Houstonfest

News and Updates

Important Dates

Mar. 5, 2010: Houstonfest Scholarship applications due

Mar. 10, 2010: Gail Cope Scholarship applications due

Jan. x, 2011: Early-bird registration ($8) must be postmarked and online registration must be submitted by 11:59 p.m.

Jan. x, 2011: Regular registration ($10) must be postmarked and online registration must be submitted by 11:59 p.m.

Feb. 5, 2011: Houstonfest, Lanier Middle School, Houston

Feb. x, 2011: State early-bird registration due (submit online registration and mail payment; payment must arrive by Feb. x)

Feb. x, 2011: State regular registration due

Feb. 26, 2011: Texas State German Contest, University of Texas at Austin

Rules: Pass auf!

One novice and one varsity team per school, competing in separate tournaments. Novice teams, consisting only of students in German I and German II who have never competed in Pass auf! before, compete only at the regional level and do not advance to state. A student may not be entered on both a novice team and a varsity team. A team may consist of up to seven players who are in any level of German (except in the novice division; see above), with no advantaged speakers and no exchange students from German-speaking countries. However, only up to five players may compete in a given round. A team may begin play with fewer than five players, and players may be added after the game begins, if the team notifies the moderator before the game starts that some players may be late. Once a team starts to play, players may leave to go to other contests, but they may not be replaced at that time. Alternates will be considered as spectators and may not observe unless the game is open for spectators. They may not communicate in any way with their team during a match or the team will be disqualified.

Teams may be eliminated if they are more than 5 minutes late to a scheduled game. There will be no changes of time for scheduled Pass auf! games in a contest. In cases of cross-entries in other events by team members, the team must play at the scheduled time or be eliminated from the contest.

The contest is played in a single- or double-elimination tournament format with two teams playing head-to-head in each game. A game consists of 25 questions – five questions from each of the following categories: Arts and Letters, Erdkunde, Grammar, History and Politics, and Odds and Ends. In each category there will be questions valued at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 points, depending upon difficulty, for a total of 750 points in each game. An experienced moderator will read the questions. From the time that the question is read for the first time, the teams have 30 seconds in which to signal. To speed the game along, the teams may elect to pass the question before the 30 seconds is finished. The moderator may reread the question during this 30-second period. The teams are free to confer during this time. Any team member may signal. After a team has signaled, the moderator may not provide any clarification or further information. If a team signals before the question is completed, the moderator must stop and may not complete reading the question for that team. After signaling, a team has 30 seconds to confer before beginning to give the answer.

Before the game begins, each team must designate a team captain to give the team’s answers. This person is the only person from whom an answer may be accepted. In certain instances, the captain may designate one of the team members to give an answer. This must be done verbally and must be acknowledged by the moderator before the answer may be accepted. If someone other than the captain or the designee should give an answer, it will not be acknowledged by the moderator. In this instance, the appropriate person on the team must begin to give an answer before the allotted time expires. Once the team begins to give an answer, it may not pause in order to gain time. The first attempt by a team will be considered the answer – a team may not start over once it has begun to answer a question. In any case, the determination of whether to accept an answer lies with the moderator and not with the players, assistants, or spectators.

If a team gives a correct answer, it receives the points designated for the question. If the team’s answer is not accepted by the moderator, the moderator will reread the question for the opposing team. It then has 30 seconds to signal whether it wants to try to answer the question. After it signals, it has 30 seconds in which to begin giving the answer.

Should the moderator misread a question, give the answer before the other team has a chance to answer, etc., a replacement question from the same category and the same point value will be read. If the score is tied after the set of 25 questions is finished, the moderator will then select tie breakers from an alternate set of questions.

Appropriate behavior is expected of all players and spectators. No interruptions will be tolerated while a team is attempting to answer a question. Clarification of rules may be addressed to the moderator between questions or before or after the game, but never while a question is in play.

There are five categories of questions: Arts and Letters, Erdkunde, Grammar, History and Politics, and Odds and Ends. All categories may include questions about any of the German-speaking countries: the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein; and about German-Americans. Questions in all categories may have words in German and may require answers in German.

Arts and Letters may include art, artists, music, musicians, philosophers, philosophies, authors, literature, playwrights, plays, architecture, architects, science, scientists, and others.

Erdkunde (geography) questions are in German and must be answered in German.

Grammar may include idioms, grammatical structure, usage, etc.

History and Politics may include history, politics, and government.

Odds and Ends may include proverbs, customs, holidays, travel, culture, etc.

If there is a question about an answer, the team with the questionable answer must have proof. Any dispute must be settled with the moderator before the round ends and the disputing team must have documented proof. All documents from the Internet must be printed directly from the the Internet showing the source. Any printed source must be in the room with the players, who may not leave the room. The judgment of the moderator is final. General settlement: Throw out the controversial question and ask a new question.

A maximum of three protests per round per team may be allowed. To avoid any unpleasant controversy, there will be a referee, who is an impartial party, such as a professor. The referee will have the last word in disputes.

The Pass auf! coordinator may have a cassette recorder with a blank tape in it ready for moderators to use to tape each round. This should alleviate disputes concerning pronunciation, as well as content of questions and answers. Before using a tape, the moderator will say to the teams: "This round is being taped for your protection. This tape will be used to settle all disputes."

See the Pass auf! page on the State website for suggested sources.