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2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Tournament announcements, results, and discussion about specific tournaments.
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Charlie Dees
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2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by Charlie Dees »

This is going on this weekend. Missouri teams attending are Clayton, Oakville, Helias, Villa Duchesne, Rock Bridge A and B, Parkway West, and Jefferson City. I'm en route and looking forward to seeing the games. Any predictions this time around?

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Mickey0R0urke
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by Mickey0R0urke »

I predict it's gonna be a free-for-all bloodbath to get into those playoff spots. The teams that are coming to this tournament are all top-notch, and many of them are among the best in the country (Maggie Walker, State College High, etc.). But I think that Missouri will have at least 2 teams in the playoffs (at least I hope).

bruins4life
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by bruins4life »

ashkenaziCD wrote:This is going on this weekend. Missouri teams attending are Clayton, Oakville, Helias, Villa Duchesne, Rock Bridge A and B, Parkway West, and Jefferson City. I'm en route and looking forward to seeing the games. Any predictions this time around?

Although we don't get the schedule (or format?) until tomorrow. I think Clayton does the best of MO overall, getting into a top-tier bracket or going 8-1 or 7-2 in a nine team round robin. Rock Bridge A has a decent shot at 7-2, but will have to beat a top 30 team to get there. After that Jeff City, Helias, and Villa all look to make solid runs at 6-3 or 5-4. Oakville, Parkway West, and Rock Bridge B should each win a few games, and represent MO well.

I could also be so far off it's not even funny since this is my first time at PACE. :shock:

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octo
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by octo »

I'll put up scores here, probably.

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DeckardCain
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by DeckardCain »

A spreadsheet with semi-live results is here, and the liveblog is here.

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Jeffrey Hill
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by Jeffrey Hill »

Rock Bridge A went 3-2, tied for second in bracket with Cistercian and Sidney Lanier. I guess Rock Bridge ended up 4th after the tiebreaker since Sidney Lanier was 2nd and Cistercian got in as a wildcard.
Clayton went 2-3
Jefferson City and Helias went 1-4
Oakville, Parkway West, Rock Bridge B, and Villa Duchesne went 0-5

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OakvilleHSCoach
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by OakvilleHSCoach »

I was blown away by the difficulty of the questions, as well as the skill set of the teams we were competing against. I can't speak for the rest of the Missouri teams who competed at this event, but I can say that it has opened our eyes with just how much more work we still have to do.

Although we didn't do well, we still appreciate the experience.

On a side note, if anyone is still in Illinois, I might need a favor- I left my purse at a restaurant on accident. I was locked out of my house AND car this evening. :(

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Charlie Dees
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by Charlie Dees »

Logistically this tournament was the worst thing I've ever seen. It was a huge embarrassment, and I was shocked at how poorly it ran given that every other year I have been to the NSC they have been quite efficient. I know I'm not in PACE, but I will be the first to apologize to you newer teams for having to experience this. PACE has been going through some pretty ridiculous internal fighting and apathy that led to me and their best tournament director leaving them in the fall last year, and their replacement TDs ended up being way in over their heads, coming up with a completely unworkable format for day 1. If PACE can get their act together and elect one of a couple trustworthy people to run their event, I would recommend giving them a second chance because there are people who have made the NSC an excellent event before, but if they don't then I will stop recommending it to teams.

I liked the questions at least.

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Mickey0R0urke
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by Mickey0R0urke »

Logistically this tournament was the worst thing I've ever seen.
That's definitely an understatement. Logistically, it seemed like something out of my worst noghtmare. And I was only staffing. I can only imagine what happened to the teams that suffered through this nightmare.

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L-Town Expatriate
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by L-Town Expatriate »

ashkenaziCD wrote:Logistically this tournament was the worst thing I've ever seen. It was a huge embarrassment, and I was shocked at how poorly it ran given that every other year I have been to the NSC they have been quite efficient. I know I'm not in PACE, but I will be the first to apologize to you newer teams for having to experience this. PACE has been going through some pretty ridiculous internal fighting and apathy that led to me and their best tournament director leaving them in the fall last year, and their replacement TDs ended up being way in over their heads, coming up with a completely unworkable format for day 1. If PACE can get their act together and elect one of a couple trustworthy people to run their event, I would recommend giving them a second chance because there are people who have made the NSC an excellent event before, but if they don't then I will stop recommending it to teams.

I liked the questions at least.
Charles, you are one of the most capable and skilled tournament directors out there. To be blunt, you might be just what they need, be it saving their hides or devising a tournament that eventually replaces them. Bring the rest of MOQBA on board and several other willing volunteers from around the nation, and PACE will become a relic.

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OakvilleHSCoach
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by OakvilleHSCoach »

L-Town Expatriate wrote:
ashkenaziCD wrote:Logistically this tournament was the worst thing I've ever seen. It was a huge embarrassment, and I was shocked at how poorly it ran given that every other year I have been to the NSC they have been quite efficient. I know I'm not in PACE, but I will be the first to apologize to you newer teams for having to experience this. PACE has been going through some pretty ridiculous internal fighting and apathy that led to me and their best tournament director leaving them in the fall last year, and their replacement TDs ended up being way in over their heads, coming up with a completely unworkable format for day 1. If PACE can get their act together and elect one of a couple trustworthy people to run their event, I would recommend giving them a second chance because there are people who have made the NSC an excellent event before, but if they don't then I will stop recommending it to teams.

I liked the questions at least.
Charles, you are one of the most capable and skilled tournament directors out there. To be blunt, you might be just what they need, be it saving their hides or devising a tournament that eventually replaces them. Bring the rest of MOQBA on board and several other willing volunteers from around the nation, and PACE will become a relic.
I wish there were a like button on these boards, like Facebook, because I completely agree.

KentB
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by KentB »

The only problem is that Charlie cannot solve all the infighting going on even if he were to take on a huge role in this. Hopefully things will simmer down through the course of the next year.

In other news, I will attempt to help another team qualify for PACE within 3 years (approx.) while teaching at Schuyler County R-I. They did very well in Class II or III a few years back so there may be some groundwork laid already.

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L-Town Expatriate
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by L-Town Expatriate »

KentB wrote:The only problem is that Charlie cannot solve all the infighting going on even if he were to take on a huge role in this. Hopefully things will simmer down through the course of the next year.
Hopefully, but if something has to start up in place of PACE, I can imagine Charlie would seek & thrive in a proactive role, along with many in and out of MOQBA.
KentB wrote:In other news, I will attempt to help another team qualify for PACE within 3 years (approx.) while teaching at Schuyler County R-I. They did very well in Class II or III a few years back so there may be some groundwork laid already.
Awesome. Would love to see a Ram quiz bowl team put Schuyler County on the map for something other than Rhonda Vincent, Western's Smokehouse, and all the fireworks stands that Iowa won't allow.

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scphilli
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by scphilli »

L-Town Expatriate wrote:
KentB wrote:The only problem is that Charlie cannot solve all the infighting going on even if he were to take on a huge role in this. Hopefully things will simmer down through the course of the next year.
Hopefully, but if something has to start up in place of PACE, I can imagine Charlie would seek & thrive in a proactive role, along with many in and out of MOQBA.
While I appreciate your idealism on this subject Kyle, having sat through a rather lengthy discussion that got precisely nowhere last night in the #quizbowl chat featuring PACE members close to those who ran this thing, I fear that anyone who tries to fix PACE is either running a suicide mission, or is trying to paint the ocean.

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Charlie Dees
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by Charlie Dees »

I appreciate the compliments on my tournament directing skills greatly, it really does mean a lot to hear that from you guys. However, I am not planning on getting involved in directing PACE, and I don't think anybody in MOQBA is either. I would rather work on helping out the local circuit, and I am too invested at this point in working with Rock Bridge's team that I think directing national tournaments where they play would be inappropriate. However, Matt Weiner, the person who won the other Cooper Award at PACE besides MOQBA, used to be in PACE, directed the 2009 NSC excellently, and is trying to rejoin and take over again as tournament director on a plan to weed out lots of PACE members who either don't do anything or else who are incompetent. If he is successful, then I have much faith that the event could be restored to prominence. I personally want PACE to thrive, I believe it offers a lot of potential benefits to a national championship that NAQT Nationals doesn't have both in the quality of questions, the uniqueness of format, and the ability to use round robin playoffs in a more concentratedly talented field. Essentially, this was as if you just played a tournament with teams who could all make the playoffs at the HSNCT. Those kinds of things are good for a tournament to offer to top teams, I know when I was in high school I found the HSNCT much less satisfying than PACE because I didn't get as much of a chance to play good teams for a more defined final placement. I also think it would be an important thing to keep PACE going for historical, institutional reasons. I am really hoping we can see them get their act together, and we should know by the end of the summer whether or not PACE is going to be on track to redeem itself.



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Charlie Dees
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Re: 2011 PACE National Scholastics Championship

Post by Charlie Dees »

OakvilleHSCoach wrote:
L-Town Expatriate wrote:
ashkenaziCD wrote:Logistically this tournament was the worst thing I've ever seen. It was a huge embarrassment, and I was shocked at how poorly it ran given that every other year I have been to the NSC they have been quite efficient. I know I'm not in PACE, but I will be the first to apologize to you newer teams for having to experience this. PACE has been going through some pretty ridiculous internal fighting and apathy that led to me and their best tournament director leaving them in the fall last year, and their replacement TDs ended up being way in over their heads, coming up with a completely unworkable format for day 1. If PACE can get their act together and elect one of a couple trustworthy people to run their event, I would recommend giving them a second chance because there are people who have made the NSC an excellent event before, but if they don't then I will stop recommending it to teams.

I liked the questions at least.
Charles, you are one of the most capable and skilled tournament directors out there. To be blunt, you might be just what they need, be it saving their hides or devising a tournament that eventually replaces them. Bring the rest of MOQBA on board and several other willing volunteers from around the nation, and PACE will become a relic.
I wish there were a like button on these boards, like Facebook, because I completely agree.
Amusingly, this sort of ended up happening (at least we're going to be cramming the NSC full of staff and giving logistical help, if not actually running it).

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