West Georgia RESA

Elementary School Academic Bowl Regulations

2010-2011

Questions

  1. West Georgia RESA will provide questions for all meets.
  2. Any school purchasing questions from the same company that supplies the meet questions must identify themselves as a part of the West Georgia Academic Bowl Organization. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.This is to ensure that all schools compete from a “level playing field”.

Sportsmanship

  1. Each coach is responsible for the behavior of his school’s students and family members. Please discuss being a courteous participant and spectator with students, family members, and anyone else attending the meet.
  1. If there is an issue for discussion, first the 2 coaches in the room try to agree upon a decision. If they are unable to make a decision the RESA representative has the final decision. If there is no RESA representative available the host team is responsible to have a designated county administrator present to make the final decision. Participants and spectators may not argue about questions or answers. Coaches are responsible for dealing with the inappropriate behavior of participants and spectators.
  1. The RESA representative or designated county administrator will have the final word on disputes. Coaches are expected to respectfully accept the decision.
  1. Please remember that without volunteers these meets could not happen. The RESA representative, readers, scorekeepers, timekeepers, and spotters are all volunteers and are not compensated.
  1. Coaches are expected to model good sportsmanship at all times. Inappropriate behavior by a coach could result in a warning, letter to principal and/or superintendent, or suspension from a subsequent meet or meets.
Division Alignment
  1. Divisions will be divided by geography as well as by past performance. Teams in the northern part of the RESA district will participate in the Northern Conference and teams in the southern part of the RESA district will participate in the Southern Conference. Both conferences will be split into two divisions; Division A and Division B.
  1. At the end of each season all teams from the northern conference (both A and B divisions) will be ranked according to scores and divided into the two divisions. The top scoring teams will participate in the A division and the lower scoring teams will participate in the B division. The southern conference will be divided in the same manner.
  1. The top 4 teams from each division will participate in the league finals to determine the overall winners for the league.

Host Team

  1. The host team will provide a large meeting room, rooms which are set up for competition, refreshments and team name cards. It is recommended that refreshments be divided and placed on individual tables labeled with school names.
  1. The host team will provide a Timekeeper, Spotter, Scorekeeper, and Reader for each room. The Reader and Timer must be adults. Responsible middle or high school student may serve as Spotters and Scorekeepersand they must attend the training sessions. No elementary-aged students may help with these responsibilities.
  1. West Georgia RESA will provide questions, schedules, and plaques.West Georgia RESA will conduct an hour long meeting beginning at 2:30 on the day of the meet with all readers to read through all meet questions.
  1. The host team will pencils, and paper for the teams to use in each round.
  1. The host team will provide an organized way to receive and distribute equipment and locate extra Quiz-A-Matics.
  1. The host team will send DETAILEDdirections to their schools as soon as possible, but no later than two weeks before the meet they are hosting using email addresses provided by RESA.
  1. The host team will set up rooms as shown on the seating chart at the end of this document.
  1. Host teams must have someone manning the school phones the day of the meet in order to assist visiting schools who have difficulty finding their way to the meet. Host coaches are encouraged to provide their cell phone number to all visiting coaches.
  1. Host teams will consider traffic congestion when picking rooms for the meets to facilitate round transitions. Host teams will also consider time issues when determining procedures for starting each round in order to shorten meets as much as possible.
  1. The first host team will make school name cards and pass them along to the next host coach. They will be passed to each host after the first meet. The RESA representatives will collect the cards at the end of the third meet and give them to the host of the finals.

Visiting Teams

  1. A team consists of four members. Third through fifth grade students are eligible to participate. Alternates may be brought to the matches, but no substitutions may be made during the rounds. Teams are limited to a total of eight students. Teams may bring up to eight students in uniform to participate. Only eight students may wear the uniforms. If a team brings more than 8 players in uniform they will be disqualified from receiving awards.
  1. Each team will supply the names of two players at registration to serve on an alternate team.
  1. Please make every effort to be on time. If unable to attend, notify the host team as soon as possible. This is extremely important! In the event that a team does not show up, an alternate team will fill that place on the schedule if needed. Its score will not count toward match results. The alternate team may be substituted between rounds. Teams who are not present by the beginning of Round One will forfeit that round. Please do not arrive before 3:30. Notify the host school if your team will arrive early. The host team will send maps and special instructions to the participating schools.
  1. Each team will bring a Quiz-A-Matic, an extension cord, and a stopwatch. These should be clearly labeled with the school’s name. The equipment should be listed on an index card with the school name and the coach’s name. This card and the equipment will be given to an adult at the registration table on the day of the match. Please notify the host school ahead of time if you are unable to bring this equipment.
  1. Each coach is responsible for the behavior of his school’s students and family members. Please discuss being a courteous participant and spectator with students, family members, and anyone else attending the meet.

Scorekeeper

  1. School names and systems should be written at the top of the score sheet by the scorekeeper. Be sure to indicate if the team is an alternate.
  1. A team receives 10 points for each correct toss-up question and 10 points for each correct bonus question.
  1. Immediately upon completion of a round both coaches should sign the sore sheet which then is taken to the host team representative. Do not sign the score sheet until all issues have been decided. Once you sign you can not make any changes. Questions for the next round will be picked up at that time.
  1. At the completion of each round the Scorekeeper will take the score sheet to the central processing site at the meet.
  1. There are no tiebreakers for round or meet.
  1. All scores are to be emailed to Nichole Evans at by the end of the next school day.

Reader

  1. During the read-through prior to the meet the Readers and RESA representatives will determine acceptable answers for each question. All readers will be prepared to accept the same answers.
  1. At the beginning of the first round only the reader will read the rules aloud.
  1. At the beginning of each round, the reader will identify the team captain or designee who will answer all bonus questions after conferring with the team.
  1. Twenty toss-up questions with their accompanying bonus questions constitute a round. The team with the most points at the conclusion of the twenty questions is the winner of that round.
  1. During toss-up questions if the wrong member of the team answers a question (not identified by the spotter) and the reader recognizes that as a correct answer, the reader goes to an alternate question and gives the other team a chance to answer.
  1. The readers will read toss-up questions as follows; Toss-up (question #), (topic), question. For example, “Toss-up number 1. Science. What is the symbol for hydrogen on the periodic table of elements?”
  1. Any team member may buzz in at any time during the reading of the toss-up questions. The reader will immediately stop reading the question. Once a team member is recognized, he has ten seconds to complete his answer. If the answer is incorrect, the reader reads the toss-up question again from the beginning for the other team. The toss-up question is read in its entirety only one time. If the question is completed before the first team buzzes in the reader does not read the question a second time for the other team. If the first team buzzed in during the middle of the question, the reader will read the question completely again. A toss-up or bonus question may be read completely only one time, if neither team answers a toss-up question correctly within ten seconds, the reader will give the answer and begin reading the next toss-up question.
  1. When a team answers the ten-point toss-up correctly, two (2) bonus questions are read to that team. Team members may confer but the captain or his designee gives the answers. The team has thirty seconds to completely answer both bonus questions. A ten-second warning is given after twenty seconds. Readers should not indicate whether the answers are correct until both answers are given or until time runs out. After both answers are given or time runs out the reader will indicate which answers are correct and give the correct answers for any incorrect responses.
  1. If there is an issue for discussion, first the 2 coaches in the room agree on a decision. If they are unable to make a decision the RESA representative has the final decision. If there is no RESA representative available the host team is responsible to have a designated county administrator present to make the final decision. Participants and spectators may not argue about questions or answers. Coaches are responsible for dealing with the inappropriate behave of participants and spectators.
  1. Unless otherwise requested in the question, last names will be acceptable. However, if the player volunteers and incorrect first name, the answer is wrong. Only the first answer given by a team will be accepted. If is the coach’s responsibility to let the reader know of any extenuating circumstances; for example, a speech problem.
  1. If the reader makes a mistake (for example, gives an answer to a toss-up question before the second team is given an opportunity to answer) or if an audience member answers a question aloud, the reader should read the first available alternate question to the other team.
  1. The reader should call for the score after ten questions have been read so that the teams can verify the score.
  1. Participants and spectators will remain in the room quietly until the signal to leave is given. Keep the volume down in the room after the round is finished as a courtesy to other rooms.
  1. Host coaches and reader coaches must stress to the readers that they must all accept the same answers in all rooms during a meet.

Timer

  1. After a toss-up question is completed, the team members have ten seconds to respond by buzzing in.
  1. The Timer will begin timing immediately after the person to answer has been acknowledged by the Spotter. The person buzzing in must begin his answer within ten seconds.
  1. If the first team’s answer is incorrect, then the other team has ten seconds to buzz in and ten seconds to begin the answer.
  1. After the bonus question is read completely, the team has thirty seconds to complete the answer. After twenty seconds a ten second warning should be given. The Timer will say, “Ten Seconds”loudly and clearly.
  1. At the end of the allotted time the timer says “Stop” and no further answer will be accepted.

Spotter

  1. The Spotter operates the Quiz-A-Matic System and acknowledges the person who is to answer a toss-up question by calling the school name and number.
  1. The Spotter will check to be sure no team confers during a toss-up question. If this happens, the Spotter will bring it to the Reader’s attention for possible disqualifications on that particular question. The Reader will then read an alternate question to the other team. The Spotter will also notify the Reader if a student has answered a toss-up question out of turn. The Reader will read an alternate question to the other team if this happens.
  1. The spotter will not clear the buzzer system until after the student has been recognized.

Schedule

The following schedule will be used for all matches:

3:30-3:45Registration and refreshments

3:45-3:55Welcome

4:00Rounds begin

Winners will be announced following the conclusion of Round Three. Please stay for the announcement of the winners.

Awards

  1. Small plaques will be provided for 1st through 4th place schools at the completion of each meet.
  1. At the end of the third meet coaches will be given medallions for each member (12 students on each team).
  1. At the conclusion of the third meet a Division Champion plaque will be awarded to the team with highest total core for the season.
  1. Large plaques will be awarded at the finals for the top four teams.

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Video cameras are allowed, but must not distract from the round. No flash photography is allowed.

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