Combining Small Schools

Smaller schools may combine students to form one Team if total enrollment of the combined schools would not be greater than 300 students. Rationale for this includes: 1) In Wisconsin there are many schools with small enrollments. Even though individual students may be outstanding, there is not the base available to form a Team with depth. This would enable the students to feel they have a chance of equal competition to achieve national recognition. 2) In a smaller school, where the teacher has the complete science program, it is more difficult to be involved with all the science enhancement activities such as Jr. Academy of Science, Science Fairs and Science Olympiad. By combining schools, a teacher could divide the responsibility and give the students greater flexibility. This would also allow communication between schools to encourage academic cooperation.

Home-Schooled Students

Home-schooled students are absolutely encouraged to form Teams and participate in Science Olympiad. Several Home School Teams represented their State at the National Tournaments!  Due to differences in state laws/regulations, criteria governing home school participation in Science Olympiad are established by each state. Wisconsin Science Olympiad accepts Home Schooled Teams if they are recognized and registered as a Home School by the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Limit on Team Members from other Schools

The National Science Olympiad's written policies states that "the students must be from the membership school (recruiting from neighboring schools is not permitted) and that the principal must sign the Final Team Registration Form stating, "that all of the above students are active members of our school". Note that in all cases it says school, not school district.

Team Student Limit - State Tournament

Each Team may enter up to fifteen (15) students from the same school. Schools may field multiple Teams and are encouraged to do so. Each Team, however, must have a separate Head Coach and a separate paid membership to WSO. A school is considered to be a separate school if it has a separate administrator. For Division B, only five (5) ninth graders and for Division C, only seven (7) twelfth graders are allowed on the Team. Students must be from the membership school (recruiting from neighboring schools is not permitted). Ninth grade students can compete at only one level.

Event Participation Limit for Team Members at Tournament

For the individual State events, a Team may enter no more than one (1) student team (see each Event Rules for number of students permitted per team) in any one event. However, if Regional or Invitational Tournaments are small or don't host all events, Directors may choose to announce that more student Teams may participate in individual events. Aside from these limitations, Teams may enter as many or as few events as they wish.  Teams are not required to provide the maximum number of participants listed unless the event specifically so states. They will, however, be at a disadvantage if they choose this option for any event.
An individual student may participate in no more events than there are sections for the competition. In other words, a four-section competition permits a student to enter a maximum of four events. A five-section competition permits a maximum of five events. Penalty for a student for entering more than the maximum is disqualification from all events.

At-Large Qualification for State

An event team that earns a Gold Medal in an event at their assigned Regional Tournament will qualify for an At-Large invitation to participate in that one event at the State Tournament even if their School Team did not qualify for the State Tournament.

Safety

Safety is of utmost importance. Event Supervisors are obligated to prevent unsafe acts and devices. Safety decisions are NOT subject to appeal as long as they are applied equally to all Teams. Participants may not bring or use flammable liquids or flame sources of any type, such as matches, lighters, alcohol, and acetone, nor bring or use acids/bases of any concentration except for lemon juice, vinegar and other mildly acidic/alkaline naturally occurring substances.

The Day of the Tournament

General Event Rules Policy

Although the Official Rules will not change many of them are complex. Explanations and clarifications can be expected and announced up to and on the day of the Science Olympiad Tournaments. Please watch www.soinc.org for corrections and clarifications.
Teams may not interpret the rules so that they have an advantage over the rules or another Team. Unless otherwise stated, it is generally understood that, if notes, resources, calculators, etc., are not excluded or restricted, they are permitted unless they violate the spirit of the problem. Except, no direct or electronic communication is permitted with external resources  (including people, places, etc.) during the competition. This effectively excludes the use of any computer, PDA, calculator, wireless devices, phones, etc. that have access to external communication or data retrieval during an event, unless specifically permitted.
Please note that those events scheduled from 9:30-10:30, for example, begin promptly at 9:30. Students must get to the proper location (room, arena or field) and be on time to compete in that event.

Limitations on Science Olympiad Facilities and Competitions

At Wisconsin Science Olympiad events, the facilities provided by the host are "in the play" and considered to be equal to all Teams. If a school's team equipment is lost or damaged during competition, Wisconsin Science Olympiad or the host facilities holds no responsibility.

Limiting Entry into Science Olympiad Events

WSO Directors and/or Event Supervisors at the Wisconsin Science Olympiad maintain the option of excluding entry into the event to all but Team members. Several events, particularly the build events are considered “spectator events,” and are viewable by the public. Only those students actually competing in an event may enter areas where events are held. All other persons are to remain out of the building or the area at all times. If a student, coach, teacher, chaperon or parent interfering with or disrupting the conduct of an event, the team is subject to disqualification.

Cheating

An individual who cheats during the Competition will be penalized by disqualification of the Team from that event. If cheating occurs by a Team in more than one event, or in successive years, the Team may be disqualified that year, or the following year, from the entire Competition.
If an event Team, or Team member, or anyone associated with the Team, deliberately takes an action that impairs the ability of other Teams to fairly complete, that Team will be disqualified from the event. In addition, the event Team member(s) involved in the incident may be ineligible for any future Science Olympiad competitions.

Vandalism

If a Team member or members or persons associated with a Team commit(s) an act of vandalism, the Team will be disqualified from the competition. No member of that Team will be awarded a medal in any event. An individual who commits an act of vandalism may be barred from future competitions.

Each sponsoring school must pay the cost of repairing damage from any act of vandalism. A school must pay this restitution before it can register a team for the Science Olympiad in a subsequent year.

Vandalism means a deliberate action that results in damage to property. This includes, but is not limited to, graffiti, damage to facility property and damage to the personal property of competitors, Event Supervisors, volunteers and spectators.

Constructed Devices

This policy applies to events that require a device to be constructed and brought to the Wisconsin Science Olympiad. The students involved with the design and construction of the device will receive no physical construction assistance from any parent, coach or other non-school member. Parent and coach assistance can consist only of technical verbal advice. In Wisconsin other students at the school are encouraged to help with the actual construction of the devices. Please be advised that at the NSO the lead student must be present and operate the device when it is operated for scoring. This does not apply in Wisconsin. Consult NSO policies for further information.

Wristbands Required

Head Coaches will be provided with 15 Wisconsin Science Olympiad Official student wristbands and one head coach wristband at the Registration Desk at the Coaches’ Meeting held before the Events begin. These wristbands are to be worn by the 15 competing Team members from that school during the course of the competition. The wristband must be properly attached to the wrist of the participant and must not be capable of being slipped off or removed. A student not wearing an official WSO wristband properly attached valid for that year will not be allowed to enter an event or participate in the competition.

Communication Procedure between WSO Officials and Teams Regarding Concerns, Questions, Disputes and Appeals

Formal concerns, questions, and disputes regarding Rules, Scoring and Clarifications may be asked by ONLY the Team’s Head Coach. ( The Head Coach must be wearing the HC wristband ). These concerns and questions must be presented directly to the WSO State Committee person for that event. A Head Coach must make an attempt to resolve the question with the WSO State Committee person. The Head Coach may choose to appeal an unresolved situation by submitting a written Appeal Form to the WSO Div C Arbitration Board in the scoring room. The Arbitration Board will make a decision. This Appeal procedure is not intended to stymie the expected conversations and communications between participants and WSO Officials.

The Appeal procedure becomes effective only when a dispute is unresolved. Frivolous appeals will be denied. Event Supervisor and WSO Officials judgment calls are not subject to review. Event Supervisors are extremely busy during competition. Do not interfere with an event while it is in progress.

The Arbitration Board will decide immediate consequences regarding DQs and Appeals which may include DQ from any event a student participated in or preventing a Team from further participation. The Arbitration Board can also recommend long-term consequences to include barring an individual from future events, teams being put on notice, and Teams being disqualified from future SO tournaments.

Disqualifications

The National Science Olympiad has two forms of disqualifications, one for behavior and one for failure to satisfy the requirements of the rules. Teams will be disqualified for misbehavior to include, but not limited to, vulgar language, cheating, vandalism, rudeness, and for exceeding maximum events limits, improper communications, disregard for safety, etc. Event Supervisors may remove from competition any student(s) whose personal or ethical behavior does not adhere to the Science Olympiad Code of Ethics. This action will disqualify the affected student(s) from participation and scoring in that event only.

Communication between Teams and State Event Supervisors

Direct communication about concerns and questions regarding Rules, Scoring and/or Clarifications between a Team and a State Event Supervisor is NOT permitted either before the Tournament or after the Tournament. Email, phone calls, letters, or other media messages are not permitted. Any concerns or questions will receive comments and answers upon posting them on the WSO Message Board. The penalty for violation of this policy is disqualification of the Science Olympiad Team from the Tournament.

A State Event Supervisor may not, in any way, work with an individual high school Wisconsin Science Olympiad Team. A State Event Supervisor may work with Science Olympiad students and coaches at a workshop or clinic at a neutral site where many high schools are invited. Students and coaches are encouraged to communicate with the State Event Supervisors and other officials by using the WSO Message Board. Questions with their answers will be posted here to enable every team to benefit. State Event Supervisors may post additional information on their specific event’s page, also.

Scoring at State Tournament Details

Scoring of Events at State Tournament Teams/devices that do not meet the requirements/specifications of the event rules will be allowed to compete, if possible, and are to be scored and ranked below those who met all of the requirements/specifications. They will be awarded event points in relation to their rank. Event Supervisors may, at their discretion, allow students to modify any device before it is impounded to bring it into compliance with the rules. That discretion, if extended, must be made available to all competitors equally. Any modification must be completed, and the device impounded, before the expiration of the impound period. Supervisors and Officials may not provide assistance regarding the type of modifications or how to accomplish them prior to, or at any time during the tournament day.

Teams making an honest attempt to participate that cannot be assigned a raw score because of time, mechanical failure, wrong dimensions, etc., will be listed as a “P” for Participation for the raw score on the score card and will be awarded N points. “N” is equal to the number of teams registered to compete in the Tournament (we plan for 50 teams) as shown on the score card. Any device, which, in the judgment of the Event Supervisor, is a safety hazard to competitors, officials, or spectators, will not be allowed to compete and will be listed as a P (Participation) for the raw score on the score card and will be awarded N points. Teams that do not follow the rules regarding resources or specifications of devices, etc., will be allowed to participate (contingent upon the safety hazard) but will be ranked below others.

If a Team does not show up or does not make an honest attempt to participate or does not have a wristband, the Team will be listed as a No Show or “NS” for the raw score on the score card and awarded N+1 points. This includes Teams who may be present but display no preparation for the competition. Disqualified or “DQed Teams will receive N+2 points on the score card.

Teams who were scored and had a raw score placed on the score card, are to be awarded points for each place as follows: 1st – 1 point, 2nd – 2 points, - up to 50th – 50 points
Teams considered as PARTICIPATION, NO SHOW, OR DISQUALIFIED will be ranked and assigned points as follows:

PARTICIPATION (P) = N points = 50 points
NO SHOW (NS) = N + 1 points = 51 points
DISQUALIFIED (DQ) = N + 2 points = 52 points

(Note: N = number of teams registered to compete for the tournament not the number of teams that actually enter the event. We expect 50 teams to be registered for this tournament, so N=50)
The total of the Team points earned in all scoring Events will determine the RANK among all Teams. The lowest numerical total is best.

Tie Breaker for Final Team Scores

In the event of a tie in the cumulative final scores for two or more Teams at the Science Olympiad Tournaments, the "tiebreaker" will be determined by which one Team earned the most Gold Medals. Additional ties will be determined by the most Silver Medals and then Bronze Medals and then 4th place finishes, etc, until the point where the tie has been broken.

After the Tournament

Awards