A couple of comments: 1. We are taking our automatic bid in Division 2. This was a tough decision for us for a number of rasons, but I know it does effect the calculations here. 2. With the recent debate on the merits of older teams in Division 2, I thought I would explain our decision a little bit. a. The majority of the players on our team (with two exceptions) are still Division 2 eligible. This is due to misunderstandings of how the system worked and bad luck with cars. We are also a very young team, though I will be going and I'm a senior. Our age, though, is tempered by the fact that very few of us had any high school experience (I did not). b. We are not at the level of the teams in Division 1 and would just find ourselves as the whipping boy of the division if we entered it. The debate as to why this is has many facets, but lack of high school experience and a relatively small student population to draw from (5,000 total) are contributing factors. c. We get the vast majority of our funding from a very generous Student Activities Office which we are extremely thankful for. They take care of the costs of the tournaments and transportation necessary for us to go where we want, including airfare for national tournaments (though we've only had that happen once). As a result, we like to have something to show for their generosity. Coming back and saying that we went 9-5 (or even 5-9)in Division 2 is a whole lot better then saying "We went 0-14, but we were playing against really difficult teams." They're likely to be more hesitant to fund us in the future (and rightfully so) if we aren't able to show anything for the college's funds. d. It's going to be a whole lot more fun for us if we play in close games and competition more to our level then if we are getting blown out. So, I guess the upshot is that I feel we are better suited for Division 2 even though we are not new to NAQT or even to NAQT nationals. If we end up schooling the competition in Division 2, then perhpas I'll change my mind, but I really don't see that happening. Michael Philpy Dartmouth College Bowl
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