Tournament and Scheduling
The Optimist Brain Bowl schedule consists of five morning rounds, two afternoon elimination rounds and the 6th, 7th and 8th grade championship rounds. Although the actual scheduling may vary slightly, this schedule should be used for planning purposes (bus schedules, parents, etc.)
Schedule of the Day
7:45 - 8:00 Team Check-In
8:00 - 8:15 Mandatory Meeting for Teams / Supporters
Morning Rounds
8:30 - 9:00 Round One
9:10 - 9:35 Round Two
9:45 - 10:10 Round Three
10:20 - 10:45 Round Four
10:55 - 11:20 Round Five
Lunch
11:20 - 12:30
Scores and brackets for elimination rounds posted at 12:30
Afternoon Rounds
12:45 - 1:10 1st Elimination (Top 8 teams per grade)
1:15 - 1:40 2nd Elimination (Winners from 1st Elimination)
All teams from the 2nd Elimination receive awards and should stay for Championship Finals and Awards Ceremony
Finals
1:45 - Championship Rounds and Awards
* * * * *
Scheduling
The morning rounds consist of teams participating in four oral team-to-team competitions and one written round. As teams check-in tournament day, they are given a schedule that shows the rooms where they will compete, their written round time and the teams they will be playing against during each oral round. Teams will not receive their competition schedule before tournament day.
Byes
The Optimist Brain Bowl team registration numbers often necessitate scheduling "byes" for teams during the morning rounds. Teams should expect no more than one bye to be scheduled into their day. Teams that have byes in their schedule receive the average of the other three oral round scores as their score for the bye round.
Written Round
All teams are scheduled to complete the written round test during one of the morning rounds. All teams registered from the same school will take the written test at the same time. Five team members work together and turn in one team answer sheet. Alternate team members, coaches and spectators are not allowed in the written round test room. Team members should bring pencils but no other materials to the written round test room. Teams should not discuss the written test until after the morning rounds have been completed, as they may be providing information to teams which have not yet taken the written round.
Elimination Rounds
The elimination rounds are determined by the correct answer points for the four morning oral rounds and written round. The top eight teams in each grade level are placed into standard tournament brackets for the afternoon schedule. There are two elimination rounds scheduled. The Championship Rounds determining 1st and 2nd place for each grade level are played in the auditorium, gym or other large audience venue where the awards ceremony will also take place. The 3rd and 4th place teams are determined by points earned during elimination rounds.