NAQT Sectionals @ Wash U, 2/9/02

Results: Northwestern A
(Robert Flaxman, Mike Henninger, Jason Selvey, Jan Zasowski)

    You will recall that Jan, Mike and I lost our D-II eligibility last year.  That meant, of course, that we were henceforth relegated to D-I play, i.e. squaring off against grad students (largely).
    And with that being the case, I'd say we performed pretty damn admirably.  I believe we finished second in D-I undergrad and fifth overall (I'll check on that) at 8-6, which is damn respectable considering we're in a fairly difficult sectional and we really don't have anyone sick on our team (no, not even Jan).  I don't think 8-6, even in this sectional, would be good enough for a nationals berth - there are 36 spots and ten sectionals, so even operating under the assumption that the D-I and D-I undergrad winners are the same in some sectionals (utterly possible and in fact fairly likely), it would quite a bit of luck (and badness by other sectionals) for us to sniff qualifying.  Of course, it's not like I have any desire to go to D-I Nationals except a) it'd be cool to spend a weekend in NC in early April and b) I like going to tournaments.  The fact is we'd probably get slapped around all weekend, which would be a huge thrill.
    Favorite Tossup: This is tough.  I'm going to go with King Faisal, though, because it basically won us our huge comeback against Carleton B (about which more anon) and the only reason I had any clue was because they give the answer in the movie Quiz Show.
    Favorite Bonus: There were some nice easy ones, but the ideal bonus is right up my street and yet is not totally automatic, but I still thirty it.  In this case it would be the bonus about island groups that have fewer islands than their names suggest and their locations.  Lakshadweep (answer: India); 30,000 Islands (answer: Ontario); Thousand Islands (answer: St. Lawrence River).  Pretty nice.
    Most Ludicrous Power: Can anyone explain to me how Sebastian Cabot is still a power after several sentences mention he was an explorer and then they say "his father John"?
    Most Hilarious Bonus Conversion: There was a 15-15 bonus in Round 14 which asked to name "these relatively famous people."   The first one I knew; it was Dr. Joyce Brothers.  The second description didn't ring any bells, but then I go, "Wait a second - relatively famous..." and guess "Cousins."  Sure enough, it was some guy whose last name was Cousins.   You gotta love it.
    Worst Neg: Read: only neg.  Alice in Wonderland instead of Through the Looking Glass.  This is fairly lame because I was thinking Through the Looking Glass and then said the other one anyway.
    Most Awesome Moment: I'm not sure if it's quite as awesome as turning a 165 to -5 deficit into a 300-195 win over Shelby Foote Soldiers at TRASH Regionals, but we turned a 110-0 hole, and subsequent halftime deficit of 210-80, into an incredible 290-260 win over Carleton B.  Mad powers and bonus conversion abounded in the second half, with a couple of the key moments coming when Selvey powered Mt. Hood out of nowhere (which even he will tell you) and I powered Faisal, as I said, simply because they used it in Quiz Show.  It ruled.
    Most Disappointing Moment: Several.  We'd managed a few early comebacks, but karma bit us when we choked away sizeable leads to Illinois B and Iowa A, and then had Illinois A, probably one of the two best teams there, on the ropes for the whole match (including leading by ten with only about two minutes to play) before losing by 75.

Division I - Full Round Robin

Round One: Northwestern A 290, Missouri-Rolla A 115
Round Two: Northwestern A 250, Missouri-Kansas City 180
Round Three: Northwestern A 215, Tennessee Tech 175
Round Four: Carleton A 520, Northwestern A 150
Round Five: Minnesota 395, Northwestern A 155
Round Six: Northwestern A 265, Wisconsin A 180
Round Seven: Northwestern A 290, Carleton B 260
Round Eight: Northwestern A 215, Indiana 170
Round Nine: Chicago A 380, Northwestern A 190
Round Ten: Illinois B 270, Northwestern A 170
Round Eleven: Northwestern A 305, Iowa State A 90
Round Twelve: Iowa A 205, Northwestern A 165
Round Thirteen: BYE
Round Fourteen: Illinois A 315, Northwestern A 240
Round Fifteen: Northwestern A 225, Chicago B 100

Record: 8-6
Final Ranking: #5; #2 u-grad

Personal Stats: Questions Answered

   No one's asking you to care about it.  Powers are in bold, neg-5s are in italics with the real answer following.  Anything in plain text was just ten.

Round One
Washington Square
Jimmy Hoffa
The Winslow Boy

Round Two
Shah Jahan
The Flash

Round Three
Steely Dan
Battlefield: Earth
Darryl Dawkins

Round Four
St. Louis
Sargasso Sea
Painted Desert
Isadora Duncan

Round Five
David Duval
Olof Palme

Round Six
Elbonia

Round Seven
Antananarivo
Craig Kilborn
Faisal

Round Eight
Henry VIII
WUSA
Alice in Wonderland (really Through the Looking Glass)
Stromboli

Round Nine
Marlon Brando
Asmera
Futurama
Sebastian Cabot
Cassandra

Round Ten
Ob River
Jon Gruden
Parishes

Round Eleven
Hopscotch
Palisades
Andorra
Clem Haskins

Round Twelve
Craters of the Moon
Methuselah
Anna Karenina

Round Fourteen
This may well be the only NAQT round I have ever not had points in.  It's kind of sad, and there were definitely a couple I sat on.  This was the round of the "Cousins" bonus, though, making it almost worth it.

Round Fifteen
Joe Smith
Marco Polo

PPG: 29.29