The granddaddy of them all, the eleventh annual TrashMasters, will be held at UTC in the center of the known universe, Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sat.-Sun., December 6-7, 2003. TrashMasters is the nation's oldest all-pop culture quizbowl tournament. DATE AND TIME: Registration starts on Sat., Dec. 6, at 9 AM EST, with announcements at 9:45 and tournament play beginning at 10 AM. We anticipate being done no later than 2:00 Sunday, Dec. 7. (And yes, we're adjusting the schedule to make it so. It worked last year.) WHO'S IN CHARGE: Charlie Steinhice is tournament director, editor, and genial quizmaster. ELIGIBILITY: TrashMasters is open to all current, former, and even future collegiate or high school buzzer junkies, or any other sentient being for that matter. The format will be bracketed round robin with 20 questions per round, untimed. Teams will be four players each, with up to two alternates OK as long as there are no substitutions in mid-match. Please let me know as soon as you know you are definitely or probably attending so I can adjust the format and scare up more officials to accommodate more teams if needed. As it stands now, the field will be capped (as in limited, not as in murdered) at 44 teams. FREE AGENTS: If you want to attend but don't have teammates, let me know. Or if you have a partial team and are looking for reinforcements, do the same. Any folks like this, I'll put you in touch with each other and let you sort it out. Hybrid teams won TrashMasters 1997 and took 2nd in 2001. WANT TO READ INSTEAD OF PLAYING? By now most of you know the standard UTC bribe: you read, we feed. Dinner at Provino's is on us for anyone who comes just to read. Besides, you want to see these folks in action. SPECIAL BONUS TRASHY EVENT: Again this year, before and after the Saturday dinner break those who dare will be treated to a session of K-Tel Hell, our name-that-tune game covering three decades of music. James Quintong, current holder of the K-Tel Hell Championship Belt, will attempt to do what none of the 5 previous K-Tel Hellions did -- defend the title successfully. EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS TRASHY AWARDS CEREMONY: Buwahahahah. PACKETS: Each team is expected to submit a packet unless arrangements otherwise are made in advance. To allow us to edit out duplicates, each packet submitted needs to contain at least 28 tossup and 25 boni. While we'll allow some wriggle room, we prefer that you follow these loose distribution guidelines: Number Category 2 - 4 Movies 2 - 4 TV 2 - 4 Sports 2 - 4 Music 2 - 3 Trashy "literature" 2 - 3 Trashy current events No more than 2 each: Computer games & other computer stuff Comics Junk food Potent potables Gadgets Other trashy merchandise (e.g., the Metamucil tossup) Board games, children's games, etc. Anything else you think of is fine as long as there are no more than two questions per as-yet-unnamed category. See FEES below for packet submission timetable. FEES: Again, fees are structured to increase the desire to submit a packet on time. Base fee $100 per team Discounts: $10 for an experienced reader $5 for a working buzzer (additional $5 for a second buzzer if we need it) $20 for submitting full packet by midnight Sun., Nov. 2, or $10 by midnight Sun., Nov. 16. Penalties: $10 late fee for submitting packet between midnight Sun., Nov. 23, and midnight Sun., Nov. 30. $20 late fee for submitting packet between midnight Sun., Nov. 30, and Tues., Dec. 2 -- and this is only available by prearrangement, and with a good excuse. $30 for submitting no packet [must arrange in advance] $5 for excessive bitching LODGINGS: Again this we've arranged with the Clarion Hotel in downtown Chattanooga for discount rooms for those of you who want to stay nearer to the campus than the multitudinous cheap motels on the edge of town. The Clarion is holding rooms for us through Nov. 15 for Friday and/or Saturday nights (Dec. 5 & 6) at the rate of $66 per night plus tax for up to 4 people. The Clarion is within 5 minutes of UTC and was the clear choice in our poll of previous tournament attendees. The Clarion's number is (423) 756-5150; tell 'em you're with the Academic Trivia Association quizbowl tournament to get the special rate. LOCATION: The tournament will be held on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where we all use Sharpies in honor of our most famous athletic product, one T. Owens. Tournament Central will again be 129 Grote Hall; matches will take place in various rooms of Grote and Holt Halls. DIRECTIONS: [Note change in access to parking lot!] >From Atlanta or Knoxville -- take I-75 to Chattanooga, then I-24 west towards downtown. Once in town follow the freeway splitoff for U.S. 27 N./Downtown. From 27 N. take the 4th St. exit, within sight of the Tennessee Aquarium. Go right on 4th St. (you have no choice) and follow it for ca. 1 mile. Just past the UTC (Mackenzie) Arena, turn right at the light onto Mabel St. Mabel St. goes around a curve and becomes E. 5th St., which now has some annoying speed bumps in it. Shortly thereafter, across from a cemetery, you'll reach Holt Hall. But now they've closed the first entrance to the parking area. So stay on E. 5th St. till you reach the next cross street (Palmetto St.) Turn right on Palmetto, then right again at the next light on Vine. When you reach the point where Vine is closed to auto traffic, the parking lot for Grote and Holt is on your right. * From Nashville and points west/north: Take I-24 east to Chattanooga. As you round Moccasin Bend (freeway goes alongside river) watch for two exit lanes on the right; take the less rightward of the two, which will have signs above it for U.S. 27 N. Rest of directions are the same as above. * From Birmingham and points southwest: Take I-59 to the outskirts of Chattanooga, where it dead-ends into I-24. Get on I-24 East and follow the Nashville directions from there. CONTACT: Your genial quizmaster, Charlie Steinhice, coach of UTC's quizbowl team, can be reached by e-mail (steinhic at bellsouth dot net -- and yes, it's steinhic, not steinhice), by phone at 423-763-7147 (office) / 423-877-2706 (home), or by mail at 1185 Mountain Creek Rd. #1801, Chattanooga, TN 37405.
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