How does your school do tryouts for the competition team?

[chia]

Last year our captains used the WYSE tests in chem, bio, and physics as general tests, but I don't really know how much that influenced placement. I think there was a WIDI test, and one captain held a legit fossils tryout because he really wanted a good partner. He was also the building captain, so early in the year/before the season started he had a couple building-specific meetings (no tests, though) to help determine who might want to do/be best for each event.

[tuftedtitmouse12]

well
since Science Olympiad does generate a lot of interest once you do good and go to state and such (the medals, guys)
theres a lot of people that show up for the 1st meeting
each following meeting, less and less people show up until we have about 25
my ex-coach (we are having a new one this coming year and im hoping that next year's season would run good too), she really didnt want people getting upset that they didn't make the team so she had a varsity and a jv
but was scrambling to find people to fill the JV slots...
and that really didnt work out

im thinking that next year (i might have to play the captain role), since big events like Rocks and Minerals are already getting alot of interest, (i emailed the nats list to everyone that wanted to join >.<), im thinking that we may have to do testing and the top 2 people that test the highest will get the slot...

shouldn't people that do fossils have a slight advantage for R&M?
i was also thinking that the people (for example) that did anatomy last year would do it again next year (if they want to) since they did very good...
or would that be unfair?

[kjhsscioly]

It is definitely not unfair. It is actually ideal to have people do events more than one year in a row, though if both people on anatomy are going to leave next year, it might be good to have someone younger learn the ropes. When we assign events, we try to get everyone to have their previous events again, and then fill in the empty spots.

[tuftedtitmouse12]

hm, thats a good idea
thanks

[emperos]

Science Olympiad isn't the biggest thing ever at our school, but then again we have about 165 kids per grade, so that's kinda understandable. We're usually fairly dedicated, though. Basically, we have enough to make 2 anemic teams (10ish) people at regionals, end up taking 3rd and 4th usually. From those, the captains and coaches collaborate to determine the worst, who become alternates for state (we won first past 9 years now) and that team goes to Nationals. However, this year's gonna be tough cos we have like 12 seniors, so we gotta cut those down first D: We generally make cuts by who did best at state and regionals, along with dedication to events and such.

[NYLHVSSO]

At my school there are people from grades 6-8. There are 1000 total, (approx 333 per grade).
In the beginning, there were 125 people. At Regionals there were 32.

There is a very complicated at my school. The basic idea is that the coaches promise that you will be able to "compete in some event at the regional level." Whoever joins gets on the team. We make as many teams as we need for Regionals. For states, the people are chosen by the coaches.
The "A" team is chosen by the coaches, and has the people who the coaches think are going to perform the best. This team always has 15 people and they cannot be traded with people on other teams.
The rest of the people get moved to another room where they choose what events they are going to do, and make sure that all the events are covered on the B team.
If there are more than 15 people, volunteers will step down to the "C" team. If there are none, the coaches pick those people who are only in 1 or 2 events (or those who joined late and have not had much practice.)
People can switch from the B to C teams on any time, and near the end, we make sure the B team has 15 people and put the rest on the C team.

[tuftedtitmouse12]

interesting
but the B and C teams are for regionals only?
how can you have more than one team per school at regional level?
isn't that junior varsity then?

[NYLHVSSO]

Of course you can have more than one team at Regionals (in NY state). At the state competition, people are chosen by the coaches. Some people from the B team also get in.

[zyzzyva980]

Different states do things differently. Kansas, for example, only allows one team per school, period.

[tuftedtitmouse12]

i think thats the same with IL, Z