Disclaimer: I'm not involved in the Honda Classic or in an HBCU-sponsored quizbowl team, and I'll gladly defer in this discussion to anyone who is. However, I think I've had more direct contact with HCASC programs than most of us in this group, so these comments aren't purely speculation on my part... bucktowntiger wrote (in part): > On HCASC segregation, let everyone play with the big boys, already! > Of course, Howard, Morehouse, and Florida A&M would argue that they > *are* the big boys, but could they beat Michigan or Chicago or > Berkeley? Those are matchups we very well may never see. The > question is: is there a legitimate reason for the separate > competitions? HCASC seems a lot like the "National Achievement > Scholar" thing with the easier questions (judging on the non-African- > American-question difficulty, HCASC lies somewhere between CBI > Intramurals and CBI Regionals, tending towards Intramurals). Also, > qualification for HCASC is based not on regional or other play, but > instead on how soon the schools register. Also, see the fact that > teams eligible for HCASC may participate in either HCASC or College > Bowl, but not both. If HCASC teams played regular College Bowl, this > would increase the diversity of College Bowl more than having > separate competitions. Of course, the reason could be that the > HBCU's don't want to compete with the non-HBCU's, but I doubt this is > the case. If I attended an HBCU and found out about the circuit, > then I would have made every effort to start a circuit program. > Maybe that's just me. > > --Josh, P. t. altaica > As you probably know, CBCI removed the official barrier to HCASC teams' participation on the circuit was removed four years ago. Since then, I've made a concerted effort to bring historically black colleges and universities to UTC's tournaments, with moderate success. Four schools have sent teams to date (with two more registered for Sword Bowl next month), and three of those have come back for more. Competitive? They were every bit as competitive as similarly inexperienced teams we've seen from other four-year schools, or two-year schools from Alabama who'd played solely on the Alabama junior college circuit (a similar level of difficulty to CBCI/HCASC.) Morehouse came within one win of making the playoffs at Sword Bowl in their first appearance at a UTC tournament. Morehouse also won the HCASC that year and the next, and their players told other HCASC players that going to Sword Bowl and NAQT Sectionals definitely helped them develop their game. When you talk to coaches of Honda teams, you'll find the obstacles to greater circuit participation are mostly the same ones you hear from non-HBCU's: money and time. Like so many of our circuit teams, most Honda teams don't get enough school funding for additional tournaments. Tennessee State raises money the same way many of us do, by holding a high school tournament; the others often pay out of pocket for tournaments or practice questions (we've had almost a dozen HBCU's order practice sets from us.) Also, the students on the HCASC teams are often high achievers with other campus activities that keep their schedules filled, making it hard to get a team together on a given weekend. Sound familiar? There are also issues of continuity, just like the ones circuit four-year schools face. You know the story: the core of a team graduates, and no one else steps in, so the school quietly disappears for a few years. Some HCASC teams have a stable coaching situation and can maintain their program, but coaches and institutional contacts do change frequently. Aside from the now-discarded rule prohibiting HCASC teams from independent tournament play, I've heard of only one obstacle unique to the HBCU's. This is second-hand information, but I've been told by two coaches that coaches of other HCASC teams with even less funding have objected to allowing participation in other tournaments. They say it's not fair that some schools go to competitions not everyone can afford. In fact, I've heard that that was one of the main reasons behind the CBCI policy in the first place, though I've never heard that from CBCI. Ultimately, there are lots of schools -- not just HBCU's, but certainly including them -- that we should be recruiting for circuit tournaments. HCASC teams, like once-a-year CBCI teams, are among the most promising targets because they already have a team and some form of leadership in place. If you run a tournament and are serious about broadening participation, and you want some pointers, let me know and I'll share a few thoughts with you. -- ****************************************************************** Charlie Steinhice "Come, come! Why, they couldn't Chattanooga, TN hit an elephant at this dist..." (center of the known universe) -- Gen. John Sedgwick ******************************************************************
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