed here. It also has a complimentary airport shuttle (from O'Hare, not Midway). It offers the same $109/night rate for all rooms (including quadruple-occupancy double/doubles and double-occupancy king-size rooms).
To make reservations at the DoubleTree, call 800.756.5505 and say that you are with the "National Academic Quiz Tournaments (overflow from Hyatt)" group. Shorter versions of that name will probably work, but that's the official name of the group. A URL for making online reservations will be announced shortly.
All parking at the DoubleTree is in the adjacent lot operated by the Rosemont Convention Center. Parking is $13/day or $20/day (with in-and-out privileges). This parking rate is higher than that at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. We are investigating the possibility of bus parking at the overflow hotel.
The cut-off date for booking rooms at the overflow hotel is 5:00 CT on Saturday, April 14. Please book rooms as early as possible so we can judge whether the overflow block needs to be expanded.
DoubleTree O'Hare-Rosemont
5460 N River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
Reservations: 800.756.5505
General Phone: 224.585.0130
Fax: 847.292.9295
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!