Re: 2003 NAQT ICT to be held in Los Angeles

• From: duckfeetca <no_reply_at_yahoogroups.com>
• Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 00:26:25 -0000
• Message-ID: <ao2hfh+plh7_at_...>

Im not Mr Paik, but...


> Flights out of Indianapolis or Midway would cost (as a 
> friend of mine has just informed me) about $500 roundtrip for each 
of 
> our players.  Four players to a team, that's 2000 big ones per team 
> that we qualify.  


Look it up yourself.  Midway to Los Angeles on the weekend of the 
tournament can be bought right now for just under US$200. As the date 
gets closer, you'll find more options for possibly a lower price. "My 
friend told me...." just doesnt cut it. Every year when the ICT is 
announced, we up here in Western Canada say, "St Louis... oh boy, 
that must be $600 at least....". Well, we're always wrong.


> And that's just airfare.  Add on the one night stay 
> in the hotel room for eight people, and that's at least a hundred 
> dollars more. 2100 bucks.  I don't know about your program, but we 
> certainly don't have that kind of cash sitting around.

I think you have to stay in a hotel regardless of where the ICT is. 

 
> I'll definitely grant you that West Coast teams probably have had 
it 
> worse than most of the Midwest and East teams in terms of 
traveling, 
> and yes, that sucks, but I'll just say this:  I think that NAQT 
would 
> probably make more money if they had the ICT somewhere in the 
Midwest 
> or in the East, because teams from those areas (who make up the 
> majority of College Bowl teams in the nation, mind you) would be 
more 
> likely to come if they've qualified.

I'll make a prediction. NAQT will fill their desired field at ICT 03. 
Therefore they'll make as much money as an ICT held out East.  For 
quiz bowl to become a truly national, (well continental sport), the 
mindset "we have to hold nationals in the east because most of the 
teams are in the east" is exactly how you ensure that most of the 
teams will always come from the east.  Chicken and egg.

I must say, even as the most hardcore supporter of the principle of a 
west coast ICT, it has surprised me to see one this year. At very 
least, its an interesting experiment in expanding quiz bowl to a 
wider stage, and I think that you all should investigate exactly 
how "terrible" crossing north america to go to nationals actually is 
before dismissing the idea entirely.


Shaun Webb
Not speaking on behalf of
Simon Fraser University Quiz Bowl