Difference between revisions of "National Academic Championship"

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{{Important_Ready}}
 
{{Important_Ready}}
  
−
A tournament run by [[Chip Beall]]'s [[Questions Unlimited]] since 1983, the '''National Academic Championship''' was the first high school national tournament involving normal teams (the [[National Academic Super Bowl]] preceded it but used county-based all-star teams).
+
A tournament run by [[Chip Beall]]'s [[Questions Unlimited]] since 1983, the [https://www.qunlimited.com/naths.php '''National Academic Championship'''] was the first high school national tournament involving normal teams (the [[National Academic Super Bowl]] preceded it but used county-based all-star teams).
  
−
The tournament is almost universally avoided by serious quizbowl teams due to its inferior question quality and myriad other issues (see below). In 2013, no teams who participated in [[NSC]] and no team who finished in the top 100 of the [[HSNCT]] participated in the NAC.
+
The tournament is almost universally avoided by serious quizbowl teams due to its inferior question quality and myriad other issues (see below). In 2013, no teams who participated in [[NSC]] and no team who finished in the top 100 of the [[HSNCT]] participated in the NAC. In 2018 however, [[Plano West]] won both HSNCT and the NAC.
  
 
From 1988 to 1994, the tournament was televised as "The Texaco Star National Academic Championship" and awarded large Texaco-supplied prizes to top finishers.
 
From 1988 to 1994, the tournament was televised as "The Texaco Star National Academic Championship" and awarded large Texaco-supplied prizes to top finishers.
  
 
Methods of qualifying for the NAC include winning a tournament of eight or more teams, finishing in the top fifteen percent of any tournament, winning a game in [[QuizNet]], getting a perfect (or highest) score in any month's [[Twenty Questions]], or making the playoffs at the previous year's NAC.
 
Methods of qualifying for the NAC include winning a tournament of eight or more teams, finishing in the top fifteen percent of any tournament, winning a game in [[QuizNet]], getting a perfect (or highest) score in any month's [[Twenty Questions]], or making the playoffs at the previous year's NAC.
 +
 +
In 2011, after seeing a drop in attendance, a middle school division was added.  In 2017, after seeing another drop in attendance, the Chicago phase of the championship added an elementary school division.
  
 
==Criticisms==
 
==Criticisms==
Line 29: Line 31:
 
In 2006 and 2007, the single-site HSNCT attracted more teams than all three NAC sites combined, and the NSC attracted more teams than some of the individual NAC sites:
 
In 2006 and 2007, the single-site HSNCT attracted more teams than all three NAC sites combined, and the NSC attracted more teams than some of the individual NAC sites:
  
−
[[Image:Hs-nationals1.png]]
+
[[File:Nationals Field 2016.png|800px]]
 +
 
 +
[[File:Nationals Field 2020.png]]
  
 
The competitively weak field contributes to the ongoing delegitimization of the NAC as a "national championship."
 
The competitively weak field contributes to the ongoing delegitimization of the NAC as a "national championship."
Line 35: Line 39:
 
Of the teams considered the top 25 of high school quizbowl in a given year (via general opinion, Fred Morlan's rankings, or the final HSNCT or NSC standings), only one or two participate in the NAC (graph forthcoming).
 
Of the teams considered the top 25 of high school quizbowl in a given year (via general opinion, Fred Morlan's rankings, or the final HSNCT or NSC standings), only one or two participate in the NAC (graph forthcoming).
  
−
For all of the above reasons, '''the winner of the National Academic Championship ''is not'' the national champion of high school quizbowl and cannot legitimately claim that status.''' A team which wins the NSC and HSNCT in the same year is usually acknowledged as the top team, though if another team dominates throughout the year and is eliminated from those tournaments by close margins, or does not send its regular starting lineup to nationals for some reason, there can be some dispute. In most years, the NSC and HSNCT are won by different teams, and there are two or more teams with some claim to the top spot, usually leading to a bit of discussion over who the best team is, which almost never includes the NAC winner. Since the establishment of the HSNCT, the only NAC winner with a legitimate claim to being the top team in the country was [[2002 Irmo]], which lost a close HSNCT final to [[2002 St. John's (TX)|St. John's]] after dominating throughout the regular season.
+
For all of the above reasons, '''the winner of the National Academic Championship ''is not'' the national champion of high school quizbowl and cannot legitimately claim that status.''' A team which wins the NSC and HSNCT in the same year is usually acknowledged as the top team, though if another team dominates throughout the year and is eliminated from those tournaments by close margins, or does not send its regular starting lineup to nationals for some reason, there can be some dispute. In most years, the NSC and HSNCT are won by different teams, and there are two or more teams with some claim to the top spot, usually leading to a bit of discussion over who the best team is, which almost never includes the NAC winner. Since the establishment of the HSNCT, the only NAC winners with a legitimate claim to being the top team in the country were [[2002 Irmo]], which lost a close HSNCT final to [[2002 St. John's (TX)|St. John's]] after dominating throughout the regular season, and [[2018 Plano West]], who followed up a HSNCT victory by winning the NAC.
  
 
==Reasons for the NAC's continued existence==
 
==Reasons for the NAC's continued existence==
Line 52: Line 56:
  
 
*Valuing format above all else: At least one team claims that they so prefer the [[four quarter format]] to either the NAQT or PACE formats that they will continue to attend NAC exclusively regardless of the differences in question quality, cost, competitive level, or ethical standards as compared to other tournaments. Others find this explanation implausible and believe it is an excuse for one of the above reasons.
 
*Valuing format above all else: At least one team claims that they so prefer the [[four quarter format]] to either the NAQT or PACE formats that they will continue to attend NAC exclusively regardless of the differences in question quality, cost, competitive level, or ethical standards as compared to other tournaments. Others find this explanation implausible and believe it is an excuse for one of the above reasons.
 +
 +
*After three consecutive years (2005-07) which saw drops in attendance, the inclusion of the "Jr. Nationals" held at the same site was likely an incentive for schools that had both a middle school and high school program to attend the same tournament together.  Attendance spiked in 2008, and steadily rose until 2013, which then saw the start of another three year drop in attendance.
  
 
==Format==
 
==Format==
Line 90: Line 96:
 
| [[1986 NAC|1986]]
 
| [[1986 NAC|1986]]
 
| [[1986 Irmo|Irmo]]
 
| [[1986 Irmo|Irmo]]
−
|  
+
| [[1986 Cortland|Cortland]]
 
|  
 
|  
 
|   
 
|   
Line 116: Line 122:
 
| [[1990 White Plains|White Plains]]
 
| [[1990 White Plains|White Plains]]
 
| [[1990 Booker T. Washington|Booker T. Washington]] (semifinalist)
 
| [[1990 Booker T. Washington|Booker T. Washington]] (semifinalist)
−
| [[1990 Detroit Catholic Central|Detroit Catholic Central]] (semifinalist)
+
| [[1990 Ithaca|Ithaca]] (semifinalist)
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1991 NAC|1991]]
 
| [[1991 NAC|1991]]
Line 254: Line 260:
 
| [[Pingry]]
 
| [[Pingry]]
 
| [[Fishers]]
 
| [[Fishers]]
−
|  
+
| [[Coronado (TX)|Coronado B]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2014 NAC|2014]]
 +
| [[New Orleans Jesuit]]
 +
| [[Pingry]]
 +
| [[Horace Greeley]]
 +
| [[Coronado]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2015 NAC|2015]]
 +
| [[Coronado]]
 +
| [[Lusher]]
 +
| [[Bishop Kelley]]
 +
| [[Pingry]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2016 NAC|2016]]
 +
| [[Daviess County]]
 +
| [[Briarcliff]]
 +
| [[Harrison]]
 +
| [[Lakewood]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2017 NAC|2017]]
 +
| [[Zionsville]]
 +
| [[Wayzata]]
 +
| [[Campbell County]]
 +
| [[Detroit Jesuit]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2018 NAC|2018]]
 +
| [[Plano West]]
 +
| [[Altamont]]
 +
| [[Chatham]]
 +
| [[University (IN)]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2019 NAC|2019]]
 +
| [[Detroit Jesuit]]
 +
| [[New Orleans Jesuit]]
 +
| [[Elkhorn South]]
 +
| [[Parkland]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2020 NAC|2020]]
 +
| [[Pingry]]
 +
| [[Lusher]]
 +
| [[Edgemont]]
 +
| [[Hastings High School|Hastings]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2021 NAC|2021]]<sup>[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRSXc9zFnhrYE-LWGouZmYVLzn1zS9Gy429IQBOxrvlx7PkEiHIfOurI-3djUpMQ5DAx4pEn1t_HaSd/pubhtml]</sup>
 +
| [[Byram Hills]]
 +
| [[Tartan]]
 +
| [[Hastings High School|Hastings]]
 +
| [[Hunter]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2022 NAC|2022]]
 +
| [[Holton Arms]]
 +
| [[Edgemont]]
 +
| [[Byram Hills]]
 +
| [[Little Rock Central]]
 +
|-
 +
| [[2023 NAC|2023]]
 +
| [[Horace Greeley]]
 +
| [[Eastchester]]
 +
| [[Hastings High School|Hastings]]
 +
| [[New Orleans Jesuit]]
 +
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
Beginning in 2013, a three-team double-elimination tournament was used to determine the tournament winner out of the three regional winners, rather than the four-team single-elimination used since the introduction of the three-site format in 2000. The fourth-place team listed from 2013 on is the one identified as such in the "tournament progress" column on QU's website.
  
 
==Other NAC information==
 
==Other NAC information==
Line 263: Line 332:
 
! Location(s)
 
! Location(s)
 
! TV, prizes, and other notes
 
! TV, prizes, and other notes
−
! Field size
+
! HS field size
 +
! MS field size
 
|-  
 
|-  
 
| [[1983 NAC|1983]]
 
| [[1983 NAC|1983]]
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| Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate)
 
| Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate)
 
| 34
 
| 34
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1984 NAC|1984]]
 
| [[1984 NAC|1984]]
 
| Prelims took place at Dallas Baptist College and were broadcast on local radio.  Semi-finals and finals were held at WFAA-TV studios in Dallas.  
 
| Prelims took place at Dallas Baptist College and were broadcast on local radio.  Semi-finals and finals were held at WFAA-TV studios in Dallas.  
 
| Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate)
 
| Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate)
−
|  
+
| ???
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1985 NAC|1985]]
 
| [[1985 NAC|1985]]
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| Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate)
 
| Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate)
 
| 50
 
| 50
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1986 NAC|1986]]
 
| [[1986 NAC|1986]]
Line 284: Line 357:
 
|  
 
|  
 
| 50+
 
| 50+
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1987 NAC|1987]]
 
| [[1987 NAC|1987]]
 
| Ohio State University
 
| Ohio State University
−
|  
+
| All rounds were conducted at The Ohio State University's Fawcett Center for Tomorrow. The Regional Finals, Semifinals, and Finals were recorded by WOSU and broadcast on Public Broadcasting System affiliates nationwide.  No prizes were awarded beyond glass trophies.  The captain of the winning Walnut Ridge team, which was the local team, asked if OSU would offer any scholarship money but was told no.
 
| 57
 
| 57
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1988 NAC|1988]]
 
| [[1988 NAC|1988]]
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| This was the first year that the tournament was sponsored by Texaco as the "Texaco Star National Academic Championship." The quarterfinals and beyond were televised on the Discovery Channel nightly from June 19 to June 25, 1988. The winner advanced to the [[Texaco Star North American Challenge]]. Scholarships and rings were provided to the winning team, and the awards banquet was held at the Petroleum Club.
 
| This was the first year that the tournament was sponsored by Texaco as the "Texaco Star National Academic Championship." The quarterfinals and beyond were televised on the Discovery Channel nightly from June 19 to June 25, 1988. The winner advanced to the [[Texaco Star North American Challenge]]. Scholarships and rings were provided to the winning team, and the awards banquet was held at the Petroleum Club.
 
| 76
 
| 76
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1989 NAC|1989]]
 
| [[1989 NAC|1989]]
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| The quarterfinals and beyond were broadcast on the Discovery Channel from July 1 to August 24, 1989. The winning team received rings and $5000 in scholarships, while the second place team received $2500 in scholarships.
 
| The quarterfinals and beyond were broadcast on the Discovery Channel from July 1 to August 24, 1989. The winning team received rings and $5000 in scholarships, while the second place team received $2500 in scholarships.
 
| 64
 
| 64
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1990 NAC|1990]]
 
| [[1990 NAC|1990]]
Line 304: Line 381:
 
| Televised on Discovery channel, all lodging/entry/food/etc fully subsidized by Texaco, $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in total scholarships awarded to other top finishers, winners received championship rings and new computers
 
| Televised on Discovery channel, all lodging/entry/food/etc fully subsidized by Texaco, $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in total scholarships awarded to other top finishers, winners received championship rings and new computers
 
| 78
 
| 78
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1991 NAC|1991]]
 
| [[1991 NAC|1991]]
Line 309: Line 387:
 
| Televised on Discovery channel, all lodging/entry/food/etc fully subsidized by Texaco, $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team.
 
| Televised on Discovery channel, all lodging/entry/food/etc fully subsidized by Texaco, $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team.
 
| 92
 
| 92
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1992 NAC|1992]]
 
| [[1992 NAC|1992]]
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| $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team. Final three single-elimination rounds were brodcast on KPRC, Houston's NBC affiliate, probably as part of a nationwide syndication setup.
 
| $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team. Final three single-elimination rounds were brodcast on KPRC, Houston's NBC affiliate, probably as part of a nationwide syndication setup.
 
| 82
 
| 82
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1993 NAC|1993]]
 
| [[1993 NAC|1993]]
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| Presumably shown on TV somewhere since the end of the tournament was held at a TV studio. $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team.
 
| Presumably shown on TV somewhere since the end of the tournament was held at a TV studio. $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team.
 
| 84
 
| 84
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1994 NAC|1994]]
 
| [[1994 NAC|1994]]
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| Last year of Texaco sponsorship. Final rounds were produced in conjunction with New York PBS station WNET and shown on PBS stations nationwide. Mark Walberg hosted the televised rounds instead of Chip Beall. $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team.
 
| Last year of Texaco sponsorship. Final rounds were produced in conjunction with New York PBS station WNET and shown on PBS stations nationwide. Mark Walberg hosted the televised rounds instead of Chip Beall. $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team.
 
| 73
 
| 73
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1995 NAC|1995]]
 
| [[1995 NAC|1995]]
 
| Second phase and finals were held at Marymount University in Arlington, VA June 9-12. A prior phase occurred at the University of Dallas June 2-5.
 
| Second phase and finals were held at Marymount University in Arlington, VA June 9-12. A prior phase occurred at the University of Dallas June 2-5.
 
| $2500 prize given to champions as part of partial sponsorship arrangement with Continental Airlines.
 
| $2500 prize given to champions as part of partial sponsorship arrangement with Continental Airlines.
−
|  
+
| 108
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1996 NAC|1996]]
 
| [[1996 NAC|1996]]
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| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| 125
 
| 125
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1997 NAC|1997]]
 
| [[1997 NAC|1997]]
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| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| 114
 
| 114
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1998 NAC|1998]]
 
| [[1998 NAC|1998]]
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| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| 118
 
| 118
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[1999 NAC|1999]]
 
| [[1999 NAC|1999]]
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| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship.  
 
| 125
 
| 125
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2000 NAC|2000]]
 
| [[2000 NAC|2000]]
−
| Held at Loyola University in New Orleans, Marymount University in Arlington, VA, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.
+
| Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from June 1 to June 4, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 8 to June 11, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA from June 15 to June 18.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases were to receive free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship, but see tournament page for what happened instead. Overall tournament winner received $2500.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases were to receive free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship, but see tournament page for what happened instead. Overall tournament winner received $2500.
 
| 119
 
| 119
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2001 NAC|2001]]
 
| [[2001 NAC|2001]]
−
| Held at Loyola University in New Orleans, Marymount University in Arlington, VA, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.
+
| Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 31 to June 3, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 7 to June 10, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA from June 14 to June 17.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship.
 
| 133
 
| 133
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2002 NAC|2002]]
 
| [[2002 NAC|2002]]
−
| Held at Loyola University in New Orleans, Marymount University in Arlington, VA, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA.
+
| Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 30 to June 2, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 6 to June 9, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA from June 13 to June 16.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship.
 
| 129
 
| 129
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2003 NAC|2003]]
 
| [[2003 NAC|2003]]
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| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to St. Louis to compete for overall championship.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to St. Louis to compete for overall championship.
 
| 105
 
| 105
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2004 NAC|2004]]
 
| [[2004 NAC|2004]]
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| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to St. Louis to compete for overall championship.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to St. Louis to compete for overall championship.
 
| 112
 
| 112
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2005 NAC|2005]]
 
| [[2005 NAC|2005]]
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| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
 
| 114
 
| 114
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2006 NAC|2006]]
 
| [[2006 NAC|2006]]
Line 384: Line 477:
 
| Winners of San Antonio and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
 
| Winners of San Antonio and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
 
| 101
 
| 101
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2007 NAC|2007]]
 
| [[2007 NAC|2007]]
Line 389: Line 483:
 
| Winners of San Antonio and DC phases received free travel to Orlando to compete for overall championship. The "Muller Foundation" sponsored a $2000 scholarship for the winning team.
 
| Winners of San Antonio and DC phases received free travel to Orlando to compete for overall championship. The "Muller Foundation" sponsored a $2000 scholarship for the winning team.
 
| 90
 
| 90
 +
| n/a
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2008 NAC|2008]]
 
| [[2008 NAC|2008]]
−
| Held at someplace in Dallas from May 24 to May 26, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from May 30 to June 2, and Crowne Plaza O'Hare in Chicago from June 7 to June 9.
+
| Held at the Hilton DFW from May 24 to May 26, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from May 30 to June 2, and Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare from June 7 to June 9.
 
|  
 
|  
 
| 125
 
| 125
 +
| 11
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2009 NAC|2009]]
 
| [[2009 NAC|2009]]
Line 399: Line 495:
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. The two finalists in Chicago were each given $1000, and the overall winner received monogrammed letter jackets.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. The two finalists in Chicago were each given $1000, and the overall winner received monogrammed letter jackets.
 
| 125
 
| 125
 +
| 37
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2010 NAC|2010]]
 
| [[2010 NAC|2010]]
Line 404: Line 501:
 
|  
 
|  
 
| 121
 
| 121
 +
| 56
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2011 NAC|2011]]
 
| [[2011 NAC|2011]]
Line 409: Line 507:
 
|  
 
|  
 
| 136
 
| 136
 +
| 54
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2012 NAC|2012]]
 
| [[2012 NAC|2012]]
 
| Held at Loyola University, New Orleans from May 26 to May 28, the Westin Alexandria (VA) from June 1 to June 3, and Sheraton Four Points in Chicago from June 9 to June 11.
 
| Held at Loyola University, New Orleans from May 26 to May 28, the Westin Alexandria (VA) from June 1 to June 3, and Sheraton Four Points in Chicago from June 9 to June 11.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
 
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
−
| 143
+
| 148
 +
| 47
 +
|-
 +
| [[2013 NAC|2013]]
 +
| Held at Hampton Inn and Suites New Orleans Convention Center, Washington DC, and Chicago-area sites.
 +
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
 +
| 152
 +
| 60
 +
|-
 +
| [[2014 NAC|2014]]
 +
| Held at Hampton Inn and Suites New Orleans Convention Center from May 24 to May 26, the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center (VA) from May 31 to June 1, and Sheraton Four Points in Chicago from June 7 to June 9.
 +
| Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship.
 +
| 140
 +
| 62
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}

Revision as of 00:02, 19 June 2023

This article is about an important topic in quizbowl. A QBWiki administrator has deemed it reasonably complete and ready to be used as a source of information..

A tournament run by Chip Beall's Questions Unlimited since 1983, the National Academic Championship was the first high school national tournament involving normal teams (the National Academic Super Bowl preceded it but used county-based all-star teams).

The tournament is almost universally avoided by serious quizbowl teams due to its inferior question quality and myriad other issues (see below). In 2013, no teams who participated in NSC and no team who finished in the top 100 of the HSNCT participated in the NAC. In 2018 however, Plano West won both HSNCT and the NAC.

From 1988 to 1994, the tournament was televised as "The Texaco Star National Academic Championship" and awarded large Texaco-supplied prizes to top finishers.

Methods of qualifying for the NAC include winning a tournament of eight or more teams, finishing in the top fifteen percent of any tournament, winning a game in QuizNet, getting a perfect (or highest) score in any month's Twenty Questions, or making the playoffs at the previous year's NAC.

In 2011, after seeing a drop in attendance, a middle school division was added. In 2017, after seeing another drop in attendance, the Chicago phase of the championship added an elementary school division.

Criticisms

see: Criticisms of the NAC

Popularity and legitimacy

This tournament varied from being the only game in town to being by far the largest and most prestigious national for some time, largely because of the exposure of a televised event and the prospect of winning prize money. Prior to the mid-1990s it was the default destination for top teams looking to prove themselves the best in the country. Since then, its popularity among both the elite and the mainstream of high school quizbowl has declined precipitously, with less active teams who are not in touch with the modern standards of the game comprising most of the NAC field.

The dissatisfaction that many teams feel towards the NAC stems partly from the divergence between its questions and modern pyramidal, academic material. The tournament has long advertised itself as using questions on "significa, not trivia" and being "light on popular culture and heavy on the academic." Both of these statements are lies. In addition to a very large dose of trash in the questions, trivia is perhaps the dominating theme of NAC answer selection. There are also a lot of open-ended subjective questions and questions so bizarre as to be uncategorizable, such as the audio tossup on blenders. Even the questions on solid academic topics are nonpyramidal, vague, and deceptive. Members of the high school quizbowl community who are familiar with basic principles of good question writing are nearly uniform in their distaste for the NAC's questions in comparison with not just the NSC and HSNCT but also with high-quality regular season tournaments.

Dissatisfaction with the small number of guaranteed games, the poor questions, the questionable pairings and other ethical decisions on the part of Beall, and (after 1994) the high entry cost has always had some wiser coaches grumbling, but many of them attended anyway, judging that the sacrifices were worth the prestige of a potential win, and that the competing nationals at the time were not that much better in terms of question quality, cost-efficiency, or guaranteed games. (ASCN and Panasonic were the only other nationals to last more than a few years.) However, Panasonic at least had a spotless ethical record, and ASCN was also considered somewhat better in this department prior to the events of 2006. This led a few elite teams to skip the NAC in most or all years.

After the PACE NSC was established in 1998 and the NAQT HSNCT started in 1999, a few pioneering top-tier teams abandoned the NAC entirely. Detroit Catholic Central may have been the first perpetually elite high school team to leave the NAC. Defections followed in every subsequent year--notably including State College, Dorman, and Maggie Walker, all former NAC champions. St. John's in 2002 and State College in 1998 are the only teams to win a major national in the same year that they participated in the NAC.

In the same timeframe as the rise of NAQT and PACE, a series of accusations about Beall's ethics arose--from questionable protest resolutions, to playoff formats changed at the last minute to the benefit of longtime Beall supporters, to proven instances of plagiarism at every level of Questions Unlimited-produced material including Quiznet, Twenty Questions, QU invitational sets for local tournaments, and the NAC itself.

Participation at the NAC became an endorsement not only of badly written questions and ridiculously large cost-per-game ratios, but also of large ethical lapses on Beall's part. Matt Weiner frequently pointed out that plagiarism of the kind Beall was shown to have committed would get a college student expelled and a high school student severely censured--not exactly the sort of standards a high school teacher should be promoting to top students.

In 2005, the NAC champion Holland Hall participated in the NAQT HSNCT and finished 20th. The 2006 champion Byram Hills attracted head-scratching from many high school quizbowl watchers, as they didn't appear to compete in any tournaments outside of Westchester before winning the NAC. In 2007, the tournament champion Harrison was rated as the 37th-best team in the country by the Bykowski computer rankings and finished 35th in the Fred Morlan national poll. In 2008, the Booker T. Washington team that won the tournament finished 24th in the Bykowski ratings and received 0 votes for Top 25 status in the Morlan poll. 2009 champion John Cooper received 0 votes in the poll and did not attend either real national championship, but did lose a game 430-90 to the Texas state champion at the NAQT Texas tournament. The extreme dilution of the NAC field and the awarding of "national championships" to third-tier quizbowl teams is expected to continue in future years.

In 2006 and 2007, the single-site HSNCT attracted more teams than all three NAC sites combined, and the NSC attracted more teams than some of the individual NAC sites:

Nationals Field 2016.png

Nationals Field 2020.png

The competitively weak field contributes to the ongoing delegitimization of the NAC as a "national championship."

Of the teams considered the top 25 of high school quizbowl in a given year (via general opinion, Fred Morlan's rankings, or the final HSNCT or NSC standings), only one or two participate in the NAC (graph forthcoming).

For all of the above reasons, the winner of the National Academic Championship is not the national champion of high school quizbowl and cannot legitimately claim that status. A team which wins the NSC and HSNCT in the same year is usually acknowledged as the top team, though if another team dominates throughout the year and is eliminated from those tournaments by close margins, or does not send its regular starting lineup to nationals for some reason, there can be some dispute. In most years, the NSC and HSNCT are won by different teams, and there are two or more teams with some claim to the top spot, usually leading to a bit of discussion over who the best team is, which almost never includes the NAC winner. Since the establishment of the HSNCT, the only NAC winners with a legitimate claim to being the top team in the country were 2002 Irmo, which lost a close HSNCT final to St. John's after dominating throughout the regular season, and 2018 Plano West, who followed up a HSNCT victory by winning the NAC.

Reasons for the NAC's continued existence

The low-quality questions, ethical issues, high cost, and diluted field have led many to speculate why any teams participate in the NAC as opposed to the other nationals. The chief reasons may include:

  • So-called trophy whoring: a desire by teams who cannot compete against good teams on good questions to take their best shot at winning some kind of hardware, by playing essentially random-outcome games with bad teams.
  • Sponsorship: Teams such as Wilmington Charter are awarded prizes of free NAC entry by local tournaments.
  • Beall's marketing/uninformed teams: Beall blankets the country in flyers for his tournament, and coaches from areas without much existing quizbowl may not know that other tournaments exist or why they are superior. In 2008, there were also targeted phone calls to coaches.
  • Inertia: The NAC is the oldest tournament and once had a lot of prestige; teams who remember that era, or for other reasons have gone every year since time immemorial, may be inclined to continue going.
  • Other non-quizbowl reasons: Teams who are not looking to compete seriously may find the NAC location more attractive as a vacation destination or the date more convenient in the school calendar as compared to other nationals.
  • Valuing format above all else: At least one team claims that they so prefer the four quarter format to either the NAQT or PACE formats that they will continue to attend NAC exclusively regardless of the differences in question quality, cost, competitive level, or ethical standards as compared to other tournaments. Others find this explanation implausible and believe it is an excuse for one of the above reasons.
  • After three consecutive years (2005-07) which saw drops in attendance, the inclusion of the "Jr. Nationals" held at the same site was likely an incentive for schools that had both a middle school and high school program to attend the same tournament together. Attendance spiked in 2008, and steadily rose until 2013, which then saw the start of another three year drop in attendance.

Format

Matches are in four quarter format.

As of 2007, the tournament format involves each team playing six preliminary games, the top sixteen or so teams by record and PPG going to a single-elimination bracket, and the winners of the single-elim at the first two phases flying to the final weekend to play the final two teams from the last phase in a final four for the overall title.

The tournament format has varied considerably in past years; consult individual years' tournament pages for information on what the format was, when it is known.

Known information about NAC top four

Year Champion Second Third Fourth
1983 Walt Whitman Upper Arlington
1984 Wheelersburg Charles E. Jordan
1985 Skyline Centralia University (semifinalist)
1986 Irmo Cortland
1987 Walnut Ridge Walt Whitman Booker T. Washington (semifinalist) Sullivan South (semifinalist)
1988 Eleanor Roosevelt R.L. Paschal Granville (semifinalist) George Washington (semifinalist)
1989 Dorman Sullivan Booker T. Washington Granville
1990 Collegiate White Plains Booker T. Washington (semifinalist) Ithaca (semifinalist)
1991 Dorman Collegiate Detroit Catholic Central
1992 Booker T. Washington Clinton Plano East (semifinalist) Dorman (semifinalist)
1993 Torrey Pines Temple Plano Senior Maggie Walker
1994 East Brunswick Manheim Township B. Reed Henderson (semifinalist)
1995 Maggie Walker James Island Grand Rapids Dorman
1996 Houston Memorial Maggie Walker Manheim Township Downingtown
1997 Edison James Island Altamont Bellaire
1998 State College James Island Irmo Verona
1999 James Island Ridgewood Maggie Walker Altamont
2000 Manheim Township Horace Greeley Booker T. Washington Plymouth Canton
2001 Irmo Walton St. John's Klein
2002 Irmo Horace Greeley St. John's Edison A
2003 Horace Greeley Scripps Ranch Smithtown Walton
2004 St. Thomas Elizabethtown Horace Greeley West Chester East
2005 Holland Hall El Paso Russell Byram Hills
2006 Byram Hills Chaska Hastings St. Thomas
2007 Harrison Manheim Township Horace Greeley Torrey Pines
2008 Booker T. Washington Wilmington Charter New Rochelle John Cooper
2009 John Cooper Copley Horace Greeley Byram Hills
2010 Zionsville Parkersburg Horace Greeley Smithtown East
2011 Harrison Ardsley White Plains Copley
2012 Detroit Jesuit High Tech Harrison White Plains
2013 Horace Greeley Pingry Fishers Coronado B
2014 New Orleans Jesuit Pingry Horace Greeley Coronado
2015 Coronado Lusher Bishop Kelley Pingry
2016 Daviess County Briarcliff Harrison Lakewood
2017 Zionsville Wayzata Campbell County Detroit Jesuit
2018 Plano West Altamont Chatham University (IN)
2019 Detroit Jesuit New Orleans Jesuit Elkhorn South Parkland
2020 Pingry Lusher Edgemont Hastings
2021[1] Byram Hills Tartan Hastings Hunter
2022 Holton Arms Edgemont Byram Hills Little Rock Central
2023 Horace Greeley Eastchester Hastings New Orleans Jesuit

Beginning in 2013, a three-team double-elimination tournament was used to determine the tournament winner out of the three regional winners, rather than the four-team single-elimination used since the introduction of the three-site format in 2000. The fourth-place team listed from 2013 on is the one identified as such in the "tournament progress" column on QU's website.

Other NAC information

Year Location(s) TV, prizes, and other notes HS field size MS field size
1983 Prelims took place at Dallas Baptist College and were broadcast on local radio. Semi-finals and finals were held at WFAA-TV studios in Dallas. Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate) 34 n/a
1984 Prelims took place at Dallas Baptist College and were broadcast on local radio. Semi-finals and finals were held at WFAA-TV studios in Dallas. Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate) ??? n/a
1985 Prelims took place at Dallas Baptist University and were broadcast on local radio. Semi-finals and finals were held at WFAA-TV studios in Dallas. Presumably shown locally on WFAA (an ABC affiliate) 50 n/a
1986 University of Miami 50+ n/a
1987 Ohio State University All rounds were conducted at The Ohio State University's Fawcett Center for Tomorrow. The Regional Finals, Semifinals, and Finals were recorded by WOSU and broadcast on Public Broadcasting System affiliates nationwide. No prizes were awarded beyond glass trophies. The captain of the winning Walnut Ridge team, which was the local team, asked if OSU would offer any scholarship money but was told no. 57 n/a
1988 Prelims took place at the University of New Orleans. Televised quarterfinal and beyond matches were at the studios of WYES, the PBS station in New Orleans. This was the first year that the tournament was sponsored by Texaco as the "Texaco Star National Academic Championship." The quarterfinals and beyond were televised on the Discovery Channel nightly from June 19 to June 25, 1988. The winner advanced to the Texaco Star North American Challenge. Scholarships and rings were provided to the winning team, and the awards banquet was held at the Petroleum Club. 76 n/a
1989 Prelims took place at the University of New Orleans. The quarterfinals and beyond were broadcast on the Discovery Channel from July 1 to August 24, 1989. The winning team received rings and $5000 in scholarships, while the second place team received $2500 in scholarships. 64 n/a
1990 Rice University Televised on Discovery channel, all lodging/entry/food/etc fully subsidized by Texaco, $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in total scholarships awarded to other top finishers, winners received championship rings and new computers 78 n/a
1991 Rice University Televised on Discovery channel, all lodging/entry/food/etc fully subsidized by Texaco, $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team. 92 n/a
1992 Rice University $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team. Final three single-elimination rounds were brodcast on KPRC, Houston's NBC affiliate, probably as part of a nationwide syndication setup. 82 n/a
1993 Rice University and KPRC studios in Houston. Presumably shown on TV somewhere since the end of the tournament was held at a TV studio. $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team. 84 n/a
1994 Rice University Last year of Texaco sponsorship. Final rounds were produced in conjunction with New York PBS station WNET and shown on PBS stations nationwide. Mark Walberg hosted the televised rounds instead of Chip Beall. $50,000 in scholarships awarded to winning school, $25,000 in scholarships awarded to second-place team. 73 n/a
1995 Second phase and finals were held at Marymount University in Arlington, VA June 9-12. A prior phase occurred at the University of Dallas June 2-5. $2500 prize given to champions as part of partial sponsorship arrangement with Continental Airlines. 108 n/a
1996 Held in New Orleans and at Marymount University in Arlington, VA. Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship. 125 n/a
1997 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 29 to June 1, and Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 12-15. Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship. 114 n/a
1998 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 29 to June 1, and Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 11-14. Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship. 118 n/a
1999 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from June 3 to June 6, and Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 10-13. Winner of New Orleans phase given free travel to Washington to compete for overall championship. 125 n/a
2000 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from June 1 to June 4, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 8 to June 11, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA from June 15 to June 18. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases were to receive free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship, but see tournament page for what happened instead. Overall tournament winner received $2500. 119 n/a
2001 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 31 to June 3, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 7 to June 10, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA from June 14 to June 17. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship. 133 n/a
2002 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 30 to June 2, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 6 to June 9, and Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA from June 13 to June 16. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Malibu to compete for overall championship. 129 n/a
2003 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 30 to June 2, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 5 to June 8, and Drury Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MO from June 12 to June 15. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to St. Louis to compete for overall championship. 105 n/a
2004 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 28 to May 31, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 3 to June 6, and Drury Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MO from June 11 to June 14. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to St. Louis to compete for overall championship. 112 n/a
2005 Held at Loyola University in New Orleans from May 28 to May 31, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 3 to June 6, and the Embassy Suites O'Hare, Chicago, IL from June 10 to June 13. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. 114 n/a
2006 Held at the Crowne Plaza Riverwalk in San Antonio from May 27 to May 30, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 2 to June 5, and the Crown Plaza O'Hare in Chicago from June 9 to June 12. Winners of San Antonio and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. 101 n/a
2007 Held at the Crowne Plaza Riverwalk in San Antonio from May 26 to May 29, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 1 to June 5, and Ramada Plaza in Orlando from June 9 to June 12. Winners of San Antonio and DC phases received free travel to Orlando to compete for overall championship. The "Muller Foundation" sponsored a $2000 scholarship for the winning team. 90 n/a
2008 Held at the Hilton DFW from May 24 to May 26, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from May 30 to June 2, and Holiday Inn Chicago O'Hare from June 7 to June 9. 125 11
2009 Held at someplace in New Orleans from May 23 to May 25, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 6 to June 8, and Sheraton Four Points in Chicago from June 13 to June 15. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. The two finalists in Chicago were each given $1000, and the overall winner received monogrammed letter jackets. 125 37
2010 Held at Loyola University, New Orleans from May 29 to 31, Marymount University in Arlington, VA from June 4 to June 6, and Sheraton Four Points in Chicago from June 12 to 14. 121 56
2011 Held at Loyola University, New Orleans from May 28 to 30, the Sheraton National hotel in Arlington, VA, from June 4 to June 6, and a Chicago-area site from June 11 to 13. 136 54
2012 Held at Loyola University, New Orleans from May 26 to May 28, the Westin Alexandria (VA) from June 1 to June 3, and Sheraton Four Points in Chicago from June 9 to June 11. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. 148 47
2013 Held at Hampton Inn and Suites New Orleans Convention Center, Washington DC, and Chicago-area sites. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. 152 60
2014 Held at Hampton Inn and Suites New Orleans Convention Center from May 24 to May 26, the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center (VA) from May 31 to June 1, and Sheraton Four Points in Chicago from June 7 to June 9. Winners of New Orleans and DC phases received free travel to Chicago to compete for overall championship. 140 62
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