2009-10 Rules
Meetings
No conferring:
Conferring includes talking, peeking at scratch paper, signaling to team
members (raising buzzer to show that player will answer). [See Conferring – page 10, Item J,
Penalties, #1
Clarification: In instances where a team inappropriately
confers during the reading or answering of a toss-up, the moderator shall
determine the course of action depending upon the situation.
Examples:
a. If answer is not ‘spoiled’ – the question
could be offered to the opposing team.
b. If the answer is inadvertently given, a
replacement question would be used, and the offending team would not have an
opportunity to answer.
c. Penalize on the current question if possible,
but if the scenario does not allow this, the moderator should use a replacement
question.
Scratch paper:
Must remain blank until the moderator signals the start of the
match. Blank paper is to be provided to
substitutes.
Significant answer:
“Um, um” is not a significant answer.
“X equals” is not a significant answer.
“Three…” is a significant answer if the player continues “… hundred and fifty two” for example.
Substitutions
A substitution may not occur at the quarter unless a coach takes a time
out. A substitution may be made:
a. during a 60 second time-out (called by either
team)
b. during a 30 second time-out (called by either
team)
c. during half-time
Moderator
Reminders:
Don’t: “Oh, so close, but incorrect”
Do: Stop reading IMMEDIATELY when the buzzer
sounds
Don’t: Make side comments, jokes, editorial comments
on the questions, etc. This is both
annoying and time-consuming.
Do: Act in a very professional manner and
stick to the questions
Do: Keep
distractions in the room in-check.
Repetitive sighs, or intentional throat-clearing can be districting,
annoying, or may be a signal to a team.
Do: Read
calculation questions slowly, with hesitation “commas” inserted in appropriate
places.
Don’t:
Allow a player to start over on a
spelling answer. Spelling answers cannot
be corrected.
Do: Allow a player to write down a spelling
answer after providing a significant answer (the first letter) within the first
3 seconds. The entire verbal answer must
be given in the allotted time.
Spotter: Don’t clear the buzzer system after the
toss-up questions in the 2nd and 4th quarters. This blocks out buzzers from the other team during
the bonus questions.
Timer: Bonus
Timing, Rulebook, page 5: The team
will have ten (10) seconds after the reading of the question to complete the team’s
response. EXCEPTION: If the question involves calculation or
spelling, the team will have fifteen (15) seconds after the reading of the
question to complete the
team’s response. The captain may answer
or he/she may defer to another player, but the same timing rules apply either
way. Please note that the ‘deferral’ may
take some extra time.