All about 'In The Zone'

In The Zone: the SEQC all-Goa Regional Championship was launched to the sound of cheers and jeers and some trash talking at the ICG on Sunday September 15. After an initial presentation of the competition format by Annie, and some discussion to finalise the finer points, a draw was held to decide the composition of the groups for the first stage. Here are all the details:

Teams
1. Aldona Ambotik -- captain Annie Sen Gupta
2. Dons of Donapaul -- Veenu Vas
3. Margao -- Lynn Barreto Miranda
4. Panjim (East) -- Nitish Wagle
5. Panjim Procrastinators -- Rajiv D'SIlva
6. Panjim (West) -- Kunal Naik
7. Ponda Ponderers -- Ameya Mardolkar
8. Porvorim Patraos -- Paul Gatward
9. South Goa -- Mahesh Prabhu
Details of all the teams can be seen here. Some of the teams have come up with their names and logos; a few have to still do that.

Groups
The nine teams have been divided into three Groups.
Green Group -- Aldona Ambotik, South Goa Left-Overs, Panjim (East)
Red Group -- Panjim Procrastinators, Porvorim Patraos, Panjim (West)
Blue Group -- MAD-Gaonkars, Ponda Ponderers, Dons of Donapaul

Competition
-- There will be one QM from each of the three groups: Annie, Rajiv and Lynn.
-- Each group will play two matches in two different venues, hosted by the QMs from the other groups. All the teams in the group will participate in these matches. The scores of both matches will be taken cumulatively to decide group standings.
-- The top team in each group will qualify directly for the finals.
-- The three second-placed teams will meet in a play-off match to decide the fourth finalist.
-- The finals will be a four-team affair, conducted by an external QM.

Schedule
The tentative match dates are as follows:
* Group matches: Saturday September 28, Sunday September 29, Saturday October 19, Sunday October 20, Saturday November 9, Sunday November 10
* Play-off match for 4th Semi-final slot: Saturday November 16
* Finals: Saturday December 7 or Sunday December 8

Venues
The attempt will be to host the matches at various different venues. Besides ICG, Dona Paula, and the Urban Health Centre in Margao, members are urged to help swing other venues. XCHR in Porvorim has been more or less confirmed, as has Arco Iris in Curtorim, which will serve as the home base for the South Goa team. A venue in Aldona seems very likely.

If we can manage one more venue, say in Panjim, we can have each group match at a different venue. Teams will be urged to bring in local supporters to view the proceedings and provide 'home advantage'.

At some of the venues, we may have to arrange separately for infrastructure such as projector and screen, sound system, etc.

Fund-raising
We should try and round up sponsorships through individuals or organisations to cover the following expenses:
-- Publicity material, such as posters, leaflets, etc
-- Snacks and beverages for all matches
-- Projector + sound hire charges for venues that do not have the facility
-- Prizes and trophies
-- External QM expenses

Other support
We should also try hard for some press support for the event. Perhaps a few of us can go and meet some head honchos in the papers and TV channels and ask them to support the event.

Besides that, we should urge the teams themselves to spread the word in their communities, so that some people beyond just the participating teams turn up for the matches. We can provide people with attractively designed material to help them do that. Specific avenues could include local schools and colleges, hang-outs, village institutions, social clubs, etc.

Anyone who is willing to chip in with help on any of these fronts, please email Annie on anniesen01@yahoo.com.

Matches
-- All the teams of a group will participate in each of the matches for that group.
-- For any given match, a team will be represented by four members.
-- However, they are welcome to land up with more than four members. In such a situation, the team captain will decide the starting four, while the others will be 'on the bench'.
-- The captain has to make sure that all team members who are present for a quiz get to play at least one round.
-- The substitution decisions can be strategic, based on individual strengths and the content of rounds.

Content
Each quiz at the group level will follow the same content format:
-- Round 1. Target Practice: Normal passing rounds, with a twist, 6 clockwise, 6 anti-clockwise, 10 points per question, no negatives
-- Round 2. Aim and Shoot: 9 India-specific questions from a grid of topics (each team to choose three), on the buzzer, +10/-5 points per question, expect another twist
-- Round 3. Home and Away: 4 questions each on three subjects, as provided by each team (teams will be asked in advance to provide subject areas). Answers to be written down by all teams. 5 points per correct answer, with a bonus of 10 points for getting all 4 right. Applies to both Home and Away teams. -5 points to the Home team for getting any answer wrong that any of the Away teams answers correctly.
-- Round 4. Bull's Eye: 4 questions with four clues to each, on the buzzer. +40/20/10/5 for getting it correct; half the points as negatives at each stage, except at the end, when it subsides to 0.

The format for the finals will differ, and will be decided at a later stage.