I think the most important thing to remember in contacting non-circuit teams is that the way they are funded is quite different from the circuit. On the circuit, our teams are funded (1) as a student activities organization (2) through hosting tournaments/selling questions (3) out of our own pockets. We agree to commitour own scarce resources to travel hundreds of miles because we are deeply committed to quizbowl. For many of the CBI-only teams, College Bowl is a fun once-a-year diversion from their schoolwork. (as I learned when several campus coordinators wanted to send teams to Cornell's tournament, but the players themselves didn't want to attend). And, more importantly, it is generally funded exclusively by the student union or the honors college. None of the players have spend any of their own money or commit their energy to raising the money needed to compete. The trick (for the circuit teams) is in convincing CBI-only programs that they want to become an independently funded organization. With the increased amount of work involved in independent funding vs. student union funding, it is not an easy task. I would suggest looking over Tom Michael's wonderful guide to funding a new program at <a href=http://www.zebra.net/~tfm/funding.html target=new>http://www.zebra.net/~tfm/funding.html</a> for ideas and hints on how to approach teams. (Also it might be helpful to follow Dwight Kidder's example and have lots of paper copies handy to distribute to the interested.) I guess what I am saying is my long-winded way is that when we try to attract circuit teams to upcoming events, we try to focus on things like the quality of the field and the low cost. When we talk with non-circuit teams, we have to convince them that paying ANY cost is not too much (and can be funded by the university) and the time commitment is worthwhile. It's often not as easy as it seems. Kenny Peskin Cornell AQO
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