How does your school do tryouts for the competition team?

[Infinity Flat]

We usually have 2 or 3 teams at regionals and invitationals, and performance as well as which events need to be filled determines our trophy team.

[hscmom]

At my school, we just started SciOly up again this year, and not many kids knew about it. So this year, we had few enough kids, so we could just let everyone join. However, I think next year might be different, now that more people know about it and are interested.

Second at regionals your first year? AWESOME FOR YOU! Wow, great job.

[iwonder]

We have invitationals and the placings from invitationals determine A/B teams. Then after some other contests the people on B team sabotage A team...

[ocarinaman]

my school has a session of try-outs with 3 different things. the first week, we either hav to build a tower out of only a sheet of paper and masking tape (mine was an epic fail), of last year we had to build a raft out of straws and alluminum foil. it usually switches between those 2 every year. next we do write-it-do-it. we pick partners, and one writes directions on how to do it, and the other builds it. finally on the 3rd week, we take a test. its usually the deciding factor between who is an alternate, and who is a competetor. usually, by the time the test is taken their is only half the amount of people there. last year, it was on meteorology, and this year it was on dynamic planet. their r usually 40-50 kids who try-out, and their r only 18 including alternates that r kept. ive made the team every year that i was eligable. if u made the team as a 7th grader at our school, even if u were just an alternate like me, if u try-out u will make the team. and with all of it, te coach decided who she wants based on test taking skills, preperation, building skills, and ones who r excited bout science. she usually only puts 4 or 5 9th graders on the team each year so there r spots for 7th and 8th graders. im so happy, cuz i got a spot on the b team again for next year, insted of going to c. at our school, u want to be on the b team. thats the team that wins.

[klutzy]

Our team has basically one coach for every event, then the top 5 get reported to the head coach, we have a mini competition between our schools just to basically let the little kids get a feel of competition, then our coach chooses the traveling team after regionals, our schools (we have 2 middle schools that practice together) are pretty big lol XD

[disownedpear]

our school makes different practice tests to show how much you know on events

[fishman100]

Since we went to nats this year, I expect the interest in the fall will be huge

But I think it'll stay the same, though. Looking forward to seeing how my high school conducts tryouts.

[foreverphysics]

On our team, everyone who wants to compete gets to at Regionals. Which means that usually, there's 6 teams from the middle school (6th and 7th) and anywhere from one to four for the junior high(8th and 9th). Both the middle school and the junior high usually end up going to State, and our coach just selects people who he thinks are best. We have test offs for events that multiple people want to do and are actually good at. I'm pretty flexible for all my events...in the two years I've done div b scioly, I've done Physical Science Lab, Battery Buggy, Can't Judge a Powder, MagLev (kind of, I built some stuff but wasn't even in consideration for competition), Flying Bird, Towers, Ornithology, Optics, Wright Stuff, Experimental Design, Shock Value (kind of--I studied for it, but didn't really compete or anything), Anatomy (again, kind of), Science Crime Busters, and Bottle Rocket (kind of, it was because my science olympiad coach is my teacher, so he takes scioly events and actually uses them in class, the actual event with all the parameters and everything.) So I can omit a few events, do other events, and apparently I'm pretty smart, so I get to go to Nationals.

[butter side up]

We don't do competitions, unless it is within an individual event. Basically, a few weeks before our competition (and sometimes even farther- they were debating States teams while planning for Regionals) the coaches all get together and discuss who they want to be in their event(s). They choose based on performance during practices, attendance, and previous results for competition during the year. The only events I know of that have competitions are Microbe, which they just do a written test, and Sounds, where they all play the instrument for the coach, music teacher, and the head coach, and then the best player is chosen. (We only had one person on our trumpet, but several on our marimba.) The meeting always lasts a long time, and debate is furious. For Invites, however, the coaches pick some and they sometimes let the team captains pick their teams.

[fishman100]

If there are, say, 2 groups of people on a team that all want to do Solar System, then they take a test written by the coach. Whoever gets the higher score wins.

As for building events like Mission Possible or Junkyard, then they leave it to them to figure out who gets the event