THE GARDEN CUP IV
The New Jersey State Championships Return, Better Than Ever
All-New Format for True League Play
Check back in early September for updates on dates and locations!
How it Works
The Garden Cup is the LIQBA’s marquee event, and we’ve decided to make it even better. We will now host four local tournaments in New Jersey, which qualify you for a grand State Championship tournament, the largest in the Northeast!
For teams in New Jersey, you can qualify for the State Championships, better known as the Garden Cup, through one of four regional events: one in the North, one in the Northwest, one Down Shore, and one in the South. Out of state teams can participate at the State Championships as well, by finishing in the top 25% of any event or tournament other than the four local qualifiers.
The top 72 teams from throughout New Jersey and 24 top teams from out of state will all compete at the State Championships.
Regions for the local qualifiers are based on county:
The following counties are in each region:
- NORTH: Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Morris, Essex, Union, Somerset, Mercer, Middlesex
- NORTHWEST: Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon
- SHORE: Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic
- SOUTH: Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Cape May
Location and Dates
The four qualifying events will take place in December 2024; the State Championships will be held in February 2024.
All tournaments will take place from 9 AM to approximately 5 PM, except the State Championships, which is scheduled to end at 6 PM. You should plan to arrive no later than 8:30 AM on tournament day.
Questions/Format
The Northwest, Shore, and South tournaments will likely use questions of moderate difficulty written by students at Livingston High School in Essex County. The North tournament will likely use a set of moderate difficulty, and the State Championships will likely use a NAQT set of moderate difficulty.
All tournaments will use the twenty tossups/twenty bonus format and NAQT rules, but there will be no game clock. There will be no computational math tossups; there will be computational math bonuses.
At all tournaments, teams will be fairly placed into preliminary brackets before being re-seeded for playoffs. Teams will be guaranteed a minimum of 10 games at the local tournaments and 11 at the State Championships; teams are required to play all 10 or 11 rounds, even if you are not in contention for the championship.
Teams
There are a maximum of 6 players per team, four of whom may play at once. If you wish to bring more players than that, please register additional teams. There are no exceptions to this rule. Teams may play short, with one player as a minimum. Nobody may switch teams during the tournament, such as from “A” to “B” or otherwise.
The fields are capped as follows:
- 48 teams at the North qualifier
- 36 teams at the Shore qualifier
- 24 teams at the South qualifier
- 18 teams at the Northwest qualifier
- 72 New Jersey and 24 Out of State teams at the State Championships, for 96 teams total
You will be placed onto a waitlist if you miss the cutoff and will enter the field as teams drop or the field expands.
We are happy to allow pseudonymous teams and teams not directly sponsored by their district to register, without restriction.
It isnotmandatory for a coach, parent, or adult to attend with their team; our team provides adequate supervision for all.
Readers
Each school is required to bring one reader for every two teams attending a tournament. Schools that cannot bring readers will be charged a $50 fee per team. Keep in mind this does not have to be a coach! It can be a player who would rather read, an extra player, a parent, an alumnus, someone’s friend, sibling, or third cousin twice removed, or anyone else that can read and scorekeep.
Buzzer discounts and paper question sets are no longer being offered. Question sets can now be accessed for free after the tournament on NAQT.com.
Prizes
Trophies will be awarded to the top teams and the very best individual with the highest average Points per Game overall at each tournament. The eight or so high scorers will be awarded small prizes. The champion of the Garden Cup will be awarded a traveling trophy. We may add additional prizes at our discretion.
Fees
The fee structure is the same for both the qualifiers and the State Championships, and is as follows:
- $100 per team
- $50 additional per team if no readers are brought
- $0 additional if 1 reader is brought
- -$25 for each additional reader
We can process cash, checks, and purchase orders. We are happy to provide a W9, an NJ BRC, and an invoice on request. Please make out checks to “Long Island Quiz Bowl Alliance”. You can mail checks, POs, and any other paperwork to P.O. Box 205, Nesconset, NY, 11767.
Buzzer discounts and paper question sets are no longer being offered. Question sets can now be accessed for free after the tournament on NAQT.com.
Payment is due the morning of each event.
Registration:
Registration will open once all host arrangements are finalized, likely in September.
Please ensure that you register prior to the day of the tournament! Registration closes one week prior to each event.
Food:
We do not serve breakfast or lunch and teams should either bring food or prepare to go out and obtain it. We will provide a map of local restaurants in the vicinity during the morning meeting. Lunch generally lasts an hour. Teams should eat breakfast prior to arrival.
Stats:
Full and complete team and individual statistics will be posted within 48 hours after the completion of each event.
Please let us know if you have any further questions!
