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Skink wrote:Twin Groves is a really interesting team because they came out of nowhere and, if you pay close attention to their results, have a strategy. When they're on the board, it's often first place. They relatively bomb other events, but the team score works out because the averages are favorable. As for top two, however, it's still DW and MM. S&A isn't strong enough to take second but is well ahead of TG.

Finding out that TG is another Stevenson feeder is an interesting tidbit. I knew Stevenson was large, but it never occurred to me to consider where their other participants were coming from...

Well, I wouldn't really say that bombing some events is our strategy . There are just some events that need a little bit of work. I plan on encouraging them to work as hard as they can, and hope my team follows. In regard to S&A, I personally look at them as our rival (I'm not sure if the rest of my team would agree). I think our teams are fairly equal. At Lisle, we were just one point behind S&A, which you can check on Avogadro. At Grayslake, there were just a handful of events that did not perform as well as we would like. I agree that DW and MM are probably still the top two, but I think 3rd at state is a realistic goal for my team.

Selundar wrote:

Skink wrote:Twin Groves is a really interesting team because they came out of nowhere and, if you pay close attention to their results, have a strategy. When they're on the board, it's often first place. They relatively bomb other events, but the team score works out because the averages are favorable. As for top two, however, it's still DW and MM. S&A isn't strong enough to take second but is well ahead of TG.

Finding out that TG is another Stevenson feeder is an interesting tidbit. I knew Stevenson was large, but it never occurred to me to consider where their other participants were coming from...

Well, I wouldn't really say that bombing some events is our strategy . There are just some events that need a little bit of work. I plan on encouraging them to work as hard as they can, and hope my team follows. In regard to S&A, I personally look at them as our rival (I'm not sure if the rest of my team would agree). I think our teams are fairly equal. At Lisle, we were just one point behind S&A, which you can check on Avogadro. At Grayslake, there were just a handful of events that did not perform as well as we would like. I agree that DW and MM are probably still the top two, but I think 3rd at state is a realistic goal for my team.

You guys managed to beat us in a lot of events that we usually do really really well in. State should be interesting.

Also, why does your JV hate us so much? Those beach balls were slightly annoying.

ericlepanda wrote: You guys managed to beat us in a lot of events that we usually do really really well in. State should be interesting.

Also, why does your JV hate us so much? Those beach balls were slightly annoying.

I'm assuming you're from Marie Murphy? We do have a handful of events that we excel in. It'll be interesting to see how we compare at state. I'm not exactly sure about the JV team, but your JV team getting first in almost every event might have something to do with it. Those beach balls were the best . I definitely did not expect that as the entertainment before the awards ceremony.

Selundar wrote:

Skink wrote:Twin Groves is a really interesting team because they came out of nowhere and, if you pay close attention to their results, have a strategy. When they're on the board, it's often first place. They relatively bomb other events, but the team score works out because the averages are favorable. As for top two, however, it's still DW and MM. S&A isn't strong enough to take second but is well ahead of TG.

Finding out that TG is another Stevenson feeder is an interesting tidbit. I knew Stevenson was large, but it never occurred to me to consider where their other participants were coming from...

Well, I wouldn't really say that bombing some events is our strategy . There are just some events that need a little bit of work. I plan on encouraging them to work as hard as they can, and hope my team follows. In regard to S&A, I personally look at them as our rival (I'm not sure if the rest of my team would agree). I think our teams are fairly equal. At Lisle, we were just one point behind S&A, which you can check on Avogadro. At Grayslake, there were just a handful of events that did not perform as well as we would like. I agree that DW and MM are probably still the top two, but I think 3rd at state is a realistic goal for my team.

I don't know about the rest of your team, but SAA certainly views your team as rivals. My younger sibling is on SAA's team, and they are specifically worrying about Ecology; they were used to getting first before you guys placed ahead of them! Though I still favor my old school, you certainly do have a good chance of placing third at state. It's been a while since the top was this crowded in Illinois B; I remember in 2014 it seemed like Grayslake was the next up-and-coming team (they roared out of nowhere during the year and placed fourth in the state), but they have rather fallen off the past several years. If you guys keep it up, then Illinois may have the best top four around in B.

ericlepanda wrote:

Selundar wrote:

Skink wrote:Twin Groves is a really interesting team because they came out of nowhere and, if you pay close attention to their results, have a strategy. When they're on the board, it's often first place. They relatively bomb other events, but the team score works out because the averages are favorable. As for top two, however, it's still DW and MM. S&A isn't strong enough to take second but is well ahead of TG.

Finding out that TG is another Stevenson feeder is an interesting tidbit. I knew Stevenson was large, but it never occurred to me to consider where their other participants were coming from...

Well, I wouldn't really say that bombing some events is our strategy . There are just some events that need a little bit of work. I plan on encouraging them to work as hard as they can, and hope my team follows. In regard to S&A, I personally look at them as our rival (I'm not sure if the rest of my team would agree). I think our teams are fairly equal. At Lisle, we were just one point behind S&A, which you can check on Avogadro. At Grayslake, there were just a handful of events that did not perform as well as we would like. I agree that DW and MM are probably still the top two, but I think 3rd at state is a realistic goal for my team.

You guys managed to beat us in a lot of events that we usually do really really well in. State should be interesting.

Also, why does your JV hate us so much? Those beach balls were slightly annoying.

Yea I'm not sure if Ericlepanda got first in ecology :O stunner

ericlepanda wrote:

Selundar wrote:

Skink wrote:Twin Groves is a really interesting team because they came out of nowhere and, if you pay close attention to their results, have a strategy. When they're on the board, it's often first place. They relatively bomb other events, but the team score works out because the averages are favorable. As for top two, however, it's still DW and MM. S&A isn't strong enough to take second but is well ahead of TG.

Finding out that TG is another Stevenson feeder is an interesting tidbit. I knew Stevenson was large, but it never occurred to me to consider where their other participants were coming from...

Well, I wouldn't really say that bombing some events is our strategy . There are just some events that need a little bit of work. I plan on encouraging them to work as hard as they can, and hope my team follows. In regard to S&A, I personally look at them as our rival (I'm not sure if the rest of my team would agree). I think our teams are fairly equal. At Lisle, we were just one point behind S&A, which you can check on Avogadro. At Grayslake, there were just a handful of events that did not perform as well as we would like. I agree that DW and MM are probably still the top two, but I think 3rd at state is a realistic goal for my team.

You guys managed to beat us in a lot of events that we usually do really really well in. State should be interesting.

Also, why does your JV hate us so much? Those beach balls were slightly annoying.

Our JV is CRAZY. And annoying when they call us as 2nd and then they're freaking out when they didn't even earn it...

So it's been two years since I went to state, and I didn't pay attention to the team results that year. The last time I did pay attention (2014), they gave team awards for A as well as AA. However, I don't remember what they've done the past several years. The information on the official website seems to confirm this; it states they will give 1-5 medals for A and AA, but team medals for overall B and C teams. Can anyone confirm this to be the case?

HeavyHitter406 wrote:So it's been two years since I went to state, and I didn't pay attention to the team results that year. The last time I did pay attention (2014), they gave team awards for A as well as AA. However, I don't remember what they've done the past several years. The information on the official website seems to confirm this; it states they will give 1-5 medals for A and AA, but team medals for overall B and C teams. Can anyone confirm this to be the case?

Yup, they separate A and AA teams and give them medals for events 1-5. and then there are team awards for 1-5 for A and AA teams as well. So no matter what division you are in you will have a chance to get medals and a team trophy.

And, winning A is a big deal to the less competitive teams. As for why this system exists, it's deference to the reality that, say, Farmington (don't know if they're typically A or AA*) isn't in real competition with Stevenson. After all, if not for this system, all but, say, 12-15 teams wouldn't have much reason to go downstate (upstate if you're in the Saint Louis suburbs) in the first place given the sheer competitive level there.

*As a side remark, an interesting consequence of the criteria used to place teams in divisions has tragic consequences for those teams that win easier Regionals (southern, western, Rockford, maybe CPS?) because they've landed in AA before with no real reason to be there other than getting first in their (easier) region. Anyway, it's not a perfect system but gets the job done.

That's why they make teams go to their actual regionals now, rather than going wherever they want to.