Woodbridge Invitational

Woodbridge Invitational was held on April 21 (a date which should be easy to remember). We've decided to use invitational this year to bridge the usually large gap between state convention and nationals. Look for registration materials on the forms page.

Results

The new format was popular with most teams and players, so we will try to implement it in all rounds, with the possible exception of the finals, during the competition next year.

A new way to play

This year's invitational featured an entirely new format of questions. If you have any questions or comments, please post on the forums Here's how the new format works:

At the beginning of each match, about 3 to 5 questions are handed out on a page to each team. Teams work as a group to answer all the questions in the time limit. Questions could include "label these areas on this map of Rome", "translate this poem", "list as many consequtive emperors as you can". Things that would be difficult or impossible to do as tossup questions.

There are a few reasons we want to try this. We really don't hear a lot of Latin spoken anymore, so I think it's more useful to be good at translating passages accurately on paper than being able to respond verbally. Don't get me wrong; there will be a healthy amount of this type of question in the normal round.

I've seen this kind of format in other competitions (e.g. Ocean Sciences Bowl) and in other certamen invitationals on the east coast. I'm hoping you'll all find that it enhances the game.