The fifth annual St. Olaf College Invitational Academic Learnament (SOCIAL) high school quiz bowl tournament was held on October 25, 2008, at St. Olaf College under the direction of St. Olaf's quiz bowl team and R. Robert Hentzel of National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC. The tournament was a qualifier for the 2009 NAQT High School National Championship.
Twenty-one teams (not counting Minnetonka D, which didn't show up) representing twelve schools from three states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa) attended. The teams played six preliminary rounds, after which the top 16 teams overall (sorted first by record and then by points-per-tossup-heard) advanced to single-elimination playoffs for the championship. Matchups for the six preliminary rounds were chosen so that each team faced roughly comparable schedules.
The preliminary results may be found here.
Teams with identical records were ordered by points-scored-per-tossup-heard (PPTH). The top 16 teams were then seeded into this playoff bracket (PDF) that also indicates which team won each match.
In the championship game, Minnetonka A defeated Chaska A; in the consolation match, St. Anthony Village B beat Chaska B for third place.
By virtue of being the only small public school (with a non-selective admission policy) in attendance, Estherville-Lincoln (IA) won the Top Small School award.
By virtue of finishing in the top 15% of the field, Minnetonka, Chaska (2 teams), and St. Anthony Village qualified for the 2009 national championship. The top small school, Estherville-Lincoln, also qualified.
The tournament also recognized individual performances; the top eight scorers received all-star trophies as did the top freshman (Estherville-Lincoln's Kyle Thompson) and top sophomore (Eden Prairie's Peter Estall).
If you have any questions about this event or its results, please do not hesitate to contact R. Robert Hentzel.
If you enjoyed this tournament and would like to compete again, please consider attending the 2008 Roseville Area Thumb-Racing Academic Competition Event on November 8 at the Roseville Area High School and the 2008 Gopher Invitational Tournament at the University of Minnesota on December 6, 2008..
Other documents of (potential) interest: