QOTC XI Results

Chris White <*cwhite2_at_benjaminthedonkey.yahoo.invalid*> · Sun, 23 Mar 2003 17:03:45 -0000

On Saturday, eight teams from six schools came to beautiful Swarthmore 
to compete in the eleventh installation of Questions on the Crum.  The 
teams played a full round robin,  followed by a trash round just for 
fun.  The teams were then seeded into brackets and played a full round 
robin within them:

TROGDOR BRACKET:

South Carolina: 6-1
Maryland 6-1 (lost to S.C.)
Pitt Coup Shiva 5-2 (or Kew-Shiva, as it mistakenly shows up on the 
scoresheet)
Princeton A 4-3

HOMSAR BRACKET:

Princeton B 4-3 (lost to Princeton A)
Peter Austin's Crime 2-5
Pitt Covert Action Team 1-6
Bryn Mawr 0-7

After 2 of the three playoff rounds, Maryland and S.C. were undefeated 
in the playoffs and about to play each other, so the following 
champoinship procedure was determined: if S.C. won this round, they won 
the tournament; if Maryland won, the teams played one more game for the 
championship, since S.C. beat them in the prelims.  Maryland came from 
behind to win 215-155 in the last playoff round, and won 230-85 in the 
finals to capture a recording of Mahler's First and Tenth Symphonies, 
South Carolina got a recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto (and other 
works) played by Jaqueline Du Pre.  Pitt Coup Shiva was third. 

Individual prizes were counted for the prelims only.  Mike from Pitt 
Coup Shiva won third and a selection of Rilke poems; Chris from 
Princeton B (who did a fine job playing solo, just missing the top 
bracket and sweeping the playofs) was second individually, winning "The 
Good Soldier" by Ford Maddox Ford, and Vernon from South Carolina took 
top individual honors, winning "1421: The Year China Discovered 
America" by Gavin Menzies (This book was the answer to the very first 
question of the tournament).  The neg prize was to go to Gabe from 
Peter Austin's Crime for his many stupid and reckless buzzes, but they 
left before prizes were awarded.  Vernon and Dave from Maryland tied 
for second, but Dave had more in the playoffs, so he was awarded a copy 
of The Fountainhead. (Atlas Shrugged was our SNEWT neg prize.)

Many thanks are in order:

First, of course, to all the teams that attended.

Second, to all the teams and my teammates who wrote questions for the 
tournament; extra special thanks to freelancers Seth Teitler and the 
folks at Berkeley and Anthony De Jesus, and to Michigan's Auspicious 
Incident, which was kind enough to lend us questions for the finals.  
And of course to Jeff Traczynski, for another excellent trash packet.

And finally, to all the people who helped staff the tournament (mostly 
my teammates, but there was also one other person whose name I 
unfortunately forget).

Detailed stats forthcoming.