Updated Rulebook and Regional Tournament Fields Released
Jan. 24, 2021 - AMTA has released and provided several updates that pertain to the upcoming AMTA Regional Tournaments this February. Please review this entire message carefully, and please do not hesitate to contact Melissa Watt, Tournament Administration Committee Chair, if you have any questions or concerns. AMTA is working tirelessly to organize and host 32 Regional tournaments, eight ORCS, and our National Championship Tournament all online this coming season, and we are working to do so in the most efficient way possible.
Regional Tournament Fields Released
AMTA has released the specific Regional Tournament fields for the 2021 season. Those fields can be found online here. Any and all questions regarding AMTA's Regional tournaments, logistics, and/or scheduling should be directed to this email address (regardless of whether a specific host is indicated for your event).
AMTA does reserve the right to move teams between Regional fields (on the same date and within the same ORCS feeders) to reduce, as much as possible, the need for a bye-buster team. AMTA will communicate directly with any team moved and update the website accordingly.
Tournament Schedule
As announced in late 2020, all AMTA tournaments will follow one unified national schedule. On Week 1 of Regionals, we will follow a "1-2-1" format, and on weeks 2, 3 and 4, we will follow a "2-2" format. These schedules are uploaded and linked to the AMTA website. AMTA has also released the ORCS and NCT schedules, which can be found on the respective pages of the AMTA website.
Online Tournament Orientation and Q&A
When: Tuesday, February 2, 2021, 8:30 p.m. Eastern, please contact AMTA for the Zoom information for the meeting.
AMTA is hosting a training session for teams to introduce everyone to online mock trial, along with highlighting the new AMTA rules for online mock trial. Everything from Zoom basics, to audio/video setups, breakout rooms, timekeeping, technical problem recommendations, and AMTA rule changes will be discussed. The session will be recorded and made available to the community after it occurs, but all teams are welcome to attend via Zoom for the event to ask questions or have any issues addressed.
Zoom and Tournament Information for Online Mock Trial
Many of the below items will be covered in greater details during the above-referenced Online Tournament Orientation, but we want to highlight the following:
- Zoom Update: It is important that all teams operate on the newest version of Zoom possible, so please make plans now to ensure that your Zoom app is the most updated version available.
- Tournament Setup: Each individual AMTA tournament will be held on one Zoom link for the entire weekend. The trials will then be conducted in breakout rooms within that Zoom meeting.
- Tournament Zoom Link: Each team will receive their specific Zoom link for their specific tournament no later than the Monday before the tournament is scheduled to begin.
- Tournament Communication and Ballots: Each team will receive a link to join a GroupMe for all in-tournament communications between teams and AMTA Representatives/organizers. Each team will also receive a personalized link to AMTA's tournament administration system, which will allow access to tournament results, pairings, and ballots throughout the weekend.
- Captains' Meetings: Before each round, the teams will complete a Captains' Meeting with an online form provided by AMTA in their Zoom breakout room for their trial. See Rules 4.12, 11.3, and 11.7.
- Timekeeping: Each team is required to have a timekeeper, who will communicate with the timekeeper for the other team via the Zoom chat during the round.
- Online Trial Resources: AMTA has compiled several online mock trial training resources on the AMTA website, which are available here for your review.
Revised AMTA Rulebook Released
AMTA has released an updated Rulebook for the 2021 competition season, which includes several additions and changes to adjust for the online format of the season. A change log that specifies those changes is also available on the AMTA website. Chapter 11 of the AMTA Rulebook has been added, which contains the majority of the new rules pertaining to online events. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this Rulebook and/or the rules that will be applied to our online events this season.
Accommodations
If your team requires any accommodations to compete in online mock trial (i.e. live transcript), please let us know as soon as possible so that we can work with you to ensure equal access to online mock trial.
Team Confirmation Forms and Roster Forms
If you have not already, please ensure that your Regional Team Confirmation forms and your Regional Team Roster forms are submitted to AMTA for each of your teams. The deadline for your Regional Team Roster form is 21 days before the start of your tournament, which has passed now for both Week 1 and Week 2 Regionals.
Note Re: Roster Changes: It is extremely important that AMTA has a 100% accurate roster from each team before your tournament begins. If you have to make any changes to your roster, please communicate those to AMTA ASAP.
Thank you!
AMTA thanks you all for joining us in this journey of online mock trial for the 2021 season, and we look forward to hosting all of you this coming season. Please make sure to monitor the AMTA website for any further updates! Again, if you have any questions, concerns, or need anything else from us in advance of your upcoming tournaments, please do not hesitate to reach out and let us know.
Good luck and see you all soon!