High School Bowl Planning

1. How many teams should I plan to invite?

This will depend on the format you pick for your tournament or tv series (see format below). As a starting point, research the number of high schools in your target area. Then, consider the timetable on which you could produce the local competition or tv series (see scheduling below).

If you have many area schools or are producing a state-wide program, you may need to play regional or preliminary matches leading to a final round.

If there are few schools in your area, you can play a whole season of double-elimination or round-robin games concluding with the two top teams playing a best two out of three game championship.

If you're just starting up, a preliminary non-broadcast competition leading up to a short televised single-elimination series of 8 games will introduce the schools to the tournament and lay an excellent foundation for future seasons.

2. What format should we use?

There are a variety of formats and an infinite number of combinations. The following is a short guide to the basic formats:

3. What schedule should we set?

This will depend on whether you are planning a tournament over a condensed period (often in multiple rooms simultaneously) or a tv series with shows taped on a regular production schedule:

• Tournament Scheduling (non-broadcast): In a typical 8:30 am - 5:30 pm day, you should be able to play at least 10 time periods. If you are playing in one room, you will complete 10 games, in two rooms, 20 games, etc. Some tournaments are scheduled over consecutive days or during a single week, others go on one day per week for several consecutive weeks and still others go on a certain number of days per month over the entire academic year.
  
• Broadcast Scheduling: You can start anytime. Most air the program 26 - 39 weeks annually, with 26 week programs beginning in January and 39 week programs starting in September. Often, a new licensee will start the program in the spring for a short run of 8 - 15 weeks, expanding to a full schedule the next season. Most HIGH SCHOOL BOWL programs air on the weekends, but a growing number of broadcast clients are airing the program once weekly in prime-access or prime-time.

4. Where should the competition be held?

• Tournament Locations: HIGH SCHOOL BOWL can be run in any room where you can assemble two teams of 4 players each, a group of 4-6 game officials and the audience. School classrooms, community centers, college and university student unions/activities centers, and other community resources exist in every area.
  
• TV Taping: Most broadcasters use their own studio facilities to tape the program, but, if you're equipped, you can take the program out into the community and tape it in auditoriums at a local high school or college.

5. What game officials are needed and where should we recruit them?

• For all types of games, for each simultaneous game room you will need:
  • Moderator
  • Judge
  • Scorekeeper
  • Reset/Timer/Announcer
  • Scoreboarder (optional)
• For tv production additional production personnel will be needed
  
• Game Officials can be recruited from your local area and if need be, trained before your tournament or tv production. Many local groups and individuals will be anxious to participate.
  
• The College Bowl Company has a network of hundreds of people from coast to coast with whom we can connect you for local recruiting efforts. In addition, we supply a Game Officials Training Kit to all clients.