New Jersey 2014

[magicalforest]

HA and watch your Invitational have better event supervisors and tests than the State tournament.

Yeah... NJ States used to be better. This was a strange year.

But you have to depend on so many other people in SO. You have to hope your partner for your event is willing to work, the event supervisor writes a good test, or chooses the topics that you studied from the broad range of knowledge out there.

I suppose the best we can do is just ask our coaches to email the state director offering suggestions.

I sent her an email 2 weeks before States asking about the event schedule, and she replied a week later. Looking now on the NJ website, there's a notice under the NJ SO Contact info that "Please direct all inquiries to your team coach." The only way for students to directly offer comments would probably through Facebook or Twitter or something (which I would if I had one of those).

[nxtscholar]

EDIT: Strange....yeah, like the fact that JP Stevens, WWP North, and UCVTS each won MORE golds than WWP South?

lololol. Sorry, but all I have to say to respond to your third point is that it's this dependence that is exactly the reason why i do build events. For study events, you have to rely on, as you noted, all too many factors to place. Build events? The only limiting factor is more often than not your own skill. Even if you have a partner who slacks off, so long as you're the one competent, it tends to be alright.

We probably could do more; however, that again depends on the number of schools who'd want to do it. If anything, I think as we saw a few posts earlier how some considered the test amusing.

[SilverNight]

Well traditionally JP Stevens has always been good at balsa structure events (and build events in general I guess). But the people who were responsible for getting us almost all of our medals this year (myself included) are all going to graduate next year...so I worry about the future of our club. We took only two sophomores to states.

Oh wow, for our school it's the opposite. We had 3 seniors on our states team, and I know a few 8th graders that did really well in states. I hope, and most likely, they will come to UCVTS.

So with this in mind, and that fact that states seems to be gradually declining a bit in quality, I think an invitationals would be great. Most invitationals that NJ teams could go to are either too far away, or out of schedule. And considering most teams don't have the funds or drive to actually even go to invitationals out-of-state, I do think a New Jersey invitationals, a physical, non-online one, is in order. It'd give all the NJ teams a chance to test ideas, meet new friends, and conspire to overthrow WWPHS South (not kidding )

Okay that's wonderful! I'm going to see what I can do to run an invite. My school's got the room and everything. As long as we have enough other teams coming, I think we can do this! Also... fixed that for you xD

Oh, and I'd be glad to actually provide some build tips directly to your team if you want. My personal goal is to simply make NJ more competitive in general.

I will take you up on that offer as soon as I can! I can uhhh help you with astronomy? (Never mind your school's already good at astronomy.)

Oh, yah! In a moment of egotism, I can see pictures of me on the state tournament album

Haha I can see distant pictures of me on the bleachers behind WW-P South....Remind me to never again sit behind WW-P South at the award ceremony. >.<

I sent her an email 2 weeks before States asking about the event schedule, and she replied a week later. Looking now on the NJ website, there's a notice under the NJ SO Contact info that "Please direct all inquiries to your team coach." The only way for students to directly offer comments would probably through Facebook or Twitter or something (which I would if I had one of those).

I too, sent her an email asking for clarifications. She never responded.

[UQOnyx]

Lolol, next year we need a meetup. We should make a real group so that we can really be a voice for students in Science Olympiad in NJ.

[nxtscholar]

In no particular order:
1. I was wondering what you meant by fixed. Now I see: "Not kidding" lolol. But yeah...can someone please beat them? I don't care who. Just need some change, tis' all.

2. It's sad actually. We can only have 7 seniors next year, but we have 10 juniors who just placed at states this year (and 3 more juniors who placed at only regions)....the dilemmas, oh the dilemmas.

3. What other events did you do?
______

And yeah, UQOnyx, we probably should Are you going to be in Div C next year?

[SilverNight]

2. It's sad actually. We can only have 7 seniors next year, but we have 10 juniors who just placed at states this year (and 3 more juniors who placed at only regions)....the dilemmas, oh the dilemmas.

3. What other events did you do?
______

And yeah, UQOnyx, we probably should Are you going to be in Div C next year?

2. Oh. I forgot about the 7 senior limit. Shoot, we have 10 too. Ugh.
3. The other event I did for states wasn't great so I'm not gonna talk about it. I'm really good at forestry though haha!
You're a senior, so you're not gonna be at the competition next year, right? You should volunteer to write a test or something next year... Making NJ SciOly better one event at a time.

[nxtscholar]

2. It's sad actually. We can only have 7 seniors next year, but we have 10 juniors who just placed at states this year (and 3 more juniors who placed at only regions)....the dilemmas, oh the dilemmas.

3. What other events did you do?
______

And yeah, UQOnyx, we probably should Are you going to be in Div C next year?

2. Oh. I forgot about the 7 senior limit. Shoot, we have 10 too. Ugh.
3. The other event I did for states wasn't great so I'm not gonna talk about it. I'm really good at forestry though haha!
You're a senior, so you're not gonna be at the competition next year, right? You should volunteer to write a test or something next year... Making NJ SciOly better one event at a time.

Yeah, I was about to say, your school got 1st and 5th in that event. :O

And ok, just cause UCVTS is, in your own words, bad at build events doesn't mean you have to wish I graduate quickly with all my friends.

I'm kidding.

Yeah, I'm actually a junior, so I'll be at the competition next year. Which reminds me, why did you go to Camden Regionals this year?

[SilverNight]

Yeah, I'm actually a junior, so I'll be at the competition next year. Which reminds me, why did you go to Camden Regionals this year?

Whaaat. I could have sworn you said you were graduating or something earlier on. Oh well. I probably just read it wrong.
We went to Camden because, like Ward Melville, my school never sent the money. NJ SciOly contacted us, and we sent it as soon as possible, but by that point, UCC was already filled so we had to go to Camden. D:
I feel like the regionals were really small this year. A lot of schools that usually go to NJIT or UCC had to go to Camden because of space limits. Hillsborough usually went to NJIT but because of space they were moved to UCC. Apparently they got into UCC through a back door too, otherwise they would have ended up in Camden.
WWP-N was at Camden too if I remember correctly. I don't know if it was for the same reason though.

[nxtscholar]

Oh, I was just saying how the 10 juniors who placed at states would graduate next year (including me). Hence, I'm somewhat crying, because my sci oly career is just practically starting

Yeah, I was about to say. UCC is probably the best practice regional leading up to states, not to mention the same county; a lot of good teams usually come (East Brunswick, South Brunswick, Princeton HS, Montgomery, JP Stevens , the Plainsboros, etc.) Hillsborough was a nice touch this year

To be honest, I would've loved to have gone to NJIT (3 build events), but I kinda doubt the competitiveness of that regional. No offense to the NJIT teams, but I have a feeling if we went there with full strength teams, like WWPHS South did a few years ago, Livingston wouldn't be winning all the time. After all, how many NJIT teams are top 10 at states? And when 7 of the top 10 teams this year came from UCC....I wonder what that means

Well, hope to see you at UCC next year!

[SilverNight]

Oh, I was just saying how the 10 juniors who placed at states would graduate next year (including me). Hence, I'm somewhat crying, because my sci oly career is just practically starting

Yeah, I was about to say. UCC is probably the best practice regional leading up to states, not to mention the same county; a lot of good teams usually come (East Brunswick, South Brunswick, Princeton HS, Montgomery, JP Stevens , the Plainsboros, etc.) Hillsborough was a nice touch this year

To be honest, I would've loved to have gone to NJIT (3 build events), but I kinda doubt the competitiveness of that regional. No offense to the NJIT teams, but I have a feeling if we went there with full strength teams, like WWPHS South did a few years ago, Livingston wouldn't be winning all the time. After all, how many NJIT teams are top 10 at states? And when 7 of the top 10 teams this year came from UCC....I wonder what that means

Well, hope to see you at UCC next year!

Ohh next year! I got it now. And I get that statement you said before you said you were kidding. Wow I'm slow. xD

I really really hope we go to UCC next year again. Gotta make sure my school sends the money in like September. I thought about NJIT, what I really liked about it was that (well last year at least, they didn't do it this year), they released their schedule and events so early! If any regional releases their events before I start the season, I might just go there.