Rowdy Raider

Rowdy Raider Invitational

The Rowdy Raider Invitational is an annual quiz bowl tournament held at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. The tournament director of the event is David Jones, quiz bowl coach at Northmont High School. With the exception of the initial tournament, the tournament is hosted on the first Saturday in December, and used NAQT IS questions.

History

To date, there have been 5 iterations of the Rowdy Raider Invitational. These tournaments are summarized below:

Rowdy Raider I: The first edition of the tournament was held in April, 2007. Despite only 12 teams attending the event, the field was very strong, featuring Dunbar led by Papa Chakravarthy, Garfield Heights, led by Dan Humphrey, Tippecanoe led by Ryan Haas and Fisher Catholic led by Steven Wellstead. The preliminary brackets were won by Paul Laurence Dunbar A and Paul Laurence Dunbar B from Lexington, Kentucky. In the playoff bracket, Walnut Hills captured the championship, defeating Tippecanoe 370-300 in the finals.

Rowdy Raider II: The second edition of the tournament was held in December 2007 and featured 20 teams. Paul Laurence Dunbar A defeated Paul Laurence Dunbar B in the finals, with Russell defeating Defiance in the consolation match to claim 3rd place.

Rowdy Raider III: The third edition of the tournament was held in December 2008 and featured 27 teams, broken into three preliminary divisions of 9 teams each. The three divisions were won by Russell (KY), Simon Kenton (KY) and St. Charles. Simon Kenton defeated Walnut Hills 260-180 to claim the championship.

Rowdy Raider IV: The fourth edition of the tournament was held in December 2009 and featured 32 teams. A power matching format was used that was well-received by teams in attendance (except for South Range, who lost an early match they shouldn't have, and subsequently missed the top 16 after posting a 2-3 record). After the morning power-seeding, the top 16 teams were divided into 4 groups of 4, the winner of each qualifying into a single elimination playoff. At the end of the day, Dunbar A defeated Solon 435-110 to claim the tournament title.

Rowdy Raider V: The fifth edition of the tournament was held in December 2010 and saw one of the best fields to ever attend an Ohio quiz bowl tournament, including all of the Ohio and Kentucky powers, plus Chattahoochee and Parkersburg. Preliminary brackets were won by Northmont, Olmsted Falls, Walnut Hills and Parkersburg. The top 8 teams were then divided into 2 divisions of 4, which were won by Northmont and Olmsted Falls, who played for the title, which was won by Northmont 375-275.

Rowdy Raider VI: Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, December 3rd in Millett Hall at Wright State University.

Champions

Rowdy Raider I: Walnut Hills (OH)

Rowdy Raider II: Paul Laurence Dunbar (KY)

Rowdy Raider III: Simon Kenton (KY)

Rowdy Raider IV: Paul Laurance Dunbar (KY)

Rowdy Raider V: Northmont (OH)