Difference between revisions of "The circuit"

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'''The circuit''' is the collective name for the group of schools and teams that regularly participate in weekend quizbowl tournaments.  By general consensus, "the circuit" does not include [[CBI]]-only schools or high schools that only participate in local quizbowl leagues. When referring to the circuit or one of its divisions, it is proper to call it by its name of "the circuit" or "the [insert geographic division here] circuit", and never just plain "circuit".
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{{Intro}}
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<onlyinclude>
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'''The circuit''' is the collective name for the group of [[school]]s and [[team]]s that regularly participate in weekend quizbowl [[tournament]]s. Members of the circuit participate in [[mainstream quizbowl]].</onlyinclude>
  
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=Divisions of the Circuit=
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==Circuit vs. Non-Circuit==
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Due to obvious geographic restrictions, "the circuit" is divided into several more-or-less autonomous areas, each of which is nevertheless connected by common national tournaments the teams that travel outside of their primary area.
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By general consensus, "the circuit" does not include schools that only participate in local quizbowl [[league]]s or local [[TV tournament]]s even if such events are held on [[pyramidal]] questions. Such schools are, however, excellent candidates to join the circuit simply by participating in weekend quizbowl tournaments in addition to those leagues and TV tournaments. A key part of [[outreach]] is finding ways to convince more of these non-circuit but already extant teams to join the circuit.  
  
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==The College Circuit==
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Due to geographic restrictions, "the circuit" is divided into several more-or-less autonomous regions, each of which is connected by common national tournaments or larger regional tournaments that teams travel to outside their primary area. When referring to the circuit or one of its divisions, it is proper to call it by its name of "the circuit" or "the [insert geographic division here] circuit", rather than just saying "circuit".  
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The college circuit is divided into the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Southwest, West Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Canada circuits.
 
  
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===Northeast Circuit===
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==The High School Circuit==
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The Northeast Circuit consists of teams in New England and New York. The nominal center of this circuit is the Boston area. Tournaments in this circuit often end early or are cut short due to many teams' need to take limited-hours public transportation back from the tournament.
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High school quizbowl is largely divided into a separate circuit for each state, although there is substantial overlap between circuits on the east coast (thus the creation of a historically-strong DC-area circuit that may overlap with the Eastern Pennsylvania or New York/New Jersey circuits depending on the specific event). California is largely divided into the Northern California and Southern California circuits and Pennsylvania between the Western and Eastern Pennsylvania circuits (see also [[geographic exclusivity]]). Some circuits (such as Texas and Missouri) have a nominal head, such as the president of the local [[quizbowl alliance]] or coaches' association, whereas others have no unifying association and set their schedules more haphazardly. Several prestigious tournaments, such as [[WUHSAC]], [[Harvard Fall Tournament]], and the [[Texas Invitational]] draw many teams from outside the immediate circuit of the region who seek to play a more competitive or diverse field.
  
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===Mid-Atlantic Circuit===
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==The College Circuit==
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The Mid-Atlantic Circuit consists of teams in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia.  Were there actually quizbowl-playing colleges in West Virginia, they would most likely associate with this circuit. To a lesser extent teams in New York and North Carolina belong to this circuit, though they are primarily associated with other circuits.  The nominal center of the Mid-Atlantic Circuit is the DC area, in particular [[Maryland]].
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In college, the increased geographic spacing between teams usually means that circuits form in multi-state regions rather than individual state associations. Each circuit usually holds its own [[mirror]]s of the tournaments produced each year, though some tournaments (such as older [[Penn Bowl]]s or [[VCU Closed]]) are hosted with an eye to cross-circuit participation.  
  
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===Southern Circuit===
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Regional college circuits have historically existed in the [[Northeast]] (Boston area + New England + New York), the [[Mid-Atlantic]], the [[Southeast]], the upper Midwest, Missouri/the lower Midwest, Texas, California, the Pacific Northwest, as well as Canada (Ontario/Quebec) and the United Kingdom. These circuits are not set in stone -- teams caught in between or on the border of two circuits (such as [[Penn]] and [[Princeton]], between the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic) often alternate between attending sites in one of the nearby circuits or the other, and sometimes teams travel a longer distance from their local area for greater competition.  
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The Southern Circuit consists of teams from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.  Although more associated with the mid-Atlantic, some Virginia schools also associate with this circuit.  Due to the vastness of the circuit and number of teams on the circuit, tournaments are occasionally held in both the South and "mid-South" (traditionally Kentucky, Tennessee, and to a lesser extent North Carolina and Virginia).  The nominal center of the Southern Circuit is Chattanooga, largely due to the myriad tournaments run by [[Charlie Steinhice]] and [[UT Chattanooga]].
 
  
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===Midwest Circuit===
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As of 2013, the most active college circuits are in the Northeast (Boston area to New York), the mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest; for this reason, at least one collegiate national championship is held in those circuits each year to minimize travel distance for a large number of strong teams.
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The Midwest Circuit consists of teams in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.  Teams in the western part of Pennsylvania often associate with this circuit, and any possible quizbowl-playing schools in the Dakotas would likely associate with this circuit as well.  Due to the number of teams associated with this circuit, it is occasionally divided into the "North" (primarily the schools on or west of the Mississippi River) and "Great Lakes" (primarily the schools east of the Mississippi) circuits.  The nominal center of the Midwest Circuit is [[Chicago]], which in addition to hosting many regional tournaments hosts the premier [[masters]] tournament in the nation, the summer [[Chicago Open]].  For a time the Midwest Circuit was the epicenter of the so-called [[difficult packet movement]].  Due to its roughly central location, at least one national tournament is typically held each year on the Midwest Circuit.
 
  
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===Southwest Circuit===
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==Middle School Circuit==
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The Southwest Circuit consists of teams in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.  Teams in Mississippi and Missouri occasionally associate with this circuit as well.  Due to being ridiculously spread out, nine hour drives to and from tournaments are not uncommon, and there is no true "center" of the Southwest Circuit.
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The middle school quiz bowl circuit largely resembles the high school circuit.
  
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===West Coast Circuit===
 
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The West Coast Circuit consists of teams in California and any extant teams in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.  There are two nominal centers of the West Coast Circuit, the Bay Area and the greater Los Angeles area, which are separated by roughly a six to eight hour drive.
 
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===Pacific Northwest Circuit===
 
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The Pacific Northwest Circuit consists of teams in western Canada as well as any extant teams in Washington, Oregon, and the rest of the northwest U.S.  The nominal center of the Pacific Northwest Circuit is Vancouver, Canada.  Since 2008, the circuit has grown thanks to teams like [[University of Washington]], [[Boise State]] and [[Gonzaga University]].
 
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===Canada Circuit===
 
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The Canada Circuit consists primarily of teams in Ontario and Quebec.  The nominal center of the Canada Circuit is probably the Toronto area.
 
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==The High School Circuit==
 
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The high school circuit is largely divided into a separate circuit for each state, although there is substantial overlap between circuits on the east coast (thus the creation of a "DC area circuit") and California is divided into the Northern California and Southern California circuits.  The nominal head of each circuit is probably the person in charge of whatever association governs quizbowl in that state, with the exception of states that have no unifying association.  Note that in states that have archaic circuit rules like Alabama and Missouri, the best-known member of a state circuit may have little to no connection to its nominal head.
 
  
 
[[Category:Quizbowl lingo]] [[Category:Quizbowl basics]]
 
[[Category:Quizbowl lingo]] [[Category:Quizbowl basics]]
 
[[Category:Original QBWiki Page]]
 
[[Category:Original QBWiki Page]]

Latest revision as of 12:21, 26 June 2023

The circuit is the collective name for the group of schools and teams that regularly participate in weekend quizbowl tournaments. Members of the circuit participate in mainstream quizbowl.

Circuit vs. Non-Circuit

By general consensus, "the circuit" does not include schools that only participate in local quizbowl leagues or local TV tournaments even if such events are held on pyramidal questions. Such schools are, however, excellent candidates to join the circuit simply by participating in weekend quizbowl tournaments in addition to those leagues and TV tournaments. A key part of outreach is finding ways to convince more of these non-circuit but already extant teams to join the circuit.

Due to geographic restrictions, "the circuit" is divided into several more-or-less autonomous regions, each of which is connected by common national tournaments or larger regional tournaments that teams travel to outside their primary area. When referring to the circuit or one of its divisions, it is proper to call it by its name of "the circuit" or "the [insert geographic division here] circuit", rather than just saying "circuit".

The High School Circuit

High school quizbowl is largely divided into a separate circuit for each state, although there is substantial overlap between circuits on the east coast (thus the creation of a historically-strong DC-area circuit that may overlap with the Eastern Pennsylvania or New York/New Jersey circuits depending on the specific event). California is largely divided into the Northern California and Southern California circuits and Pennsylvania between the Western and Eastern Pennsylvania circuits (see also geographic exclusivity). Some circuits (such as Texas and Missouri) have a nominal head, such as the president of the local quizbowl alliance or coaches' association, whereas others have no unifying association and set their schedules more haphazardly. Several prestigious tournaments, such as WUHSAC, Harvard Fall Tournament, and the Texas Invitational draw many teams from outside the immediate circuit of the region who seek to play a more competitive or diverse field.

The College Circuit

In college, the increased geographic spacing between teams usually means that circuits form in multi-state regions rather than individual state associations. Each circuit usually holds its own mirrors of the tournaments produced each year, though some tournaments (such as older Penn Bowls or VCU Closed) are hosted with an eye to cross-circuit participation.

Regional college circuits have historically existed in the Northeast (Boston area + New England + New York), the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the upper Midwest, Missouri/the lower Midwest, Texas, California, the Pacific Northwest, as well as Canada (Ontario/Quebec) and the United Kingdom. These circuits are not set in stone -- teams caught in between or on the border of two circuits (such as Penn and Princeton, between the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic) often alternate between attending sites in one of the nearby circuits or the other, and sometimes teams travel a longer distance from their local area for greater competition.

As of 2013, the most active college circuits are in the Northeast (Boston area to New York), the mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest; for this reason, at least one collegiate national championship is held in those circuits each year to minimize travel distance for a large number of strong teams.

Middle School Circuit

The middle school quiz bowl circuit largely resembles the high school circuit.

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