This is my annual message directed and NAQT and NAQT host schools: Many of us would desire that NAQT become a real competitor to College Bowl corporation for non-circuit teams. I do, although I enjoy CBI's questions and format, and wish the company well. I have now participated in 4 CBI regionals and 5 NAQT sectionals (and three nationals), and one thing has consistently differentiated the two: the aspects of the experience OUTSIDE of gameplay. CBI's tournaments are designed to appeal to the one time player: the number of officials, things provided to the teams such as food and prizes, the pace (typically slower than NAQT's), even the inclusion of an albeit tired script for the moderators to read, all give the tournaments more pomp. NAQTs, while usually well officiated, are lower budget affairs, often with single moderators reading and score keeping, nothing provided to the teams, unpredictable formats (CBI has this problem too, but not at the national level) etc. Even compared to many invitationals, which often have themed prizes, special rounds, or unique tossups, NAQT tournaments tend to be the most spartan. Part of the reason for this discrepancy is cost, certainly, but I think that much of it is due to the lower priority NAQT puts on these things. It doesn't cost THAT much more to make pre-printed nametags and provide Saturday lunch; it's certainly not free but relative to travel expenses and tournament fees it's not excessive. With careful planning, a fee increase of $10/player can provide most of these amenities. If you're a team likely to do well at a tournament, and one that has been to dozens before, you'd probably rather have solid questions of standardized difficulty and formats which consistently reward the best team, and you'll prefer NAQT. If you're a first year team, you're going to prefer a tournament where you're treated well and have a pleasant experience outside of the questions and answers, even if you regularly get your ass handed to you, and will enjoy a CBI tournament much more than an ACF or NAQT one. Why must the two be mutually exclusive?
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