Pennsylvania 2018

[UTF-8 U+6211 U+662F]

Who's had their regional competition in PA and is doing thermodynamics??

Just wanted to know...

Me.

[eddpmett]

Who's had their regional competition in PA and is doing thermodynamics??

Just wanted to know...

Did it at regionals and will be doing it at states.

[EastStroudsburg13]

I was thinking to myself, 2017 Harriton was perhaps the best ever Science Olympiad team from Pennsylvania. Yes, PA has had four national champions, but in the low-score-wins era, 2017 was PA's lowest team score at nationals to date. The only other two national champions pre-2001 came in 1988 and 1995, and these years had smaller national tournaments and overall membership nationwide. When you consider that post-2001 is a more competitive era of Science Olympiad in general, and that Harriton broke the record for lowest national score by a PA team (and, for the record, demolished the recent records for lowest state and southeast regional scores), the evidence is all there to argue that 2017 Harriton was the best team in state history. They just happened to run into a Troy team that was out for revenge from 2016.

And then you consider that this year's team improved on last year's regional score by 5 points.

[GoldenKnight1]

I was thinking to myself, 2017 Harriton was perhaps the best ever Science Olympiad team from Pennsylvania. Yes, PA has had four national champions, but in the low-score-wins era, 2017 was PA's lowest team score at nationals to date. The only other two national champions pre-2001 came in 1988 and 1995, and these years had smaller national tournaments and overall membership nationwide. When you consider that post-2001 is a more competitive era of Science Olympiad in general, and that Harriton broke the record for lowest national score by a PA team (and, for the record, demolished the recent records for lowest state and southeast regional scores), the evidence is all there to argue that 2017 Harriton was the best team in state history. They just happened to run into a Troy team that was out for revenge from 2016.

And then you consider that this year's team improved on last year's regional score by 5 points.

This brings up an interesting idea about the changing landscape of SO over the years. I know when I competed back in the early 90's there were no invitationals to go to, few tests being exchanged, no digital rules, not even Scioly.org. All of this I think in some shape or form is better for SO in general but definitely as a whole increases the differences in scores between those who take SO very seriously, have access, and unfortunately the money versus those trying to get a day off from school. This is likely why we are seeing a team like Harriton, through all of their hard work, getting better and better. This is also, at some competitions, resulting in needing lower and lower scores to excel. As an example of this Rustin in 2012 placed 14th at Nationals and in 2017 placed 21st with the same score. The very competitive top teams more and more are running away with the competitions. Please understand that I am not trying to take anything away from those teams. I just wish that the teams that don't perform as well could be brought up since I assume that will produce the kind of product that SO would like to do. I want people to love and be excited about STEM.

It will be interesting to see what changes happen next and what the results of those will be. What will the increase in university-run invitationals produce? What will happen if more invitationals release their tests to the public? What else might come that we can't even see yet. I am all for whatever helps to give teams a fair shot based on how hard they are willing to work.

[Unome]

I was thinking to myself, 2017 Harriton was perhaps the best ever Science Olympiad team from Pennsylvania. Yes, PA has had four national champions, but in the low-score-wins era, 2017 was PA's lowest team score at nationals to date. The only other two national champions pre-2001 came in 1988 and 1995, and these years had smaller national tournaments and overall membership nationwide. When you consider that post-2001 is a more competitive era of Science Olympiad in general, and that Harriton broke the record for lowest national score by a PA team (and, for the record, demolished the recent records for lowest state and southeast regional scores), the evidence is all there to argue that 2017 Harriton was the best team in state history. They just happened to run into a Troy team that was out for revenge from 2016.

And then you consider that this year's team improved on last year's regional score by 5 points.

This brings up an interesting idea about the changing landscape of SO over the years. I know when I competed back in the early 90's there were no invitationals to go to, few tests being exchanged, no digital rules, not even Scioly.org. All of this I think in some shape or form is better for SO in general but definitely as a whole increases the differences in scores between those who take SO very seriously, have access, and unfortunately the money versus those trying to get a day off from school. This is likely why we are seeing a team like Harriton, through all of their hard work, getting better and better. This is also, at some competitions, resulting in needing lower and lower scores to excel. As an example of this Rustin in 2012 placed 14th at Nationals and in 2017 placed 21st with the same score. The very competitive top teams more and more are running away with the competitions. Please understand that I am not trying to take anything away from those teams. I just wish that the teams that don't perform as well could be brought up since I assume that will produce the kind of product that SO would like to do. I want people to love and be excited about STEM.

It will be interesting to see what changes happen next and what the results of those will be. What will the increase in university-run invitationals produce? What will happen if more invitationals release their tests to the public? What else might come that we can't even see yet. I am all for whatever helps to give teams a fair shot based on how hard they are willing to work.

I suspect part of Harriton's strong regional and state scores (especially the former) was due to the change in event supervising method last year. I would posit that last year represents, to some extent, Harriton's "true" strength, minus the state score which I believe was still out of the ordinary - although I will definitely be waiting to see how state goes this year before concluding anything.

For a while I've though about comparing score trends at Nationals historically - if I get a chance I'll post on that in the Nationals forum. Edit: Here

[Anomaly]

Overall results for CPA anyone?

[xopherirvin]

Overall results for CPA anyone?

Unofficial Div B
Qualifying for States
1. Eagle View
2. Hershey
3. Park Forest
4. Good Hope
5. Spring Grove
6. Middletown
7. Elizabethtown

Div C -
1. State College
2. Cumberland Valley
I'm not sure about the order of the rankings after that but I'm fairly certian that the other qualifying teams include Central York, Hershey, Red Land, and Cedar Cliff.

CPA usually does not post results until they are official. In past years, it has taken 3 to 4 days for the results to be posted to the CPA website - so we may have to wait a few days.

[EastStroudsburg13]

Central: 1. Eagle View, 2. Hershey, 3. Park Forest, 4. Spring Grove, 5. Good Hope

*fist pump*

C division was less impressive...

EDIT: So if 7 B teams and 6 C teams qualified from Central, that means Jersey Shore and Athens are going to states, correct?

[xopherirvin]

Central: 1. Eagle View, 2. Hershey, 3. Park Forest, 4. Spring Grove, 5. Good Hope

*fist pump*

C division was less impressive...

EDIT: So if 7 B teams and 6 C teams qualified from Central, that means Jersey Shore and Athens are going to states, correct?

I'm pretty sure that there was a 7th qualifying team from CPA. I missed that announcement. I think Manheim Central may have been in the mix as well.

[EastStroudsburg13]

Central: 1. Eagle View, 2. Hershey, 3. Park Forest, 4. Spring Grove, 5. Good Hope

*fist pump*

C division was less impressive...

EDIT: So if 7 B teams and 6 C teams qualified from Central, that means Jersey Shore and Athens are going to states, correct?

I'm pretty sure that there was a 7th qualifying team from CPA. I missed that announcement. I think Manheim Central may have been in the mix as well.

Right, my bad. 7 Central teams for C division would also qualify Athens.