"New friends are golden"

Welcome to all of College Bowl’s brand new programs! It’s very exciting to have so many new teams this year.

Since there are a lot of schools running their Campus Program Tournament for the first time, here’s a repeat of my top recommendations for running that tournament:

Allow students to register either as individuals or as a whole team. Some will want to sign up on a team with their friends, but others may be the only person in their milieu who is interested in this activity. Assign the individuals to new teams.

Donated prizes can help increase turnout. While it’s hard for most schools to equal Arizona State University’s top prize – winning team members receive up to $4,500 each in scholarships – gift certificates from the cafeteria or bookstore, t-shirts, or names on a permanent plaque are all good rewards.

Demonstration games can generate a lot of interest. A student leaders versus faculty demonstration game not only generates student interest in playing, but may also be a good forum for recruiting faculty and staff to help with the tournament.

Encourage dorms, suites, greek organizations, student political groups, debating societies, and any groups with traditional rivalries to enter teams. Adjust your tournament schedule so that the rivals are sure to meet at some point. Can a team of football players defeat a team of baseball players, or the team from the band? Will the Young Republicans or the Young Democrats prove better? Such matches generate interest for both players and spectators.

Even if student activity funds are paying for your entire Campus Program tournament, a small fee can reduce or eliminate the problem of some teams not showing up for their match. Forfeits aren’t fun for anyone. You can either collect the fee as a fund for future program activities, or treat it as a deposit to be returned to teams after their final match.

If your Intramural Sports or Recreational Tournaments are set up so that organizations get points for how well they do in each sport or activity, coordinate your tournament so that it’s eligible and counts toward the grand prize.

A reminder for schools that played last year: if you’re planning to send an all-star team to the Regional Championship, you’re campus program will work best if you require returning players to play on separate teams. Your varsity squad from last year can be your best recruiters for this year.

Finally, remember that College Bowl provides a toll-free Help Desk to answer questions you have about promoting and running your tournament. I’m available to answer questions from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time, and check my email regularly at other times. Call me at 1-800-234-2695 ext. 106 (818-610-8225 ext. 106 for local schools), or email tfm@collegebowl.com if I can ever be of any assistance to your program.