Indeed you are throwing yourself to the wolves. Here are the teams that finished in the top bracket: 1. Carleton [2 So/2 Fr, top scorer a freshman] 2. Missouri-Columbia [doesn't play the circuit often, 2 Sr, 2 Fr, 1 Jr, top scorer a freshman] 3. Wisconsin [2 Sr/2 Jr] 4. Iowa State [4 Sr] 5. Grinnell [2 So/2 Fr] 6. Illinois [4 Fr] 7. Chicago [2So / 2Fr] 8. Northwestern A [2So / 2Fr, top scorer a freshman] Of these, only Iowa State and Wisconsin stand out as "upperclassmen" teams consisting of primarily juniors and seniors, with Missouri - Columbia being led in scoring by a freshman and Carleton winning the title being led in scoring also by a freshman. Teams that sound like they're abusing the system are still getting beaten by teams led by freshmen! I'd check your "facts" before posting next time! Even better, an Iowa team with 4 seniors didn't make the top bracket either, also being beaten by a bunch of teams led by high scoring freshmen! Serves to go, its not really all about experience -- its more about skill. How about the fact that you yourself, along with many others have also actually had good high school playing experiences? Doesn't that place you at a greater advantage than those starting out in college? I mean, isn't it unfair that Division 2 is being run amok by high powered freshmen that genuinely *new* teams are getting hammered? Isn't that also as patently unfair as juniors and seniors reserving their Division 2 playing time until later? If you've played 4 years in high school, doesn't that place you approximately equal to juniors and senior who started out from scratch their freshman year? Now, I wouldn't agree with most of these comments, but I think it blurs the idea of "experience" as an objective idea. Otherwise, you shouldn't be pretending to yourself that you lost because they had more *experience* than you -- it was because, in reality, they were a better team that you, irregardless of year. This should hopefully lead to you not to compare yourself with your current competition, but all of college quiz bowl in general, and drive you to improve. The current system D2 provides goals for developing teams; if that's all you intend to be, then so be it. If your intention is otherwise, your excuse is the wuss's way out. Jason Paik Washington University Academic Team
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