Rules: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

The Overall Competition

The Varsity level of the John O'Bryan competition consists of three scoring components. For more information on each one, click on the underlined titles below:

1. Team Competition (9:30 - 10:10 AM, 60 points possible)

2. Individual Competition (10:20 - 11:10 AM, 60 points possible)

3. Two-Person Speed Competition (11:20 - 11:50 AM, 30 points possible, Varsity only)

The team earning the most total combined points from these three competitions will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken if possible by using the team competition score - and if that is tied, the individual competition score - as tiebreakers. Additionally, awards are given to the best teams and students within each component of the contest.

Junior varsity teams participate in the team and individual competitions only. They remain eligible for all individual awards related to these competitions; and additionally the two highest performing junior varsity teams for component will be recognized.

It is not required that a school field students in all parts of the competition in order to participate. For example a school might have only two students wishing to compete. They might choose to compete only in the individual competition (for individual awards) and as a two-person team.

Awards

Awards will be given on three levels: (1) School Overalls, (2) Competition Segments, and (3) Individual Exam. An abbreviated list is as follows:

The top five varsity teams will be recognized. Points from all three segments of competition will be added together to determine this ranking.
For each segment of competition, the top three varsity teams will be recognized. Additionally for the individual and team competitions, the top two junior varsity teams will be recognized. Note: At most one junior varsity team from each school will be recognized.
For the individual Junior-Senior competition, at least the top ten students will be recognized.
For the individual Freshman-Sophomore competition, at least the top five students will be recognized.

Contest Date

The John O'Bryan competition is generally held on a Saturday in November each year. The contest is generally scheduled from 9:00 AM to 11:50 AM with the awards ceremony being held around 12:30 PM.

Expectation of Conduct

Students and coaches are expected to behave with integrity and team spirit - ethical misconduct will not be tolerated. Coaches are responsible for the conduct of their teams and should remain with their teams as much as possible. Each team should have an attending coach/parent or other responsible adult present during the competition. Should conduct fall below expected standards, the contest chairs may choose from among options including disqualification, exclusion from future contest(s), and/or notification of the offending school's chief administrator.

School Registration

Schools may field one "varsity" team and one or more "junior varsity" teams of five students each. Coaches should specify one team as the "varsity team" while additional teams will be considered "junior-varsity" teams. Multiple junior varsity teams will be accepted as space allows. Teams of fewer than five are allowed; however no accommodations to scoring are made for having fewer teammates. Registrations should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the contest, but are typically accepted later at the discretion of the contest chairs. Changes to registration information are permissible on-site up to 9:00 AM on the morning of the contest. Scores of students not listed on a team's registration roster for any given event will not be counted.

School teams are formed based on attendance at a particular Kentucky High School, or any group of home-schoolers may also form a team. School teams may include students who, for enrichment purposes, attend programs away from their home high school (for example Grade 11-12 programs like WKU's Gatton Academy or Morehead's Craft Academy). Please note also that students attending programs away from their home high school may not form "all-star" teams under the name of such a program - rather, they should participate as a member of their home high school (even if registering for the competition only as an individual).

Student Eligibility

Any Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana high school student, whether public, private, or home-schooled, may participate in this competition. Because of its location, those in the Kentucky counties of Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Pendleton, and Bracken, or otherwise regionally close to NKU, are strongly encouraged to participate.

Grade level designations are interpreted as follows:

Junior-Senior: Any student in Grades 11 - 12
Freshman-Sophomore: Any student in Grades 9-10

Any student may participate at or above their grade level, but not below their grade level. For example a freshman may take the Junior-Senior written exam, but a senior may not take the Freshman-Sophomore exam.

Calculators

Some portions of the competition allow the use of calculators. For the purpose of this contest, to be defined as a calculator, equipment must be battery operated and unable to connect to internet or Wi-Fi. Any questions as to whether specific calculators will be allowed may be directed to the contest chairs, whose decision is final.

Special Needs

The contest chairs reserve the right to make special provisions in exceptional cases or to comply with laws pertaining to students with special needs. Coaches must notify the contest chairs of any special needs. Notification should be in writing and received by the registration deadline and fully justify any special provisions requested. The participating school will be responsible for any and all additional costs incurred in meeting the special needs of the student.

Contest Chairs

Contest chairs are designated by the NKU Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Any ambiguity or decision not covered in these rules may be addressed as needed by the contest chairs. All decisions of the contest chairs are final.