NCSO Debrief – September 2023
- The starred events on the Event Slate say that they will only be run at the state tournament. Are these events open to all teams participating in the State Tournament?
Yes! All 23 National events will be run at the State Tournament. The starred events will *not* be run at the Regional level.
- How do I know my team number on the tournament schedule?
Team numbers will be shared with coaches about one month in advance of the tournament date. Numbers are assigned in alphabetical order once registration for that tournament closes.
- Do I need to know my team number in order to assign students to events?
No! See the notes at the bottom of the Regional schedule. Events are grouped together and students can select an event from each group. This will work in the schedule regardless of what your assigned team number ends up being.
- At Regionals, will self-scheduling be offered for build events?
No, we will not self-schedule at Regionals. Build events are included in the schedule like all other events. We *will* self-schedule for States.
- With 15 students max per team, is there a minimum number of students needed to compete?
There is no minimum required, however in order to be competitive across the 15 events, it is best to have approximately 10-12 students.
- Do any events need to be impounded for Division A?
None of the Division A events require impound this year.
- Can you bring team captains (students) to the coaches conference if they pay?
Yes, team leaders can attend the Coaches Conference; they just need to register and pay a separate registration fee.
Division A:
- What safety equipment is required for Just Plane Awesome?
See the event rules – safety glasses must be worn at all times.
- What safety equipment is needed for Super Sleuths?
See the event rules – students must wear closed-toed shoes, safety goggles, and tie back long hair. Aprons, gloves, lab coats are optional. They must keep safety goggles on their face while competing … they don’t work well on top of the head – and, they may be penalized for removing them. Practice this so kids are comfortable.
- Do students need to know scientific names for Backyard Biologists and Fossil Frenzy?
See the event rules – students will have to know common names only. Scientific names are given for reference purposes only.
- What kind of launcher do we need to practice Ping Pong Parachute?
Ping Pong Parachute occurs indoors. If you have a launcher that was used outdoors in the past (the kind that stakes into the ground), you can use the same launcher indoors if you attach it to something solid – i.e. to a board. The company we partner with for launchers is Nerds, Inc. – they plan to post a how-to video showing you how to adjust your outdoor launcher for indoor use. They do make launchers specifically for indoor use, which we will use at tournaments, but they are slightly more expensive to purchase. We will have launcher examples at the Coaches Conference and Nerds, Inc. plans to provide our coaches with a discount code to use following the Conference if you are looking to purchase.
- Do we still need to bring the bottle labels to competition for Ping Pong Parachute?
Yes! And they need to match the bottle you are using. This is a safety concern – we can’t launch a bottle that is not carbonated.
Division B/C:
- For the flight event at regionals and states, if the AC would be off?
99.9% of the time, we cannot control the HVAC at any of our venues. We realize this is unfortunate and trust, we wish we could flip that switch. But it’s near impossible to adjust, especially at big venues such as NC State where it is controlled off site. We *always* try – because we KNOW it is important. But, it is not guaranteed and that is largely out of our control.
- Will a NC only list for Forestry and a condensed topic list for Crime Busters/Forensics be used this year? If so, where do we find it?
Yes! Check the resource pages on our website – they’re going up in the coming days.
All Divisions:
- Is the loading block and chain used for Towers the same as the Bridge?
Yes! Exactly the same. So you can reuse one from years past. We will also be selling them at the Coaches Conference. Having one definitely helps students plan and prepare for needing to set the loading block and chain on their tower for testing.
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