ACE Quiz Bowl Camps

CLASSES

Each camper chooses three classes to take during their week at ACE. Course selections vary by site (based on instructor availability), but we offer multiple classes in all areas of the quizbowl canon including history, science, literature, fine arts, social sciences, religion, mythology, philosophy, etc. Some classes are designed for advanced players and some for those just getting started with quizbowl. All classes are taught by people with significant quizbowl experience and are designed to help students answer more questions. Our teaching philosophy is simple. If it’s not asked about in quizbowl, we don’t teach it. Period.







PRACTICES

Twice a day, ACE campers participate in practice sessions. These are toss-up only sessions with an emphasis on learning quizbowl-relevant information from the clues in the questions. We group students into 10-person practice groups based on performance on previous camp activities. Do well, and you’ll move to a higher group; struggle, and you might move down. This not only allows students to practice against campers with a similar skill-level, but allows us to tailor the practice sessions to the individual needs of our campers.







TOURNAMENTS

Ultimately, quizbowl is about competition, and ACE campers will get plenty of opportunities to compete. We offer nine tournaments over the course of the week:

• “Wild Man” Tournament. This is an individual tournament that students compete in the first night of camp. Students play a series of toss-up only rounds against randomly assigned opponents. The top scorers advance to the championship round played at our end-of-the-night assembly. There are two divisions in the tournament (upper and lower) based on experience-level.
• Nightly Tournaments. On nights 2, 3 and 4 students compete on teams in a standard toss-up/bonus tournament. We assign teams based on practice results with the goal of creating teams that are as evenly matched as possible. There are three divisions to each tournament (upper, middle and lower) based on experience-level.
• Side Tournaments. Between the final class and the dinner break on days 2, 3 and 4 we offer optional side tournaments. These are small, subject-specific individual events. The subjects of our side tournaments for 2011 will be announced soon.
• Subject Area Championships. Our camp week culminates in the most prestigious of our tournaments – the subject area championships. Campers compete as individuals and are awarded a handicap based on their classroom performance throughout the week. In a response to feedback from previous campers, we are adding a tournament on the morning of Day 5, allowing students to compete in two tournaments on the final day. Students choose two of the following to compete in: history, literature, science, fine arts & RMP (Religion/Mythology/Philosophy).

About Our Questions:All of our competition questions are commissioned exclusively for use at ACE camps. We hire only the best writers and hold all of our questions to high standards of quality, accessibility, and appropriateness.

CAMP SCHEDULE

This schedule is for our residential camps. For more information about our day camps, go HERE.

DAY 1

(12:00-3:00) – Check In
(3:30-4:15) – Camp Orientation Meeting
(4:30-5:15) – Camp Placement Test
(7:00-10:00) – “Wild Man” Singles Tournament

DAYS 2-4

(9:30-10:30) – Class 1
(10:45-11:30) – Practice 1
(1:00-2:00) – Class 2
(2:15-3:00) – Practice 2
(3:15-4:15) – Class 3
(4:30-5:30) – Optional Side Tournament
(7:00-10:00) – Tournament/Awards

DAY 5

(9:00-9:15) – Class 1
(9:20-9:35) – Class 2
(9:40-9:55) – Class 3
(10:00-12:00) – Subject Area Tournament 1
(1:00-3:00) – Subject Area Tournament 2
(3:15-4:15) – Final Awards Ceremony/Check Out

*This schedule is tentative and subject to slight modification