Re: About ACF, or, is it just a name?

• From: Durham_Devil
• Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 19:44:57 -0700
• Message-ID: <000TDNBH9.001TA4JNI.12170551-quizbowl_at_...>

I think what we can gather from these
diametrically opposite first experiences is that, simply put,
ACF is what we make of it. There's a lot more truth
to that statement than the flippance with which I
phrase it would indicate.

First, mark your
calendar: I am in agreement, after a sense, with Mr. Yaphe.
If ACF wants to drop the image of being overly
difficult, it is not the responsibility of the editors so
much as it is of the writers. Not only do we write
over-the-top stuff that seems, quite frankly, to be the
equivalent to a male size contest in the number of people
who can be stumped, but in addition, we then turn
around and play. When this happens, I generally notice
two things happening:

a) people say a certain
packet was too hard and blame the editors instead of the
writers;
b) people say a certain packet was too *easy*, thus
perpetuating the thought that questions need to be
over-the-top.

Now, I have heard rumors that some ACF sets have had
more "editor influence" than others; so be it. The
fact remains that for the most part, the ball is in
our court.

Along these lines, you ever notice
how invitational sets usually are not as maligned as
sets with the "ACF" label? Part of the reason is that
people seem to write questions that are at a
*reasonable* level for the invitationals, then get it in their
head that the difficulty must be kicked up a notch for
Regionals, and another for Nationals. ACF is a label;
nothing more, nothing less. Yes, it depicts a style of
writing (untimed, 6 lines, academically inclined), but it
in and of itself means nothing more than that. Once
it is in someone's mindset that "this is ACF,
everyone good will be there, I must try to challenge
them", the battle is lost.

Please note that I
have no qualms with kicking up the difficulty for ACF
Nationals; a national tournament should discriminate among
top teams. The same should not be said for an ACF
Regional. In the future, when I submit my packet to ACF for
the Fall or Winter tournaments, I'm going to write as
if it were any other tournament. The last thing I'd
want is for any outlet of the game to die -- contrary
to many people's perceptions. :)

Andy
Goss
who is NOT, and has never been, the Antichrist