Currently as the situation stands, there is, IMO, a perverse incentive for teams to go to 'perceived' weaker regions where they can rack up the stats against lower-quality teams. Has the time come for NAQT to create pre-determined regions? In my honest opinion, I think this time has come. Certainly there will be some travel considerations; however, this should balance out over the seasons, and certainly NAQT can grant exceptions to schools on the border of a region a la CBI. Having fixed numbers of teams qualifying from each region would reduce this perverse incentive. A team going to a weak region would have a difficult time qualifying as there are fewer spots available (and running up stats against the very weak teams in that region won't do any good if you can't beat the powers that are already in those regions) and a team who stays in a strong region will have an easier time qualifying as going .500 in the Region of Death will mean a qualifying spot. The number of teams qualifying from a region to Nationals will be changed based on the performance of that region's teams at Nationals, providing an incentive to continue to do well for ALL teams. Another idea would be to have the Division I and Division II tournaments at separate locations, with each tournament having 30-36 teams. This I think would reduce the staffing problem and organizational difficulties of running a giant 60-team tournament, which even Penn with its 10 years of experience can still have glitches. BTW, I do hope ladder play will be taken down this season. Shawn Pickrell
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