Sports Day Rules.

1) Overview.

   The class is split into two teams which each send a representative to
the board for each round of play.  The teams representatives take turns
in successive rounds selecting problems from a deck of problems prepared
by the instructor.  The problems are on one side of the cards and the
point value and possibly a general topic statement like "derivatives" or
"graphing" for the problems are on the other.  The selection of a
problem in each round is based on the point value and optional topic
statement.  Once the problem is selected the instructor waits until the
students are ready and then reads the problem in a clear voice.  The
first of the two people at the board to arrive at a correct answer that
they can justify is awarded the points for the problem and the points
are also added to his team score.  The other person at the board
receives ten points less than the stated value of the problem, to a
minimum of zero points.  Problems are typically worth 5, 10, 15, 20, or
25 points with harder problems being worth more points.  At the end of
the class period the class with the higher total is awarded ten points
each.

2) Details.

2.1) Verbal Help.

   The members of either team may give their representative verbal help
so long as this help is not the answer to the problem or blatantly the
next step of the problem.  If, in the instructors opinion, a given
verbal statement is the exact next step or the answer and either person
at the board heard the statement then he should call a foul on the team
that the commentary is a member of.  This verbal help must be in a clear
voice loud enough to be heard by both players at the board.  In the
event of a problem with language or accent the instructor should repeat
the comment for the benefit of those that misunderstand it.

2.2) Printed and Written Help.

   The people at the board may use their own class notes to help them at
the board.  They may not borrow other people's notes.  Any form of
access to others notes is considered a foul.  They may use any book they
bring to class themselves.  They may use a copy of the textbook for the
class no matter who owns it so long as marginal notes in the book do not
constitute "notes" in the opinion of the instructor.

2.3) Ties.

   In the event that both teams have the same score at the end of the
class then the instructor should award either five points to everyone on
either team (the nice option) or no points to anyone on either team (the
pressure option).  The instructor should declare the tie resolution he
intends to use at the beginning of the semester.

2.4) Impossible Problems.

   In the event that neither team's representative at the board seems to
be making progress even with the help of their seated colleagues the
instructor should declare a time limit (1-3 minutes) after which the
problem is over no matter what.  In the event that no correct answer is
derived by the end of such a time limit the instructor should award the
players a number of points less than the worth of the problem that is
consistent with their progress.  This amount need not be the same for
both players.

2.5) The End of the Class.

   In the event the class is over before a problem is completed then the
instructor should treat that problem as an impossible problem whose time
limit has run out.  If it does not inconvenience the next group that
needs the room the instructor may be slightly flexible about the time
limit.

2.6) Instructor Commentary.

   The instructor cannot commit a foul.  If the instructor wishes to say
anything he may no matter how grossly unfair it seems.  The instructor
should not show favoritism or be intentionally cruel or unfair.  The
instructor's inability to foul is a tool that should be used only to
advance learning.  If one person at the board has started on a
cumbersome or useless calculation the instructor might suggest to him
that he is wasting his time.  It both players are having trouble getting
started or are stuck then the instructor may suggest a first step or
next step.  If the instructor sees an obvious error and none of the
students have cried out "you made a mistake" or "two and two is five?"
then the instructor might take it upon himself to say "oops".

2.7) Appeals.

   In the event that anyone feels something utterly unfair has happened
he may object and the instructor should give him a short period of time
in which to state his objections.  The instructor should then explain
his opinion on the matter and, if the student has convinced him an
injustice exists, should make amends by invalidating problems, awarding
or deleting points, or giving an additional problem.

2.8) Taking Turns.

   In any given class period a student may come to the board only once
unless everyone on his side has also had a turn.  This rule holds even
if a person's turn is cut short by a foul.  In the event that no one
volunteers the instructor should devise a method of "randomly" selecting
a participant.  At the beginning of a session of play the first choice
of problem goes to the team that produces a volunteer first.  Choice
alternates thereafter.

2.9) Fouls.

   In addition to yelling out an answer or the exact next step (and
being heard) or passing your representative class notes other than his
own or a book, other than the text, that he did not bring to class
himself the referee may declare any action he feels to be unfair to be a
foul.  If the instructor declares a foul then the team that did not
commit the foul and their representative are awarded the points for the
problem being worked as if their representative had correctly completed
it.

2.10) Hints.

   A problem may have a hint with a specified point cost.  The point
value of the problem is then reduced by the cost of the hint if the hint
is given.  The hint may be given only if both players at the board
request it.

3) Student Derived Rules.

3.1) Sandbagging.

   The people at the board can steal one another's work freely.  This is
called sandbagging.  As it is hard to copy fast enough to pass another
person this rule serves mostly as an equalizer.  A player may make his
notation as cryptic as he wishes so long as he can justify it to the
instructor at the end but this is seldom beneficial.

3.2) Blocking.

   Either or both teams may send a second person to the board to block
the other players line of sight.

3.2.1) A blocker may use only his own body or an object no larger than a
loose leaf notebook to block lines of sight.

3.2.2) If two blockers are at the board they may not touch one another.
Intentional touching is a foul.

3.2.3) A given person may only block once in a given class period unless
everyone else on his side has also blocked.

3.2.4) Blockers may not speak while they are blocking.

3.2.5) Players may verbally repeat anything they see on the board though
supplying context may be a foul.  In particular players may relay
information around a blocker.


3.3) Space.

   All the players a team has at the board must stay on their own side
of the board.  Physical interference with the other team is a foul.
Failure to stay on your own side is not a foul unless it is excessive in
the opinion of the instructor.  The instructor should politely remind
people to stay on their own side.

3.4) Problem Card Security.

   If anyone but the instructor sees the side of a problem card that
contains a problem the problem is invalidated.

3.5) Running the Deck.

   In the event that a class completes a problem deck, something that
should be an unusual event, the instructor should increase the victory
bounty by five points.

3.6) Impossible Problems that are the Instructor's Fault.

   If the problem assigned by the instructor is completely impossible
because of an oversight or act of incompetence on the part of the
instructor then the problem is invalid and the players at the board may
go again later in the class period if they wish.

3.7) Extended Appeals.

   If a mistake or injustice is not noticed by the end of the class
period then no compensation is ever made.  If there is not time to hear
an appeal then the instructor should extend it until the next sports day
(not the next class period).

3.8) Picking Teams.

   People need not sit in the same location on each sports day and are
thus free, to some degree, to choose their team.  In the event that one
team (side of the room) has a winning streak that causes the victory
bonus to fall quite unevenly on many students then the instructor may
move some students around to equalize things.

3.9) Score Keeping and Late Arrivals.

   At the beginning of each sports day the instructor should circulate a
team roster for each team.  Team members put their names on the roster
and mark any points they earn on the roster.  At the end of the class
period the instructor should clearly mark the winning teams roster
"victors" so that he will remember who receives the victory bonus.  Any
student's name that appears on both teams rosters receives no points at
all for that day.  A student that arrives more than ten minutes late to
class may not add his name to the team roster unless he goes to the
board to work a problem.

3.10) Calculators.

   The instructor should declare at the beginning of the semester if he
allows calculators.  In the event that calculators are allowed then a
person may not use someone else's calculator, only their own.  The
instructor should either make sure problems are written so that
calculators do not give an excessive advantage or should clearly mark a
problem "calculator" or "graphing calculator".  Students should not be
required to work a marked problem they do not have an adequate
calculator for.

3.11) Checking.

   The team that does not have choice in a given round need not produce
a volunteer until after they hear the point value, and possibly topic,
of the problem.  This compensates for not having choice.  The macho and
the brilliant will sometimes come up before they hear the point value or
topic.

3.12) Priority of Volunteers.

   The first volunteer becomes his team's representative at the board
and a person may not "unvolunteer".  If the referee is selecting a
victim due to lack of volunteers but has not completed the process then
a player may volunteer at any time before the selection process is
completed.  Random players are often unprepared so such eleventh hour
volunteering is often a good tactical move.

3.13) Deferring Choice.

   A representative of the team that has choice may defer to his
opponent and allow the opponent to choose the problem.

3.14) New Rules.

   In the event a situation arises that indicated a flaw in the rules or
which suggest a beneficial extension of the rules then the instructor
may make a summary ruling or give options and request a majority or
other type of vote.  In general the instructor should encourage students
to create new rules that enhance the game.  Excellent additions to the
rules may be rewarded with five points to the student's personal score.

4) Optional Rules.

4.1) Tag Team Play. by Ann Stanley.

   In this play variant a student draws a small box on the board.  In
the event the student is stuck he puts a check or "X" in the box and is
replaced by another student if one is willing to volunteer.  Students
may verbally encourage their teams representative to let them come up.
A student that retires under the tag team rule receive no points.

4.1.1) Priority Effects.

   The instructor should decide if going to the board and resigning uses
up a student's turn at the board.

4.2) Choosing Teams.

   If the teams need to be reshuffled to equalize an inequality then the
instructor may select two captains and allow them to choose teams.

4.3) Random Problem Selection.

   The instructor may require students to draw problems at random from
the deck.  In this case rule 3.11 should be deleted.