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New Orleans Phase
HORACE GREELEY WINS NEW ORLEANS
Horace Greeley (Chappaqua, NY) entered 2009 Nationals having logged more airline miles at NAA expense (by far) than any other school. In 2000, the advanced from DC to Malibu, ending up second in the nation. In 2002, they won DC, and we again flew them out to LA, and again they finished second in the nation to Irmo, on paper the best team ever. In 2003, they won DC again, and we flew them to St. Louis, where they won the national title this time. They won DC for the third consecutive year in 2004; we flew them again to St. Louis, and they finished third in the nation. In 2007, they won San Antonio, we flew them to Orlando, where they finished third in the nation. Over Memorial Day Weekend 2009, they proved themselves the best of the 34 teams competing in New Orleans, earning a trip to Chicago, going on to compete in the first semifinal match on June 15. Congratulations to Coach Nicole Diamente and the Horace Greeley squad.
They did not, however, go undefeated in New Orleans. Playoff bound at 5-0, they faced 2-2 Elizabethtown (PA), obviously in a must-win situation, in the prelims. Trailing most of the contest, Elizabethtown forged ahead in the last minute, to defeat Horace Greeley by a score of 275-250. A narrow 265-225 win over rookie Vidor (TX) put Elizabethtown in the playoffs.
In post-season by the skin of their teeth, Elizabethtown roared to life in the playoffs, first defeating perennial playoff team Rye Country Day School (NY) 435-205. Next they faced 7-0 Clinton (MS), enjoying their first trip to the playoffs in eight tries at Nationals. Elizabethtown won it, 375-190. That set up Elizabethtown’s rematch with Horace Greeley.
Game Format
First here's a format review. The four-quarter format features a "Warm-Up" round of relatively easy tossup questions, a "Bonus" round featuring pyramid-style tossups leading to four-part bonus opportunities, a category-oriented lightning round known as "60 Seconds," and a "Stump the Experts" round of challenging high school-level tossups. Pyramid-style tossups generally feature three or more sentences, starting with less well-known information, moving on to moderate difficulty and ending with well-known facts.
Horace Greeley vs. Elizabethtown
Greeley opened up a 60-30 lead by the end of the first period. They grabbed the first bonus-round tossup, solving an analytical geometry problem, then split the INVESTING bonus 15-15 with Elizabethtown. Greeley got the next tossup, a current events question about Airbus, but Elizabethtown stole the 10-pointer in the FILL IN THE BLANK bonus, identifying “myalgia” as muscular pain. Halfway into this tossup, “Moses used a five-word phrase to describe how he felt during his time among the Midianites,” Elizabethtown correctly answered “Stranger in a strange land” on an early buzz, but netted only 5 points on the ensuing OLYMPICS bonus. Horace Greeley recognized Beethoven's 9th after listening to a few notes of the Scherzo movement, and swept the NATIONS bonus, giving them a 155-75 lead going into the Sixty Seconds round.
Elizabethtown’s choice of BIBLICAL LITERACY proved a wise one, and they netted 90 points. Horace Greeley chose UNIVERSITIES, gaining 60 to their opponent’s 20. Thus Elizabethtown closed the gap, trailing only 185-215 going into the “Stump the Experts” round. They got the first 15-pointer, identifying Rococo as the period of art history associated with Watteau’s masterpiece Embarkation for Cythera. They tied the game after identifying Minute Maid and Tropicana as the juice brands that have their names on MLB stadiums in Houston and Tampa. Horace Greeley regained the lead, identifying Red River valley as the location of Fargo. Elizabethtown then took a 5-point lead, looking at The Repentant St. Peter and identifying El Greco as the artist. Horace Greeley re-took the lead, solving a tough permutations problem. The Pennsylvania team tied it up again after a current events query about spies from Russia and China hacking into the United States' electrical grid. The New York team took the lead yet again on another current events question: “The 1688 Bill of Rights forbids heirs to the throne to marry them. The U.K. may change a law that prohibits British monarchs from marrying whom?” (Ans. Catholics) Horace Greeley saw some daylight after getting a 20-point chemistry question. Elizabethtown got a 20-pointer on an audio question, before the audio started, after the clue "...the only Grammy-winning group named for a rural African town.” (Ans. Ladysmith Black Mambazo) Back-and-forth, back-and-forth. Greeley got 20 points by identifying “nursing” as the occupation that will have the highest demand for new workers in the next two decades.” Greeley got a calculus question. Elizabethtown got a “Gabriel Garcia Marquez” question. The final score: 320-280 in favor of Horace Greeley.
Jesuit vs. James Island
Leading to the other “round of four” match: No. 1 seeded James Island (SC) edged a tenacious Plano West (TX) team, 320-275. New Orleans Jesuit enjoyed their finest showing in more than a dozen trips to Nationals, defeating rookie Charleston Catholic (WV) 340-115, and edging West Chester East (PA) 285-250.
Jesuit led James Island 65-35 at the end of the Warm Up Round. A New Orleans team ought to know about coffins placed above ground and, indeed, they grabbed the first bonus-round pyramidal tossup (Ans. Sarcophagus) but they lost out 5-10 to James Island on the ISLANDS bonus. The South Carolina team got the next tossup, about the success of China during the global economic downturn. This time it was Jesuit who beat James Island 10-5 on the LITERATURE bonus. Jesuit then recognized Handel's Messiah from an audio passage. But they couldn’t identify Picasso from a visual clue – James Island could and picked up the 5. James Island got the next tossup, identifying New York City as the city O. Henry called “Baghdad on the Subway,” then netting 15 on the FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS bonus. Jesuit led at half-time 100-85. The 60 Second round categories were: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, CARL SAGAN, STEPHEN FOSTER, and ??? James Island opted for SHAKESPEARE, a “Finish the Quotation” series, sweeping it in only 28 seconds. Jesuit went for the Mystery category, which turned out to be BARACK OBAMA, and they ran their category. A rare double sweep! Jesuit gained 65 unanswered points in the first half of the final period, including 20 points on a Frederic Remington visual. James Island woke up with 20 points by reciting “Stay out of my light,” Diogenes’ sardonic answer to a solicitous Alexander the Great. James Island got 70 unanswered points of their own in the last half of the quarter, including a final-question 20-pointer identifying “in childbirth” as the way Emily died in Our Town. The game was tied at 275 at the end of regulation play! The game-winner: “If the product of the two page numbers of facing pages in a book is 812, what is the smaller page number?” Jesuit solved it (28) to win the game.
Here is the Jesuit team:
Horace Greeley took a 55-30 lead over Jesuit in the first period of the last New Orleans match. The New York team then gained three of the four bonus opportunities, to give them a 135-70 halftime lead. Jesuit gained 60-20 on their 60 Seconds category, THE UNITED KINGDOM. Greeley chose CENTRAL AMERICA, getting a 60-10 advantage. Horace Greeley, historically a “fourth quarter team,” looked hard to beat with a 215-140 lead entering Stump the Experts. True to form, they won that period. Their most impressive answers: recognizing Aida after listening to the march; identifying J.C. Watts from clues about his John Deere connection; and this one: “When asked to recant, Martin Luther declared, Ich kann nicht anders. Translate that.” (Ans. “I can do no other.”) Greeley won it by a 335-235 margin.
Here’s the Horace Greeley team :
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Sacred Heart Academy
Two New Orleans teams joined us for the New Orleans phase, and both made the playoffs: the aforementioned Jesuit and first-timer Sacred Heart Academy. Throughout the 27-year history of the National Academic Championship, the number of all-male teams entering … and the number of all-male teams making the playoffs … are too numerous to count. Some half-dozen all-female teams have joined us throughout our history. Sacred Heart is the first one ever to advance to the playoffs. By the way, of the 15 playoff teams in New Orleans, three were “rookie” schools -- all Roman Catholic schools: Sacred Heart, Charleston Catholic, and Indianapolis Cathedral.
l to r: Coach Chris Vaicius, Rima Abi Samra, Margaret Forshag, Pauline Schmit,
Ann-Grace Martin, Daisy Fok, Celeste Cahn, Allison Harington
New Orleans MVP
Who Wants to Be a Game Show Host?
Another edition of our “reality show,” WHO WANTS TO BE A GAME SHOW HOST? was conducted. Students (graduating seniors) were invited to audition as moderators, and coaches played the game. Students understood the event to be a real audition for a job as one of the moderators at next year's Nationals. Co-winners were Kevin Barnett from Plano West and Xu Yang from West Chester East. East thus becomes the only school to have two students win the honor, as Arjun Plakkat won the first such competition in 2007.
COPLEY, OHIO BESTS 47 OTHER HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS TO TAKE DC
In 2005, Coach Sue Korosa started bringing two Copley teams annually to the National Academic Championship. Always a good idea: this year’s B Team players turn into next year’s A Team. In 2009, the Ohio school won the DC phase, earning the trip to Chicago, where they will compete as one of the Final Four.
Copley finished the preliminary rounds with a 6-0 record, entering the playoffs ranked No. 4, while undefeated John P. Stevens, a “rookie” school from New Jersey, was seeded 3rd. Powerhouse Parkersburg (WV) was seeded 2nd, and the Rebecca Maxfield-led phenoms from New Rochelle (NY) were ranked 1st. Twenty-two of the field of 48 qualified for the playoffs with records of 4-2 or better, the highest percentage in NAC history.
Here’s the Copley brain trust.
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| Kevin Qin | Jackson Kulas | Edward Pang | Grace Patuwo | Subra Jana | Jeff Wang |
Biggest Upset at DC
In their final-four game, Copley took the lead from New Rochelle after getting to three of the four bonuses, but they weren’t able to convert many bonus opportunities, so the game was still close at the halftime break, Copley 120, New Rochelle 85. The pivotal period was the 60 Seconds round. New Rochelle, choosing first, went for AMERICAN NOVEL, picking up 60 to Copley’s 30. Copley’s choice was more fortunate – they added a net 90 on WOMEN LEADERS. Copley led it going into Stump the Experts, 240-145. New Rochelle is a great fourth-quarter team and, indeed, they won the round, but Copley ended up winning the game by a 305-250 margin.
Smithtown East vs. Penn Manor
Smithtown East (NY) had its finest run ever at Nationals, edging St. John’s Prep (MA) in their first playoff contest, 320-265; upsetting No. 3 seed John P. Stevens 345-255; and dispatching an outstanding “rookie” school, Fort Morgan (CO), 375-190, to set up their final-four match with Penn Manor (PA), which had defeated Friends Academy (NY) 265-215 before upsetting Parkersburg 335 to 280. Penn Manor won their match against Smithtown East by a score of 295 to 215.
The Last DC Match
In the last DC match, Copley opened up a 50-40 lead over Penn Manor by the end of the first period. Penn Manor struck first in the bonus round, answering a tossup about the National Cathedral, and netting 15 points on the FINISH THE TITLE bonus. They got the next tossup as well, on Chemistry, but nobody gained any points on the CORRECT THE ERROR bonus. Copley got the next tossup, identifying Vitruvian Man from a long verbal description, then netting 15 points on the ARCHITECTURE bonus with visuals. They then got a tossup about Benet’s “The Devil and Daniel Webster,” and netted 15 on the ensuing AMERICAN FLAG bonus. Copley led at halftime, 100-75. Penn Manor chose MATH in 60 Seconds, gaining 40 to Copley’s 10. Copley eschewed EARTH SCIENCE and THE LAST SUPPER, opting instead for the Mystery Category, which turned out to be DATES, and picked up 40 to Penn Manor’s 30. The score going into the “Stump the Experts” round: 150-145 in favor of Copley! Penn Manor promptly jumped into the lead, identifying the ship class Destroyer from a visual clue. Copley retook the lead on a Trig problem. They added 20 after listening to an excerpt from Carl Maria von Weber's opera Euryanthe and identifying the activity glorified (Hunting) after the first horn note. They came up with two Republican Vice Presidents since 1954 who were not nominated for the presidency (Spiro T. Agnew, Dan Quayle). They named Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the “third best president” according to a recent survey of historians (after, of course, Washington and Lincoln). They recognized a Joseph Turner painting. Penn Manor got back on the board with Macular degeneration. But Copley identified three of the five countries that issued a joint statement identifying climate change as “the most important long-term threat” to polar bears (The U.S., Norway, Canada, Russia and Denmark). They then named Amsterdam as the 17th century investment capital of Europe. Penn Manor recognized the Yiddish word Schmaltz from its definition. Copley solved another Math problem, then identified Vienna Boys' Choir as the famed Wiener Sangerknaben. The final score: Copley 285, Penn Manor 210.
Auditions
The DC version of WHO WANTS TO BE A GAME SHOW HOST? saw Alex Silady come away the winner, and we look forward to working with him in 2010.
Demise of the Chocolate Cigarette
For longer than we can remember, we’ve had a tradition of giving away a pack of chocolate cigarettes every time a team sweeps a 60 Seconds category. They’ve become something of a cult item. In the past 12 months, three concerned adults, names unknown, have severally come to us earnestly requesting that practice be stopped. We despise cigarette smoking, but we considered that request a bit silly. Still, we tried not to be flippant with our answer, “Until someone shows us a scientific study linking chocolate cigarette use in childhood with tobacco smoking in adulthood, we’ll continue the tradition.” Well, after the DC phase of the tournament was in the books and the teams had emptied out of Reinsch Auditorium, as we were tearing down the set and cleaning up, a copy of an article, anonymously placed, was discovered: Preventative Medicine, Vol. 45, Issue 1, July 2007, Pages 26-30. “History of Childhood Candy Cigarette Use Is Associated with Tobacco Smoking by Adults.” We read the study, it makes sense, so we’re sticking by our promise: it’s goodbye chocolate cigarettes. Sorry about that, folks. We are now accepting suggestions for future alternate cult items to recognize 60 Seconds sweeps.
Chicago Phase
BYRAM HILLS & JOHN COOPER ADVANCE TO SEMIFINALS
Byram Hills (NY) suffered only one preliminary round loss, by a score of 235-325 at the hands of John Cooper School. On playoff day, they defeated Boone (IA), 295-235; overcame a tough St. Joseph (NJ) team, 375-285; and edged powerful Plano Senior High (TX), 305-300.
En route to the Final Four, John Cooper School handily defeated White Plains C, 435-215 and rookie standout Abington Heights (PA), 425-235 and Fishers Red (IN), 385-250.
The last four contests were classics, all. On "any given Monday," we judge any of these schools to have been good enough to win the national title: Plano, Horace Greeley, Byram Hills, Copley, John Cooper.
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| Jason Kaufman | Julia Mattison | Raymond Xu | Elizabeth Mattison | Sam Hougie |
Byram Hills won it all in 2006, and almost repeated with an underclassman team in 2009
Plano vs. Byram Hills
The score at the end of the "Warm Up Round" was Plano 75, Byram Hills 40. In the "Bonus Round," Byram Hills grabbed a tossup about the Chinese Exclusion Acts. Plano beat them 10-5 on the ensuing FINISH THE SENTENCE bonus. Plano got a tossup about Maria Teresa, then swept the MARY MAGDALENE IN ART bonus with visuals, giving them a 95-point advantage. Byram Hills recognized the voice of Aretha Franklin after hearing a cut from her version of "Amazing Grace," but nobody could get past the 5-pointer in the ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN bonus ("What three-volume work deals with the Soviet prison camp system?" Ans. The Gulag Archipelago). Byram Hills correctly answered "hypertension" on the next tossup but, again, nobody got the 5-pointer in the ensuing NOBEL PRIZE bonus (Albert Michelson was the first American to win what prize? Ans. Nobel Prize for Physics). Plano, then, led 140-85 at halftime. Byram Hills chose AFRICAN BORDERS in 60 Seconds, gaining an 80-20 advantage. Plano selected DEVICES, with an 60-30 result. Byram Hills trailed 195-220 going into "Stump the Experts." Byram Hills identified a painting by Judy Chicago. Plano named the two leading biofuels in use today (Biodiesel and ethanol). They added another 20 points on a question about Nazi criminal Josef Mengele. Yet another 20-pointer went to Plano with Connecticut's early constitution "The Fundamental Orders." Plano led 280-210 midway through the final period. Byram Hills solved a geometry problem, identified George Westinghouse as the industrialist who funded Tesla's work, identified "battalion" from a definition, grabbed a current events question (Ans. Hawaii, Daniel Inouye). On a roll, Byram Hills took the lead after naming Japan as the nation to which half of all American-produced oil is sold. They added another 20, identifying Marcus Garvey as the founding father of Pan-Africanism. Five consecutive questions went by the boards, then Plano added 20 on a question about global warming and its effect on the micro-nation of Tuvalu. What a match! The final score: Byram Hills 305, Plano 300.
First Semifinal Match
The New Orleans winners, Horace Greeley, faced Chicago semifinalist John Cooper School in the first "Final Four" contest. John Cooper is the only school to have made the Final Four in both 2008 and 2009. Last year, they had won the Dallas phase of the competition, but in Chicago had lost out in the most lopsided semifinal or final match ever. With most of the team back from 2008, they were determined to improve on that finish in 2009, having already enjoyed a rare "perfect season" in 2009 Winter QuizNet. It was Jason Russell's good fortune to serve as moderator for this, probably the most exciting game at 2009 Nationals. Horace Greeley trailed 40-50 at the end of the "Warm-Up Round." The New York team got the first bonus opportunity, identifying British physicist J.J. Thomson on the tossup, then netting 15 on the PORTUGAL bonus, to take the lead. Cooper earned control of the next bonus, naming Arthur C. Clarke after a few sentences of description, but added only 5 on the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL bonus, moving into a 65-65 tie. Cooper then needed only a few notes of a Concerto Grosso before identifying it as an example of Baroque music, then gained a net 30 on the GOING GREEN bonus. Horace Greeley named Pittsburgh as the home of America's first commercial radio station, KDKA, adding a net 30 on the ALPHABETICALLY LAST bonus. That gave Horace Greeley a 105-100 edge at halftime. Having gained 30 on the aforementioned GOING GREEN bonus, John Cooper School chose ENVIRONMENT in 60 Seconds. They swept it. Horace Greeley selected OLD CITIES OF EUROPE, gaining 60 to Cooper's 20. That gave Cooper a seemingly comfortable 240-165 lead going into the final quarter. Now: during the QuizNet title match in April, Horace Greeley had faced John Cooper and found themselves way, way down when they entered the final period. Horace Greeley scored an alltime record 300 points in that "Stump the Experts" round, falling short of Cooper by a score of 475-485. Horace Greeley throughout the years has earned a reputation as an almost unbeatable fourth-quarter team. They started the scoring in this NAC Final Four final round, naming Tunisia after seeing an outline map. They added 20, solving a geometry problem. They knew that it was Clovis who founded the Merovingian line. It took them only a few seconds of listening to silence in "4:33" to identify John Cage as the composer. They took the lead, naming four of the five remaining Communist countries (Ans. China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam). Ninety unanswered points! Cooper got untracked, knowing that Aeneas was the son of Anchises. Game tied at 255! Horace Greeley re-took the lead, associating John Hancock with the "Liberty" affair. They added another 20, recognizing The Slave Ship, a painting by Turner. Cooper added 15 on an Ariel Sharon question. Horace Greeley solved a 20-point calculus problem. Cooper named Frederick Jackson Turner as author of the thesis "The Significance of the Frontier on American History." They named Davos, Switzerland as venue of the World Economic Forum. Greeley recognized the Habañera portion of Bizet's Carmen, then added 15 on "economies of scale." Cooper identified "ice" as the component of Saturn's rings. Going into the final question, Cooper led by 20. They answered the last question correctly, identifying Coulomb's Law from its definition. Final score: John Cooper 360, Horace Greeley 325.
Second Semifinal Match
8-1 Byram Hills against 10-0 Copley, the DC winners. The underclassman team from Westchester County opened up a 70-50 lead over the Ohio team by the end of the first period. Byram Hills knew that "saturation" refers to the degree of hue intensity, then netted 15 on an audio bonus about African American Grammy triumphs. They then identified Leo as a name common to both popes and the Zodiac, netting 15 again on the ensuing GLOSSARY OF ISLAM bonus. Byram Hills gained control of their third consecutive bonus after an Isabel Allende tossup, netting 30 on the MIDDLE AGES bonus. Copley tried to salvage something from the round with an Oslo tossup, but Byram Hills beat them 10-5 on the DRAMA bonus. Byram Hills looked to run away with it, with a 170-60 lead at halftime. Copley won 60 Seconds, with an 80-10 advantage in NOVELS BY INITIALS, while Horace Greeley got 60 to Copley's 40 in the AMENDMENTS category. Byram Hills led it going into the fourth quarter, 240-180. "Stump the Experts" would determine whether the upperclassmen of Copley could overcome an early 110-point deficit to defeat the underclassmen of Byram Hills. Copley recognized "alabaster" from a visual. Byram Hills got 20, identifying "macabre" from a definition and reference to a Jewish revolt in the 2nd century B.C. Copley listened to some piano music and named Chopin as the composer. Byram Hills named three of the five Dust Bowl states of the 1930s (Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado). They knew that a gold rush was the main cause of the Lakota Sioux' loss of the Black Hills. New York led Ohio 295-210 midway through the final period. Copley gained 20 points on a calculus problem. Byram Hills added 15 on composting. Copley got this 20-pointer: "It gets a mention in the Beatles song 'When I'm 64.' What island off the south coast of England was the site of the first America's Cup in 1851?" (Ans. Isle of Wight) They added 15, associating dark chocolate with lower cholesterol. They named Giacomo Puccini after listening to a passage from his opera Turandot. They named Maine as one of the two settings for most of Andrew Wyeth's landscapes (Pennsylvania's the other.). They took the lead by identifying Vogue as the magazine edited by Anna Wintour, presumably the subject of The Devil Wears Prada. Copley led 315-310 going into the last question. That question asked for the German word meaning joy at another's misfortune. Copley knew the answer, Schadenfreude, to win the game, 335-310. We’ll have to go back to the archives to find out how many years it’s been since we witnessed such a dramatic come-from-behind win in the playoffs.
L to r: Sam Hougie, Jason Kaufman, Julia Mattison, Coach Martin Gilbert, Elizabeth Mattison, Raymond Xu
But consider Byram Hills’ record since they started coming to Nationals in 2004: a 45-8 record, the highest winning percentage during the 2004-2009 time span.
2005 National Semi-Finalist
2006 National Champion
2008 National Quarter-finalist
2009 National Semi-finalist
The Final Match
The title game was expected to be close. Indeed, John Cooper School led Copley 65-50 after the “Warm Up Round.” The Texas team got to the first bonus after answering a Trig tossup, sweeping the ensuing INTERDISCIPLINARY bonus, including this 20-pointer: “What meteor shower's name is also the first name of a former Soviet leader?” (Ans. Leonid) Copley then got the tossup about Venus having the smallest eccentricity of any planet, netting 15 on the ensuing DRAMA bonus. Copley listened to a song from the Beatles’ Abbey Road album and identified Italian as the language sung, but Cooper “stole” the 5-pointer on the SCIENCE bonus. Cooper then solved a Quantitative Physics problem, but Copley beat them 10-5 on the bonus QUOTATIONS BY WOMEN ABOUT WOMEN. John Cooper led at halftime 145-95. Copley chose THE WORLD'S WORST HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS in 60 Seconds and got 90 to Cooper’s 10. Cooper then selected CONFLICTING PROVERBS, gaining 70 to Copley’s 10. That set up yet another photo finish, as Cooper led by a score of 225-195 going into the final round of the final contest. Cooper recognized a Matisse painting and added 15. Copley knew that Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius were known as the Five Good Emperors. Copley brought their score to within 5 of Cooper’s lead after they identified 1928 as the last election year in which the winning Republican ticket did not include a Nixon or a Bush. They then added 15 on a math question. Copley picked up 15 on a Stoichiometry question. Cooper solved a math “limit” problem. Copley correctly answered a question, about The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The final match went down to the final question, with Cooper in the lead by 5! Cooper knew that municipal bonds are the way cities can raise money for public projects, to win the title game, 285-265.
Prizes
Copley and John Cooper split the $2,000 check, courtesy of the Muller Foundation … The champs from Cooper will receive their letter jackets, thanks to the John & Adaline Simon Trust, in July.
Auditions
Victor Brady from White Plains (NY) and Rachel Rominger from New Palestine (IN) were co-winners of the Chicago edition of WHO WANTS TO BE A GAME SHOW HOST?
Tournament MVP
John Cooper was anything but a one-man-team, but Christopher White was named Most Valuable Player.
Coach of the Year
For leading the only team ever to win the QuizNet title and the National Academic Championship in the same year, the National Academic Association recognizes Shannon Hill as Coach of the Year.
Rookie of the Year
Rookie of the Year honors go to seven teams, all qualifying for post-season and advancing past the first playoff round: Fort Morgan (CO), McIntosh (GA), Whitney Point (NY), John P. Stevens (NJ), Hampton (PA), Friends Academy (NY), and Abington Heights (PA). Other “rookie” schools making the playoffs: Charleston Catholic (WV), Cathedral (IN), Sacred Heart (LA), New Palestine (IN).
Scoring Leaders
At the NAA, we judge teams not only on tournament progress (how far they advanced in the competition), but also on average points, and seldom does a team lead the league in both. This year, New Rochelle finished No. 1 in the nation, averaging 407 – the only team to break 400. Horace Greeley finished second at 368; John Cooper third with 355; James Island averaged 337.
Westchester … Always Westchester
The most impressive state at this year's tournament was again New York – specifically, Westchester County, which placed two teams in the Final Four: Byram Hills and Horace Greeley. In addition, Ardsley, White Plains, New Rochelle, and Rye Country Day all had teams in the playoffs.
White Plains C
White Plains brought three teams to Chicago. Already with a reputation as “cardiac kids,” White Plains saw their C team win all of their first three games … on the last question! In two of those games they were behind going into the last question; in the other, they were tied. Another thing White Plains has a reputation for: we have never witnessed, throughout the years, a school whose competitors demonstrate such a love of learning. All White Plains teams are often seen discussing information they’ve just learned – between questions, between games. Coach Les Roby – don’t think we haven’t noticed your leadership, inculcating this attractive quality in your students.
Ithaca’s Record
Three teams from Brooks Sanders-hosted tournaments came to Nationals this year, and all of them made the playoffs: Whitney Point (NY), Abington Heights (PA), and Ithaca (NY). In Chicago, Ithaca became the first team in the 27-year history of the National Academic Championship to forfeit a preliminary round match – caught in traffic on a Chicago freeway! – and still make the playoffs!
Small-School Champs
We now crown a champion from among the “small schools” that come to Nationals (defined as any school with 500 or fewer students in grades 10-12 and a non-selective admissions policy). This year 14 such teams competed. Ticonderoga (NY) was the only one to make the playoffs, thus capturing the small-school title.
Top/l to r: Andrew terSteege, Alan Zhang, David Mallon, David Cook, Alex Durkota, Jared Best, Amber Perkins
Bottom/l to r: Adriana Clark, Victoria Walters, Alex Walters, Ben Chapman
Try, Try Again
Clinton (MS) has attended Nationals eight times throughout the years, but this was their first year in which they advanced to the playoffs. They defeated Sacred Heart before being eliminated by Elizabethtown. Ditto Stratford (SC), which lost out to Hampton by 5 points in their playoff match. Boone (IA) made the playoffs – with an underclassman team, no less – for the first time in seven tries, and gave Byram Hills a run for their money in the playoffs, losing out 235-295. But Queensbury (NY) set the alltime record. In 2008, their 10th year at Nationals, they finished 3-3, falling one game short of the playoffs. But they finally made post-season in 2009, their 11th try, and played Plano Senior High’s A team pretty close in the playoffs, falling to the Texas team 220-270.
Upset of the Decade
And then there’s Billings Skyview (MT). They qualified for the playoffs for the first time in this, their third trip to Nationals. They promptly edged White Plains’ A-team in their first playoff game (265-255), before falling to Fishers (IN), 375-265.
Next Year’s Champs?
Watch out for two Westchester, NY schools next year, with their best players returning: Horace Greeley, and Byram Hills. Will West Virginia win its first title in 2010? Maybe – the Parkersburg brain trust will be intact.
L to r: Nick Brumfield, Dustin Meyers, David Byler, Daniel Edwards, Henry Wang, Tyler Morrison, Sarah Cordonier, Josh Minardi, and Coach Wayne Clark
Farm System
A number of high school quiz bowl teams have “farm systems” in place – middle schools or junior highs competing in quiz bowl, which feed into the high school teams. We predict that high schools such as Manheim Township and Hawken – or any, for that matter, whose feeder schools participate in the Junior National Academic Championship – will be perennial contenders at high school Nationals in the years ahead. High schools, then, that have such feeder schools, are encouraged to arrange for them to compete in next year’s Junior Nationals. Those that don’t may want to consider developing a “farm system.”
Qualifying for 2010 Nationals
Keep in mind that all 2009 playoff teams have automatically qualified for NAC XXVIII. Return to our web site in September, when our free “Twenty Questions” quiz returns and information on our next QuizNet will be posted. We will also provide details on next year's National Academic Championship.
WINNERS OF OUR 26 TOURNAMENTS
1983 -- Walt Whitman (Bethesda, MD)
1984 -- Wheelersburg (Wheelersburg, OH)
1985 -- Skyline (Dallas, TX)
1986 -- Irmo (Columbia, SC)
1987 -- Walnut Ridge (Columbus, OH)
1988 -- Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, MD)
1989 -- Dorman (Spartanburg, SC)
1990 -- Collegiate (Richmond, VA)
1991 -- Dorman (Spartanburg, SC)
1992 -- Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, OK)
1993 -- Torrey Pines (San Diego, CA)
1994 -- East Brunswick (NJ)
1995 -- Governor's School (Richmond, VA)
1996 -- Houston Memorial (TX)
1997 -- Edison (Huntington Beach, CA)
1998 -- State College Area (PA)
1999 -- James Island (SC)
2000 -- Manheim Township (PA)
2001 -- Irmo (Columbia, SC)
2002 -- Irmo (Columbia, SC)
2003 -- Horace Greeley (Chappaqua, NY)
2004 -- St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN)
2005 -- Holland Hall (Tulsa, OK)
2006 -- Byram Hills (Armonk, NY)
2007 – Harrison (West Lafayette, IN)
2008 – Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, OK)
2009 – John Cooper (The Woodlands, TX)
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