Today, my school won the national championship in NAL against a team from Utah; where it was invented.

I'm pretty sure that this is the first time someone other than the team from Utah won it (matches against other states are played via teleconference).

NAL Breakdown:
4 quarters; 5 players each quarter; 5 backup; 10-minute time limit

1st Quarter:
Questions are asked in rounds of 3; 2 points for getting it correct and 1 for "stealing" by taking possession when the opposing team misses
15 seconds to answer

2nd Quarter (I'm captain ):
Team round (only uses 5 players; back-ups sit out); 3 points/question with 60 seconds; only captain may buzz in or speak

3rd Quarter:
5 minutes to present on a topic (given 1/2 hour to prepare)

4th Quarter:
1-on-1; 2 points for correct, -1 for a miss; first to buzz in gets to answer; if both people pass/miss, then anyone may buzz in

Scores:

1st Quarter: 17-17
I didn't think we would tie because they had the huge advantage of going first (didn't get to play)

2nd Quarter: 32-32
It should have been 26-38, but I screwed up really badly as captain & missed 2 easy questions (one I just totally forgot to say "negative")

3rd Quarter: 55-54
They graded their team too highly; they should have been given the same grade

4th Quarter: 72-72
The questions were really easy. I was backup (coaches want to play everyone) & didn't get in again due to low time.

Over Time (3 extra minutes of 4th quarter): 82-71:
w00t, I got to play; I got a really easy math one right & wasted all of the time on one about the Columbia River which I should have guessed, but didn't bother. We won because most of the questions were math (like 6 in a row!).

Summary: We won because no one messed up too badly and played fairly well.


Now, everyone thinks that we are the best school in the nation