“Clean Slate” Tournament preview

After completing an 8 week quizzing season it time to begin tournaments. Our first tournament is this Sunday. It’s official name is the ACC Tournament. But I hear some people call it; Pennsylvania/PA tournament; others call it the local tournament. Back in the day (lol, “old-school quizzing”), when it was held at Pequea High School, it was known as the “Pequea tournament”. But since it has gone to Lancaster Bible College, I never heard it call the “LBC Tournament.” The name I perfer to call it is the Clean Slate Tournament (not to be confused with Slate Hill) because that is what it is. The tournament lets every team start over from the beginning. Although they can be helpful for prediction, the previous records really don’t count. The material is all review, and there are some quizzers and teams that are better at review all  at once than week-by-week. Therefore you may have some flips. Teams high in the standings may fall and the lower teams succeed. The best example was last year, when the consecutive season winners Maple Grove 1 finished 1-4, not making into the playoffs. Yet some Spring City team  (), who were a sixth place nobody in the regular season (a spoofed allusion from the book title Tales of a Sixth Grade Nobody) wins the whole tournament. Yes, the clean slate tournament allows chances for many cinderella stories, and should be expected.

On Friday at 11 AM, after holding quizzers and quiz coaches a long wait in great anticipation, the website was updated and the information for the tournament was here as well. First, I want to start by noticinig that the final team standings were updated. Spring City finished  8th place in League A, 16th place all teams combined. Now, with that out of the way, here’s how the tournament works (for those who already know, it’s the same every team). There are 8 groups, labeled A to H. Each group has 7 teams, except Group A that only has 6 teams. The groups will have a round robin, playing each team in their group once (a total of 6 matches). The standings will NOT be by points like the season, but in win-loss format. The top two teams from every group will go on to the playoffs. They playoffs is a 16 team (2 teams from each group) single-elimination bracket. The team that survives 4 matches is crowned (not literally ) the title of ACC Tournament Champions, and will receive a very big trophy . The 2nd place team and semi-finalist receive smaller trophies.

We have been placed in Group H with 6 other teams. These teams are equally between League A & B, but all range in the middle area of the standings, with the exception of two others, who I consider above average. This is our group, in order what I believe is strongest to weakest, and what I think the final standing and placing will be =>

GROUP  H
Spring City
Byerland
Hope Community 1
Petra 5
Akron 2
Goods 2
Slate Hill 3

While Slate Hill finished in 20th in their League, I really don’t see them as under average. I see none of our teams as under average. 2 teams (plus ourselves, Spring City) I consider above average, while the other 4 teams I consider average. I do not take them lightly, and I am just as competitive towards them as anyone else. Fans of Spring City, the team could really use you. I call all Spring City fans to unite as one to give the team confidence, prayers and power! Please come if you can!! This is an all day affair. I know some of you can’t be there all day. Well, come when you can, leave when you have to. It doesn’t matter how long you stay. What is important is you were there. But if you can stay long, please do! I suggest doing what my parents are going to do: watch all round robin matches, have dinner nearby, and come back for the quizzing video and Top 50 Quizzer list announcement and award hand-out (I’m in it! ). If the team doesn’t get to the playoffs, then you can leave. If the team is in, then stay until we lose and fall out. We need your support every minute, but there is really no sense in staying to see what we aren’t doing. If you decide to come, it is held at Lancaster Bible College (click on name to get directions). Here is our schedule =>

Set No.    Time              Room                       Matchup
Set 1       1:00 PM       GSC-203     Spring City vs. Goods 2
Set 2       1:25 PM            S-107      Spring City vs. Slate Hill 3
Set 4       2:15 PM       GSC-205     Spring City vs. Petra 5
Set 5       2:35 PM            S-109      Spring City vs. Hope Com. 1
Set 7       3:15 PM       GSC-205     Spring City vs. Byerland
Set 8       3:35 PM          PDR-O     Spring City vs. Akron 2

This is the condensed version of the full schedule, showing only our team matches. I have the full schedule of the teams quizzing, and it is confusing. As you can see, there is some in between sets for us to rest (even though most of our matches are back to back). I will be studying…other teams quiz. It helps me with learning questions and scouting out what they are doing. Sometimes I will watch the teams we are quizzing against, but mostly it is the matches with my friends.

With NCAA college basketball, March Madness has begun. I’ve seen my classmates undergo in seeing who can predict the most correct game results and the winner of the brackets. Well, in a way, the ACC tournament is the same thing as college basketball playoffs. So, just like my classmastes, I will make predictions on who I think will get how far. I’m going to show every group’s first and second place (in order), then a playoff tree prediction

REMEMBER THAT THESE ARE JUST PREDICTIONS!!

---

Group A       Group B       Group C       Group D
Slate Hill 1           Good Shep 1       Petra 3                Reading 2
Rockville 1           Reading 1           Strasburg             Zion

Group E       Group F       Group G       Group H
E-Town 3           Weaverland 2     Rockville 2           Spring City
Maple Grove 1   Conestoga 1       Weaverland 1       Byerland

If this were true, the first round of the playoff tree would start off, and I think it would end up looking something like this:

---

REMINDER THAT THOSE WERE JUST MERE PREDICTIONS!

As for me, the team is having extra practice. We are having dinner at the Deitricks, practicing that evening, sleeping overnight, having more practice at Sunday school, sing praise and worship part of service, and after the singing we leave for LBC. I’ll be study up and ready for the tournament. I hope everyone else on the team is, especially after Mike is gonna get 2 hours of sleep. Let’s just wait and see, and I hope that Spring City can win consecutive ACC Tournament Championship! (Would that be a first?)

Quizzing Question of the Post:
What priestly division…?
(You don’t get the whole question!)

Quizzing Joke:
Q: Who is Luke  12:7 the easiest applied to?
A: Fred (Luke 12:7- “Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”)