Dallas, May 24 - 26 OR
Washington, D.C., May 30 - June 1 OR
Chicago, IL June 7-9
We provide six guaranteed preliminary round matches for every team. With an option of locales, teams can choose a place that's fun to visit. With a choice of dates, schools with a conflict (e.g. graduation) in one time frame may simply select another date.
At the expense of Questions Unlimited, the winners of the Dallas and D.C. phases of the tournament (four players and a coach) will be transported to Chicago, to compete in the final rounds of the third (June 7-9) phase of the competition.
Each team will compete in at least six official tournament matches.
Advancement to the Single Elimination Round in each city will be determined by performance in the six preliminary games. All 6-0, 5-1, and 4-2 teams will make the playoffs.
Bringing Two Teams Is a Good Idea.
The last two National Championships have been won by schools that (1) come to Nationals every year, and (2) always bring two teams. The logic is clear. B teams usually consist of younger players who then feed into the A team as "seasoned veterans" during their junior or senior year. If you're considering bringing two teams, be aware that players may not shift between teams during the tournament.
We again plan to conduct our popular reality show at each site, with graduating seniors "auditioning" -- the winner of which will be invited to join us as a moderator for 2009 Nationals.
Special thanks to Mr. Richard Vilmure, President and CEO of the Muller Foundation, San Diego, for providing a $2,000 scholarship award for the winning team.
Your team contingent must include four starters and one or more coaches. Alternate(s) are recommended but not required. Each team must win an academic competition (local or regional) of at least 8 teams or finish in the top 15% of any tournament. The winning team from any preliminary round match in the Questions Unlimited QuizNet online tournament qualifies, as well as any team acing any one of Questions Unlimited's monthly "20 Questions" quiz online. Any school making the playoffs at last year's National Academic Championship automatically qualifies.
The competition focuses on academic information - "significa" rather than "trivia" - and the questions are supplied by Questions Unlimited. Our emphasis is light on popular culture and heavy on the academic. Contests follow the four-quarter format created by Questions Unlimited.
We call the National Academic Championship "the finest in academic competition" because since 1983 we have boasted the best questions and a highly professional officiating staff.
Our superb team of moderators includes:
* Chip Beall, Executive Director of the National Academic Association and President of Questions Unlimited
* Mike Mastandrea, Dallas, President, M.A.A.
* Brick Barrientos, Creator of the long-running Maryland Classic tournament.
* Ernie Anderson, Creator and Host of the High-Q TV program (Huntington, West Virginia)
* Jason Russell, actor with Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA.
* Dave Madden, Ridgewood, NJ, at the end of his 20-game run on Jeopardy! he found himself $430,400 richer.
Meet the Pros Pictures and descriptions of
our unsurpassed staff of moderators and judges.
Although we always ask you to send no money until you're certain your team is going to compete, we also strongly advise early enrollment. With lower entry fees in 2008, we expect to run out of space at each venue. (Note that we will run out of on-site room lodgings well before we run out of space to accommodate you in the tournament itself.) To avoid the higher entry fees assessed after April 15, and to avoid having to arrange your own off-site accommodations in the event that we run out of space on campus or hotel, or possibly missing out altogether, please don't wait until the last minute to register!
Deadlines
The entry fee is a flat $750 per team.
When the entry fee is received, a place for your team will be reserved and registration instructions emailed to you. Please complete and return these materials as soon as possible! Purchase orders will not reserve a spot for any team. After April 15, you must send either a cashier's check or a school check, and should use overnight mail. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS (unless, of course, we run out of space and have to turn you away), so please send no money until you are certain that your team will be participating.
Mail your check, along with the registration form, to N.A.A., 1540 Siesta Dr. Sandy, UT 84093. All fees must be received by May 15, 2008.
Make your check payable to NATIONAL ACADEMIC CHAMPIONSHIP.
| Dallas, May 24 - 26 (Saturday - Monday), Hilton DFW Lakes Resort. |
Washington, D.C., Area, May 30 - June 1 (Friday - Sunday), Marymount University |
Chicago, June 7-9 (Saturday - Monday), Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare Area |
|---|---|---|
| Competition will start on the morning of May 24. The final match will take place at 3:00 Monday.
Hilton DFW Lakes Resort will be the site of all competitions. This is a four-star resort, and they offer a free shuttle from DFW Airport. Staying at this resort is recommended, but not required, for participation in the National Academic Championship. There are countless things to do in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and you may wish to arrive a day early or leave a day late in order to enjoy some tourist activities; the $99 room rate will apply if you choose to do so. Make reservations by calling 800-984-1344 and refer to the National Academic Championship to get the $99 rate, which applies for 1-4 people per room. When you call to make reservations, this resort requires up-front payment for the first day's lodging. No food is provided. Should you leave earlier than planned, there is an "early departure fee," and you should ask about this when you call to make reservations. |
Competition will start on the morning of May 30. The final match will take place at 3:00 Sunday.
Marymount University (Arlington, Virginia) will be the site of all competitions. The campus is located conveniently, near the Ballston Metro, allowing for easy access to Washington proper. You may wish to arrive a day early or leave a day late in order to enjoy some tourist activities. |
Competition will start on the morning of June 7. The final match will take place at 3:00 Monday.
Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare Area will be the site of all competitions. They offer a free shuttle from O'Hare. There are countless things to do in Chicago, and you may wish to arrive a day early or leave a day late in order to enjoy some tourist activities. As of 4/27, we think all the rooms at this hotel are "sold out." You’re welcome to try making reservations by calling 800-HOLIDAY or Hotel's direct number: 773-693-5800 and ask for the "NAC" group code to obtain the special group discount rate of $109 per room, which applies for 1-4 people per room. No food is provided. If, however, the Holiday Inn O'Hare is indeed "sold out," not to worry: it’s very likely that you can find a better hotel deal nearby anyway. Here’s how: the best idea, and one we ourselves have used with good results (most recently, last month for a good deal in Steamboat Springs, CO), is to go to hotwire.com, plug in your dates and in the destination box: O'Hare, click "find a hotel," then go to the "areas searched" column on the left, uncheck every choice except "O’Hare," click "update my results," then make a choice among the several options shown. A sample hotwire search we just did (4/27) came up with a 4-star hotel near the airport for only $94 per room per night, or a 2.5-star hotel for only $59 per room per night -- either deal a better one than at the site of the competitions, the sold-out Holiday Inn O'Hare . In exchange for the very good room rates on hotwire,com, the name of the hotel is not disclosed until you commit (although you can know the class of hotel), and you pay for the rooms up front, rather than during your stay. To get from any of these hotels to the Holiday Inn O'Hare for competitions, you can (a) rent a vehicle, (b) take a taxi, or (c) you can move between hotels for free by taking your hotel’s shuttle to the airport, then taking the Holiday Inn O'Hare’s shuttle to the games. |
Each TEAM staying on campus at Marymount must pay a $50 security deposit in a separate check which will be refunded in full if there is no damage by our group to any university or association property. NOTE: This is $50 per team, not per individual. The security deposit is not required if you're coming to Dallas or Chicago .
Entry Fees are as follows:
| What do you need us to provide? |
D.C. | Dallas or Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| No accommodations needed |
$750 per team | $750 per team |
| Room 1 rate for two nights for the first 6 people per team | $75 per person | n/a |
| Room 1 rate for two nights for the 7th, 8th, person 4 per team | $100 per person | n/a |
| Meals at Marymount 2 |
$55 per person | n/a |
Note: the meal and lodging fees are in addition to the $750 per team entry fee.
Should you desire to arrive a day early or stay over an additional night, the extra charge for lodging only is $35 per person per day at Marymount.
1 - Accommodations at university dormitories are double-occupancy with shared bathroom facilities. Linens (sheets, towel, wash cloth, pillow) are provided.
2 - Includes meals on campus starting with lunch on the first competition day and ending with breakfast on the last competition day). Meals are cafeteria-style. The all-you-can-eat meals at Marymount are typically outstanding.
4 - So that we can accommodate as many teams as possible in the limited space at Marymount, we would prefer that no more than 8 persons be included in each team contingent. Call us if you feel you must request an exception.
Contact the National Academic Association (801) 947-8448. Chip Beall, Director.
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