2020 Community College Championship Tournament Logistics Information

The 2020 Community College Championship Tournament (CCCT) was held at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida, on February 28–29, 2020. The 2019 CCCT was also held at this site.

Contents

    Date

    February 28–29, 2020 (Friday–Saturday).

    Location

    Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. This institution contains all of the competition rooms.

    Valencia College has eight distinct campuses in the Orlando area. This tournament will be held entirely on the West Campus (1800 South Kirkman Road; Orlando, Florida 32811).

    Schedule

    This schedule is final.

    All times are listed in Eastern time.

    Friday Evening

    Time Event Location Area
    5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Team check-inFoyer outside HSB 105 Health Sciences Building
    6:00 – 6:30 p.m. Team meetingHSB 105 Health Sciences Building
    6:00 – 6:30 p.m. Staff meetingRoom 111 Building 1
    7:00 – 9:30 p.m. Preliminary rounds (1–5)Classrooms Building 1
    9:40 – 10:00 p.m. Record confirmation meetingHSB 105 Health Sciences Building

    Saturday

    Time Event Location Area
    8:45 – 9:15 a.m. Tiebreaker (if necessary; round 6)Classrooms Building 1
    9:20 – 9:30 a.m. Pick up schedulesAtrium Building 1
    9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Playoff rounds 7–10Classrooms Building 1
    11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. LunchOn your own
    1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Playoff rounds 11–12Classrooms Building 1
    2:00 – 3:45 p.m. Tiebreakers and finals (rounds 13–15)HSB 105 Health Sciences Building
    After finals AwardsHSB 105 Health Sciences Building
    4:15 – 4:30 p.m. ACRONYM opening meetingAtrium Building 1
    4:30 – 10:00 p.m. ACRONYMClassrooms Building 1

    (All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time.)

    The Round 6 tiebreaker will only be played by some teams; most teams will start play on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Even if there are no Round 6 tiebreakers to be played, the playoff games will not start until 9:30 a.m.

    During the tournament, participants may text 213‑279‑6278 (“NAQT”) with questions; tournament staff will answer incoming messages as quickly as they can. Standard messaging rates apply.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    NAQT has prepared answers to frequently asked questions about its national championships.

    Rules and Eligibility

    Gameplay will follow the Official NAQT Rules. Player eligibility is governed by the Community College Eligibility Rules.

    Qualification

    Schools qualified to send teams to the CCCT through their performances at Community College Sectional Championship Tournaments (CC SCTs) held in January.

    NAQT has computed D-Values to compare the performance of teams across CC SCTs. After inviting CC SCT champions, invitations are issued strictly in order of decreasing D-Values.

    Schools also had a chance to qualify through a wildcard process; the deadline for submitting such requests was Wednesday, January 29, 2020, and all submitted requests have been processed.

    The results of this year’s CC SCTs are now available (at the bottom, below the four-year SCTs). So are the D-Values used to determine the invitations and waitlist order.

    Field

    These teams attended the tournament.

    Format

    The tournament will use essentially the same format as in 2019:

    Teams will be initially divided into four pools of six teams, each of which will play a round robin (Rounds 1–5) on Friday night. These teams will be repooled into three new groups of eight (the top two advance to the top pool, numbers three and four advance to the second pool, and so forth) for a second round robin (Rounds 7–12) on Saturday morning and afternoon. Advancement will be determined by overall record with any tiebreaker games required by NAQT’s tiebreaker policy being played during Round 6 (on Saturday morning).

    Teams will need to remain at the tournament site on Friday night until it has been determined whether or not they will be in a tiebreaker during Round 6. This is anticipated to be about 15 minutes past the end of the last game. Teams should come to the Results Confirmation Meeting after their Round 5 (around 9:40 p.m.) to learn whether they are in a tiebreaker. If a team cannot stay, it has the option of providing a phone number or email address that can be used to convey the information to them.

    Teams who have a Round 6 tiebreaker must be back, ready to play, at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday. Those without a tiebreaker game will have their first game at 9:30 a.m. (but they will need to be in the Building 1 Atrium at 9:20 a.m. to pick up their Saturday schedule).

    In the playoffs, teams will play the six teams who are in the same playoff pool and whom they haven’t yet faced (Rounds 7–12). At the conclusion of Round 12, the top two teams will advance to the finals. This will be determined based on playoff record, including the games “carried over” from the preliminary rounds (i.e., games between teams who were in both the same preliminary pool and the same playoff pool). (This ranking method is new in 2020.) Ties for the top two spots will be broken during Round 13, if necessary. Tiebreaker games do not count in final records.

    If the top two teams have identical records, they will play a one-game final for the championship. If one team has an advantage, it will need to win one game while the other team will need to win two.

    Tiebreaker games will also be played during Round 13 if necessary to decide third through sixth places (as these are the final ranks that earn trophies).

    Here is NAQT’s official format document for the championship.

    Registration and Fees

    Registration has closed.

    The registration fee is $400 per team.

    The registration fee only covers participation in the tournament. It does not cover transportation, lodging, food or other expenses.

    Buzzer Discounts

    Teams who bring a working buzzer system to the tournament will be eligible for a $30 discount on the registration fee if it meets NAQT’s national-championship standards. There may be some surprises in that policy! Please read it in advance to make sure your system qualifies.

    Unless otherwise approved by NAQT, no team may receive more than three buzzer-system discounts.

    Timing

    NAQT will only award the discount for buzzer systems that it may keep until the completion of the awards ceremony; if you cannot commit to those times, do not register to bring a buzzer system!

    Teams may claim a $100 discount on the registration fee for each experienced staff member they bring who can work the entire tournament (possibly excepting tiebreaker games in Round 6).

    Team-provided staff members are subject to NAQT’s approval, and NAQT does not reimburse travel, lodging, or any other expenses for them. Staff-member discounts are only automatically available to teams who notify NAQT on or before February 9 that they will be bringing a staff member. Teams indicating their interest in doing so after that date may be extended the discount at NAQT’s discretion. Teams who promise to bring a staff member but who cancel that staff member on or after February 10 will be charged a $50 penalty (in addition to forfeiting the discount).

    Cancellation

    Invitation acceptances will be considered final on February 17. If a team cancels on or after February 18, it will be liable for 50% of the base registration fee as a cancellation penalty. Teams who cancel on or after February 26, including tournament no-shows, will be liable for the entire base registration fee. Failure to submit participation releases on time may be treated as a cancellation, including incurring a cancellation fee, at NAQT’s discretion.

    Payment

    Payment is due by the beginning of the tournament. NAQT strongly prefers payment prior to tournament check-in but also accepts payments at check-in. Schools that will be unable to pay by this time (typically for reasons related to school bureaucracies) should discuss their situation with NAQT well in advance.

    NAQT may specify earlier payment deadlines for specific teams, especially those for which the school is not paying.

    NAQT will send invoices well in advance of the tournament. If you would like to pay or request an invoice earlier, once you have entered all the information that can affect costs (but not necessarily entered your roster), at the bottom of your registration page, click “View Cost.” Verify that the listed information is correct, and if so, follow the instructions to request an invoice so that we have the proper billing information. You will also be offered the opportunity to pay by credit card.

    Checks, payable to “NAQT,” should be sent to

    National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC
    11521 W 69th St
    Shawnee, KS 66203–3749

    Please send questions about billing to billing@naqt.com.

    Participation Releases

    Every player will be required to sign a participation release covering expectations, media coverage, etc. All releases must be submitted to release@naqt.com by Thursday, February 27, 2020. Release forms will be made available via the registration process.

    Participants who are not at least 18 years old as of the start of the tournament must notify NAQT (including their date of birth) so that arrangements can be made to have parents/legal guardians sign the release.

    If you’re not sure of your roster in advance, enter everyone who might play and submit releases for all of them. It’s fine to drop players, but if a player’s release is not submitted on time, they may not play. For the purposes of participation releases, it doesn’t matter which team from your school they’re on (if you enter multiple teams).

    Please be sure that the signer initials the first page in the lower-right corner!

    An example participation release is available.

    Checking In

    The check-in period will be from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the foyer outside HSB 105 on Friday, February 28. During this period NAQT will distribute information folders, answer questions, process payments, verify rosters, and take care of other administrative matters.

    To check in, each team should send only one coach to the check-in area. That person will be given the team’s information folder. Others should not enter the check-in area.

    Questions

    This tournament will use the 2020 NAQT Division II SCT set (16 packets of 24/24). This is the same set that will be used for the Division II competitions at the 2020 four-year Sectional Championship Tournaments (SCTs), so community college teams who choose to participate in that tournament will not be allowed to compete in the CCCT (even with different players).

    Awards

    The top six teams will receive team trophies, and their members and coaches will receive individual awards.

    In addition, the top twelve individual scorers will be given All-Star awards. Individual awards will be based on the preliminary rounds only, not the playoff rounds. Players must have at least 70 tossups heard (in the preliminary rounds) to be eligible for individual prizes.

    Qualifying for the ICT

    The top four teams from this tournament will qualify to compete for the overall Division II collegiate championship at the 2020 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament, powered by LetterOne, on April 4, 2020 in Rosemont, IL.

    These are guaranteed Tier-4 invitations under NAQT’s qualification system for the ICT.

    CCCT teams that don’t finish in the top 4 will have their (SCT) D-Values computed as if the CCCT were a (four-year) Sectional Championship Tournament, and they will be inserted into the waitlist for Tier-7 invitations. It is thus possible for more than four CCCT participants to earn invitations to the ICT. Note that if one of the top four CCCT teams declines its ICT invitation, the spot will go to the next team in the overall (SCT-plus-CCCT) invitation order, not necessarily the fifth-place team at the CCCT.

    Popular Culture Side Event (ACRONYM)

    Play Quiz Bowl will host a mirror of its ACRONYM popular culture tournament as a “side event” on Saturday evening. This event is not officially part of the championship and is entirely optional.

    The mirror is open to the general public (including current players at any level). In particular, all people at the national championship (including players, coaches, and staff) are encouraged to play. People affiliated with different schools may play together.

    There is a separate registration fee ($100 per team) for the ACRONYM mirror.

    There will be short breaks in the ACRONYM schedule, but teams planning to compete in it should plan ahead to bring dinner or order delivery to eat between the end of the CCCT and the opening meeting of ACRONYM. This will be tight, but there will not be time to leave the tournament site between the end of the CCCT and the end of ACRONYM.

    Please direct questions about ACRONYM to Danny Vopava.

    Registration for ACRONYM is separate from registration from the CCCT. If you are registering a mixed team or a team that wants to play under a nonstandard name, you may need to create a new organization, affiliate yourself with it, and then register under its name.

    Hotel

    NAQT has reserved a room block for teams at the Hampton Inn Closest to Universal Orlando (5621 Windhover Drive) at a rate of $129 per room per night, which includes breakfast, Internet access, free parking, and a pool. To receive this rate, book online no later than February 7.

    The hotel does not have an airport shuttle, and while it is only about three miles from Valencia, it may take 20 to 30 minutes to make the drive during rush hour. Please allow ample time.

    Staff rooms are at the Quality Inn & Suites Near the Theme Parks (5635 Windhover Drive), which is adjacent to the aforementioned Hampton Inn, so the same driving caveat applies.

    Transportation

    Flights

    Teams should fly into Orlando International Airport (airport code MCO).

    Ground Transportation

    The recommended hotel does not operate a shuttle to or from the airport.

    NAQT recommends that teams flying to Orlando rent a car. There are no plausible public transportation options for getting from the airport to hotels (or from hotels to the campus site). Teams should be aware that traffic in Orlando is often heavy.

    Parking

    Parking is free on Valencia College’s campus. Teams that arrive after 4:00 p.m. on Friday should have no trouble finding a spot in a lot near the tournament building. Teams expecting to bring buses or other vehicles larger than vans should investigate parking options in advance.

    Parking is also free at the recommended hotel.

    Hospitality Room

    Throughout the check-in period and the tournament itself, Valencia College’s booster club will be providing free drinks and snacks for players, coaches, and tournament staff. These will be available in Room 113 (in Building 1).

    Internet Access

    Tournament attendees will have access to free wireless Internet throughout the tournament via Valencia College’s Guest network.

    Advocate Program

    Because NAQT believes that quiz bowl is an activity for everybody, and in which all participants should feel welcome and respected, we have established the Advocate Program to make sure select tournament staff are available to hear reports about problematic behavior and comments by anyone at the tournament.

    Staff wearing blue ribbons that say “Advocate” have been specifically selected to receive reports about inappropriate behavior (as opposed to run-of-the-mill questions about the quiz bowl aspects of the tournament). Advocate Program staff will be available in many places around the tournament site.

    Feedback about problematic behavior can, of course, always be sent to NAQT by email (advocate@naqt.com) or other channels such as the Misconduct Reporting Form, but the Advocate Program is intended to allow for in-person reporting of sensitive complaints on-site so they can be handled immediately.

    Reports are confidential to the extent permitted by law and NAQT’s agreements to share critical information with other quiz bowl organizations.

    Practice Material

    Participants may be interested in practicing on questions from previous years to prepare for the event. All of NAQT’s past regular-season sets are available, as are the sets from previous championships.

    Participants may also want to study frequency lists, Power Up study guides, and/or Thumbs Up! question anthologies. These are also available on our practice materials page.

    Finally, participants may 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.

    Spectators

    Spectators are welcome to attend any part of the tournament (though some areas may have limited capacity).

    No registration or tickets are required for spectators.

    Sightseeing

    NAQT very strongly recommends renting a vehicle. Public transportation in Orlando is not a viable option, not even for going between hotels and campus.

    The Orlando area is the site of Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld.

    The Morse Museum in Winter Park is a 25-minute drive from Valencia’s West Campus and houses the world’s largest collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, best known for his lamps and other glass art. It’s a really cool little museum, and it is on Park Avenue, a brick road lined by beautiful oaks and eclectic and upscale shops and restaurants.

    Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, with its fountain in the center of the lake, is Orlando’s most iconic place: it’s the shot used in the bumpers for every sporting event or other establishing shot of Orlando. The lake is among blocks of restaurants and shops in downtown. Lake Eola is only a 15-minute drive from Valencia’s West Campus.

    Wekiva Springs State Park is one of many parks in Central Florida featuring a natural spring fed by the Floridan aquifer on which most of Florida sits. The water remains 72°F year-round. Canoe and kayak rentals are available, and there are many hiking trails. It’s about a 30-minute drive north from the West Campus area.

    International Drive, five to ten minutes from the West Campus area, is a very touristy area with attractions like Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Indoor NASCAR Kart Racing, and WonderWorks. There are also many shops with discounted merchandise from the large theme parks. Café Tu Tu Tango is particularly recommended.

    NAQT thanks Valencia coach Chris Borglum for providing this information.

    Social Media

    The official hashtag for the tournament is ccct; please use this tag for all posts about the tournament.

    Remember that question content for the championship cannot be posted online (or shared through other channels)! This means that players, coaches, spectators, and moderators should not discuss clues, answers, or even overall themes (e.g., “Lots of opera”) with people on other teams (even those from the same school).

    NAQT Nationals app logo

    Companion Mobile App

    NAQT has created a companion mobile app for attendees. The app includes the tournament schedule (with the ability to set reminders for various events, on iOS), links to results, maps of the venue, connections to social media, and other important documents related to the tournament.

    Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

    Further Questions

    To ask specific questions about the CCCT, write to ccct@naqt.com.

    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 participants’ plans. If something’s not clear, let us know!

    2020 Community College Championship Tournament

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