> Everything about Penn Bowl reeked of disorganization and sloppiness. > It was a freakshow that few people in their right minds would ever > consider attending again. In the interesting of being polite, I will not list the transgressions of a specific team that might lead to Mr. Ray's extreme opinion. He is grossly exaggerating, but maybe I am not the right person to defend Penn Bowl. After all, Penn Bowl is my favorite tournament of the year and I have a potentially delusional adoration for it. Among the objects of my affection: 1. I get to play teams from the northeast that I would otherwise not play outside of nationals due to a result of an allegorical Hartford Convention (New England gets its own sets of ACF and NAQT regional tournaments because no one in Boston can drive more than 150 miles, even to tournaments in New Jersey). 2. I enjoy tradition. I also enjoy the spectacle of, by far, the world's largest invitational quizbowl tournament. 3. Tons of games. I played 14 games this weekend. I will probably play in only one more tournament with 14+ games this year. Friday- Saturday tournaments are the exception rather than the rule these days. I am grateful to Samer for continuing to run this monstrosity. Granted, there were problems this year. Some of the moderators were of poor quality. There were many repeats. The editing was not the best. There were lots of delays. It may be a red herring, but you have to appreciate how huge a job this tournament is to direct, let alone edit. On the other hand, if you found the tournament revolting, you have a right not to show up next year. I would rather you do not, as nonconstuctive bitching of the form at the top of this message is not something I want to experience when I attend my fifth Penn Bowl (as a moderator, unless I manage to fail all of my classes this semester). Dan
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