Battle Buzz 2017

This forum should be used to provide practice tips, study tips, help with forming new teams, etc.

Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Thu May 11, 2017 11:17 am

This has nothing to do with quiz bowl tips, obviously. However, so as not to obscure actually important and relevant happenings that are in the "General Announcements" forum, I figured it would be alright to start this thread now and when important things are over with, then Bob can move this under the G.A. forum.

So... who wants to do Battle Buzz?

Do we want to do this in Columbus or Cleveland? If so, where in Columbus can it be hosted? When are people available versus when they are not?

FAQ:

Q. What is "Battle Buzz"?
A. Battle Buzz is a fun, relaxed tournament that takes place on a Saturday (or Sunday!) during the summer. It is one of the Ohio quiz bowl community's favorite and enjoyable traditions.

Q. I've never heard of this "Battle Buzz" and I've been around the block for a few years now. How do I know this isn't just some concoction you pulled out of your butt just so you have some excuse to live out your high school glory days?
Hey, I'll have you know those were the best years of my life!

Actually, if Battle Buzz comes to pass this year, this would be the sixth or seventh iteration of the event (I believe.) The problem, and reason why some readers of this board have never heard of this event, is that it's been on hiatus for a couple years now. Trust me, it is a pretty fun time.

Q. I'm not led to believe spending more than three hours with you on a summer day makes for a 'fun time.' More to the point, why has this been on hiatus?
Despite the best attempts of folks such as myself and others, the fact of the matter is that summer (due to different vacation schedules; differences in non-school commitments such as work, summer baseball; and the fact that not everyone that attends a central university, e.g. Ohio State, actually is still in Columbus over summer) is always going to be a difficult time to really pin down a certain date for 'everyone' to meet and get together. Moreover, it's generally hard to find a venue that is open during the summer; available for a given date that everyone can meet; and, preferably, one that doesn't cost 'an arm and a leg' to rent.

Q. What is the format? What are the questions?
There truly isn't a fixed 'format', per se. I was present at the last two iterations of this event (I want to say it was in 2012 and 2013?) and both times there was, at the very least, an academic tournament that served as a part to the broader sum of one event called "Battle Buzz." There's also, usually, a side event that is usually played in shootout format; some years the side event is academic, some years the side is trash (but not literally 'trash'), some years there's both!

Both years I went, and I'm assuming this has been the case every year, there is a draft in the morning rounds for the academic tournament for team assembly. If I recall correctly, this draft needs to make an odd number of teams so that the odd team out in their respective bye serves as the readers for the rooms in that round. At the conclusion of the academic tournament, it should just be a shootout tournament (unless people want to draft teams...?)

Q. Who is eligible for this tournament?
In truth, really anyone is 'eligible' to play. The only thing that needs to be underscored here is that this is not, in any way, sense or form, a high school tournament. High school students are more than welcome to come and participate, certainly! It is worth establishing though right off the bat, for those unfamiliar with this event, that this does not run like an actual high school tournament, and as such it should not be construed nor interpreted as such.


Any questions or anything of the like, post below.
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby swwFC » Thu May 11, 2017 12:11 pm

Assuming it's on a weekend I'm free, I would definitely play if it's in the Columbus area. To be honest, if it was in the Cleveland area I'd almost surely show up as well. The hard part is always finding a host...anyone wanna step up?
Steven Wellstead
Fisher Catholic High School, Class of 2007
Case Western Reserve University, Class of 2011
NAQT Writer
swwFC
Rookie
 
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:01 pm
Location: Lancaster, OH

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby MathCowboy » Thu May 11, 2017 12:21 pm

If it's at Columbus and I'm available, I'd cross the border.
Ben Anthony
Harrison '17
MathCowboy
Rookie
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:40 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby BobKilner » Thu May 11, 2017 12:35 pm

The first couple events were smaller versions in Cleveland -- actually the first year there were about fifteen of us, most of us associated with my program at GHHS plus Brian Saxton and a few others -- and we played in Brian's office building.

If I'm available, I would play in Cleveland or Columbus. Most weekends I have baseball games or I'm traveling though, so it'd be interesting to see if we could make it work for people. We'd also have to find a set we could use.
Bob Kilner
Secondary Admin, ohioqbforum.com
Former Coach, Garfield Heights HS (2001-2008), North High School (2015-19, 21-22)
Kent State '06 / Boise State '10
BobKilner
Site Admin
 
Posts: 402
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:43 pm
Location: Garfield Heights OH

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby jrbellas » Thu May 11, 2017 3:06 pm

I'm available at certain times in July or early August, but it'll be tricky to fit me in otherwise. Having it in Columbus is likely the best idea.
jrbellas
Junior Varsity
 
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2014 4:50 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby trbenedict » Thu May 11, 2017 5:37 pm

I'd play this in Columbus...I'm free most weekends in the summer, although August can get rough.
Tyler Benedict
Coach, Miami Valley School Quiz Bowl
OAC Committee Middle School Representative
OQBA NASAT and Matt's Buzzers Liaison
Miami Valley School '09
trbenedict
Varsity
 
Posts: 229
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2014 3:03 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby leafstorm_is_stock » Tue May 16, 2017 11:12 am

I could write some vanity packets

Academic
No geography or science with a focus on art and literature
5 FA
5 lit
6 RMPSS
4 History

I could also do a pure philosophy packet

Trash
Very little sport (pretty much just Olympics, hockey, and tennis)
Lots of film
Pretty much normal otherwise

I could also do a Star wars packet
6 OT
4 prequels
2 NT
4 EU
4 misc

If anybody would be interested in me writing completely biased to my knowledge packets let me know

Note: these would probably be college- difficulty
Last edited by leafstorm_is_stock on Tue May 16, 2017 5:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Hunter Wotruba
Fisher Catholic 2013-2017
Miami University 2017-2021
User avatar
leafstorm_is_stock
Rookie
 
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:44 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Tue May 16, 2017 2:15 pm

I also am interested in writing vanity packets.

Academic
Thought and Social Sciences (Econ, Sociology, Geography, and Philosophy)
Paintings, Sculptures, and other Visual Arts
The War on Terror

Trash
One general trash packet
A packet of just sports
A packet of just television
An entire packet devoted to just The Simpsons


Those are the possibilities I'm considering. I'll do at least two from academic and two from trash (_if this is what people would be interested in playing_.)
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby dxdtdemon » Sun May 21, 2017 4:14 am

If this http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewto ... 19&t=19893 gets played, I'd be more likely to show up.
Jonathan Graham
Beavercreek(1999-2003), Ohio State (2003-07), Wright State(2012-fall14)
occasional question writer
dxdtdemon
Rookie
 
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 5:12 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Sun May 21, 2017 10:16 pm

dxdtdemon wrote:If this http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewto ... 19&t=19893 gets played, I'd be more likely to show up.

It sounds like fun. $5/head is pretty competitive.

Mike Cheyne wrote:It's pretty easy, but there's also some presumably very hard answerines for high schoolers. Actually looking at the full text of the questions, a recurring quirk is that a much easier clue is placed before harder ones, so some (some) of the very easiness stems from this as well.


This review sort of gives me pause, but granted: a) Mike Cheyne is a pretty good trash player at any level; b) Mike Cheyne is obviously older than a high school student, and given that the set was written for high school students I'm led to believe his definition of 'easy' is a little more liberal than the average quiz bowl player (his comment on an easier clue being placed before a harder one I imagine is probably true, though.)

I'm willing to read for it. I guess I'd also be down to play it: I was born in '96, so I'm sure Ol' Man Kilner would have a leg up on me if I were to play.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


I contacted Erik Nelson from Play Quiz Bowl/NAQT this evening about mirror information for Super ACRONYM (I know, I know, I should've asked you guys... on the plank, I walk.) When I get some information back from him on the set, I'll post accordingly.

Note: 'Super ACRONYM' and 'ACRONYM X' are not the same set. Super ACRONYM is apparently a harder version of ACRONYM.

Anyone interested in Super ACRONYM?
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby dxdtdemon » Sun May 21, 2017 11:03 pm

Have Drew Scheeler and Steve Oppenheim played Super Acronym yet? If not, I have a feeling you can get three players from the ScheelerD branch on LearnedLeague to play it if you give us enough advance notice.

As for Mike Cheyne's comment, it seems like a common trend of trash tossups in recent years is to use lead-ins that were things that had some level of notability in a time before the field's target age would've been following whatever the answer is. An example of this was a tossup on the Atlanta Falcons at MSNCT that brought up the Dirty Bird [for younger readers, this was a famous touchdown celebration that they did in the playoffs leading up to the 1999 Super Bowl] in the lead-in. The gettability in age discrepancy in lead-ins isn't usually that egregious, but it probably sounds like a good idea to have mixed-age teams if possible.
Jonathan Graham
Beavercreek(1999-2003), Ohio State (2003-07), Wright State(2012-fall14)
occasional question writer
dxdtdemon
Rookie
 
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 5:12 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Mon May 22, 2017 1:54 am

dxdtdemon wrote:Have Drew Scheeler and Steve Oppenheim played Super Acronym yet? If not, I have a feeling you can get three players from the ScheelerD branch on LearnedLeague to play it...

Link to the announcement and any mirrors.

I hate to do the old "link to a page just so you can read it for yourself" trick, but right now that's the best I (or anyone here not named Drew or Steve) can do on the matter. I don't know where it's going to get mirrored, and I don't know what Drew and Steve's plans are over this summer.
dxdtdemon wrote:...if you give us enough advance notice.

So at the risk of sounding really defensive or hysterical, I feel like now is a good time for me to politely and gently establish so we're all on the same page now, in May, and not scrambling like headless chickens in July: as much 'work' as I'm doing right now on this thread and in trying to get an idea of how much things like Super ACRONYM cost and when it'll be available, I can not do all of the work here. Folks, I'd love for Battle Buzz happen and I'm willing to put in a lot of work to help make it happen: but I need help here.

I know we're all busy in each of our own ways, especially during the summer, but I am probably busier than most people when it comes to this summer in particular given some situations I have to attend to that need not be expanded upon in a public forum. I'm going to be so busy, that me dedicating time to herd cattle and figure out who can be in Columbus on a certain date (which, in previous years, has taken weeks to do) would be a pretty irresponsible way for me to utilize my time, energy and resources. There are some things I can do, because I can knock it out in the matter of a late night internet session (like correspond with set writers; create surveys for 'what do you want to play'; and help create a schedule once we land on a date.) But I can't be dedicating a couple of hours every couple of days, which in turn segues into a couple of weeks, sifting through the summer schedules of people to find the best possible date. Additionally, I would love for Drew and Steve to come play: I would love for as many people, anyone really, to come play; however, I'm not going to bend over backwards until my mouth hits my patella (when more pressing responsibilities are calling) just to figure out a date that works for both them and 'the most amount of people' possible. If it means we don't have the interest to justify Super ACRONYM (which, don't get me wrong, I'd like to play it but I won't be heartbroken if we don't have the numbers to justify it), then so be it.

I apologize if that's a long-winded and <heavy> way to explain myself, but my hands only stretch so far before what's in their control falls out of them, and I feel its best for me to explain now that if we want to make this happen, it needs to be a team effort. If no one steps up and helps me, then I'm rinsing my hands of this immediately and there will not be a Battle Buzz. If someone could be so generous as to create a spreadsheet (I am not tech-savvy in the least bit) with the dates and to which we could plug in our availability, that would be very _helpful_.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

dxdtdemon wrote:As for Mike Cheyne's comment, it seems like a common trend of trash tossups in recent years is to use lead-ins that were things that had some level of notability in a time before the field's target age would've been following whatever the answer is. An example of this was a tossup on the Atlanta Falcons at MSNCT that brought up the Dirty Bird [for younger readers, this was a famous touchdown celebration that they did in the playoffs leading up to the 1999 Super Bowl] in the lead-in. The gettability in age discrepancy in lead-ins isn't usually that egregious, but it probably sounds like a good idea to have mixed-age teams if possible.


Okay, yeah - that makes sense. The way that I read it was some of the tossups are, unintentionally - of course, written where the clues are 'anti-pyramidal'; inherently easy clues on the basis of accomplishment (and not chronology) appearing before inherently harder clues on the basis of accomplishment (and not chronology.)
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby trbenedict » Mon May 22, 2017 2:25 am

Here's an attempt at a survey with dates. I included Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between June 9 and August 20 (probably could have done a shorter interval, but why not be thorough?). Click the "participate" button and check all dates you think you can attend: https://doodle.com/poll/4mau93msz8vpwue8
Tyler Benedict
Coach, Miami Valley School Quiz Bowl
OAC Committee Middle School Representative
OQBA NASAT and Matt's Buzzers Liaison
Miami Valley School '09
trbenedict
Varsity
 
Posts: 229
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2014 3:03 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby BobKilner » Mon May 22, 2017 7:47 am

I am in fact, playing with Steve and Drew and Matt Hayes on the ACRONYM set on Sunday night. I hope to ride their coat-tails to at least 2nd place as I did with Joe Nutter, Anderson Wang and Tejas Raje last year.
Bob Kilner
Secondary Admin, ohioqbforum.com
Former Coach, Garfield Heights HS (2001-2008), North High School (2015-19, 21-22)
Kent State '06 / Boise State '10
BobKilner
Site Admin
 
Posts: 402
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:43 pm
Location: Garfield Heights OH

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby dxdtdemon » Tue May 23, 2017 4:56 am

I'm sorry about derailing the thread. Hopefully, it gets back on track. I didn't realize that Super Acronym hadn't been played anywhere yet, I thought it was something that had been as widely mirrored as the actual ACRONYM.
Jonathan Graham
Beavercreek(1999-2003), Ohio State (2003-07), Wright State(2012-fall14)
occasional question writer
dxdtdemon
Rookie
 
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 5:12 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Tue May 23, 2017 7:18 am

dxdtdemon wrote:I'm sorry about derailing the thread. Hopefully, it gets back on track. I didn't realize that Super Acronym hadn't been played anywhere yet, I thought it was something that had been as widely mirrored as the actual ACRONYM.

No derailment occurred, afaik.

But cmon man, you should've let Bob look like a fool since

I wrote: Note: 'Super ACRONYM' and 'ACRONYM X' are not the same set. Super ACRONYM is apparently a harder version of ACRONYM.



Erik has emailed me back saying it should be ready by late July and it's $10/head. I'm down to play this, but, more importantly... I'd rather get together on a date the most people possible can make it, regardless of whether or not it means S.A. is available. Thoughts?
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby swwFC » Tue May 23, 2017 11:14 am

Figuring out possible sets to use and the best available dates are good and all, but it will all be for naught if we can't nail down a host. Has anyone out there indicated that there is even a decent chance they could host this event? I haven't seen any indication of this in the thread. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I fear that people are putting the cart before the horse here.
Steven Wellstead
Fisher Catholic High School, Class of 2007
Case Western Reserve University, Class of 2011
NAQT Writer
swwFC
Rookie
 
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:01 pm
Location: Lancaster, OH

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby BobKilner » Tue May 23, 2017 12:59 pm

I have my our two sets of buzzers at my house if we do find a host, because, ya know, buzzers are good for quizbowl or something.
Bob Kilner
Secondary Admin, ohioqbforum.com
Former Coach, Garfield Heights HS (2001-2008), North High School (2015-19, 21-22)
Kent State '06 / Boise State '10
BobKilner
Site Admin
 
Posts: 402
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:43 pm
Location: Garfield Heights OH

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby pbergman » Tue May 23, 2017 4:14 pm

Well, if the crowd was inclined to come up to Cleveland, I might be able to investigate availability at Solon HS, but I know from the discussion that Cleveland was not the preference.

BTW, if I can swing the schedule I'm interested in being involved in this.
Peter Bergman
Academic Challenge Coach
English Teacher
Solon High School
pbergman
Varsity
 
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:49 pm

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Tue May 23, 2017 5:08 pm

I'm not ruling out going to Cleveland. In fact, I support it if it's the choice.


I'm waiting to hear back from Brian on OSU.
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Tue May 23, 2017 7:39 pm

Steven, for what it's worth, I asked Brian about OSU's availability and he asked me "what day?"

Get Lynned wrote:I'm not ruling out going to Cleveland. In fact, I support it if it's the choice.


I'm waiting to hear back from Brian on OSU.
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever

Re: Battle Buzz 2017

Postby Get Lynned » Tue Jun 06, 2017 11:36 am

Alright, so there's only five people who have responded to Tyler's schedule creation.

If more people don't fill out the schedule by, say, 12:00am on Thursday June 15th, then it'll look like this won't happen (lets move on this, quick.)
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18

Retired from online, for good.
Get Lynned
Varsity
 
Posts: 309
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 6:56 pm
Location: Self-Imposed Exile, 4ever


Return to Quiz Bowl Tips

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

cron