National MATHCOUNTS Webcast

[epi]

For anyone interested, there is a webcast of the National MATHCOUNTS Countdown Round tomorrow (Mon 9 May 2016) at 10am ET which can be found here

https://www.mathcounts.org/national-competition

https://www.mathcounts.org/national-competition-webcast

If you miss it, it will probably be archived here

https://www.mathcounts.org/programs/competition-series/competition-videos

 

It's pretty interesting to watch, though I wish they displayed the questions to the viewers better, to see what the contestants are seeing. The contestants see the whole written question appear on a screen, and an announcer starts reading it out, but sometimes they only get to read a few words before someone buzzes in with an answer.

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Edit: ^This was for 2016.

It looks like the same links are good for 2017 (Monday, May 15 at 10:00 am ET).

Edited May 14, 2017 by epi

[naturalmom]

Thanks for posting this! I get to see it in person this year, though my student didn't make countdown round. But he gets to run in when they announce our state, and Nationals has been a fantastic experience! 😊

[JoJosMom]

Thanks for posting this! I get to see it in person this year, though my student didn't make countdown round. But he gets to run in when they announce our state, and Nationals has been a fantastic experience! 😊

Have they released the list? Our coach hasn't gotten anything yet. (My daughter has no chance, but one of her team members has a slight chance.)

[Cosmos]

Bummer. Looks like you have to have ESPN service in order to watch. Hopefully the archived version will be available to everyone.

[epi]

Bummer. Looks like you have to have ESPN service in order to watch. Hopefully the archived version will be available to everyone.

 

You don't need ESPN generally. But you do need that your internet provider gives access to ESPN3 specifically. I'm sure the archived version will be available to everyone in the last link I gave, though I don't know when it will show up.

 

Good luck to the contestants. We're hoping one of ours will be there one day in the future (in the 224 at least).

 

[Cosmos]

You don't need ESPN generally. But you do need that your internet provider gives access to ESPN3 specifically. I'm sure the archived version will be available to everyone in the last link I gave, though I don't know when it will show up.

 

Good luck to the contestants. We're hoping one of ours will be there one day in the future (in the 224 at least).

 

 

Thanks for clarifying. When I click on it, it says that I have to sign in with my "tv provider", so I assumed that meant you need to have cable tv. But either way, I probably don't have a way to access it.

 

I'll check back later for the archive. It's probably less stressful to watch it after the fact anyway!

 

[epi]

You can go directly to

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index#channel/espn3/

but whether you have access will depend on your internet provider (it is via internet, not cable/sat TV).

If you are stopped by `sign in with "tv provider" ' then you probably don't have it.

At least with the archived version you can pause it to think about a problem, though they don't always display the problem. Sometimes you just hear: "What is the .. <BUZZ> .. 641  .. Correct!", but you don't get to see what the question was. (The contestants can see the question, but viewers sometimes don't get to see it).

[daijobu]

The problem with watching the streaming version is they don't display the countdown round problems as the students are solving them.  I was just talking with Lou DiGioia who is the emcee at nationals (and executive director of the board), and he mentioned that a few weeks later they are posted on the MC website and formatted in such a way that the viewer can play along in the countdown round.  

[epi]

This year in the live webcast, they did display the questions on some of the questions, though not necessarily long enough to read.

 

ETA: I see what you mean with the archived versions having the questions, so that the viewer can play along (maybe hitting the pause button instead of the buzzer). That's good.

Edited May 10, 2016 by epi

[naturalmom]

Sorry, JoJosMom, I only just saw your reply! I am guessing you have the information by now. My son didn't find out until the awards banquet. Hope your daughter was pleased with her results! It was a hard test this year (except, apparently, for the 1 St place winner with the perfect sprint round!)

[JoJosMom]

Sorry, JoJosMom, I only just saw your reply! I am guessing you have the information by now. My son didn't find out until the awards banquet. Hope your daughter was pleased with her results! It was a hard test this year (except, apparently, for the 1 St place winner with the perfect sprint round!)

Yes, slow mom figured it out! 😄 DD had low (aka realistic) expectations, so all was well with her. We come from a small town in a low population state, so this whole weekend has been a blast! Raytheon obviously pours a ton of money into the event and it was awesome. The only wrinkle here was the sadness of saying goodbye to new friends. 😞

 

Because we traveled so far (sort of. Not like Guam, or Germany, or Japan-yikes!), we're staying in until Sunday. Hopefully that will cheer her up.

 

I hope that your DC also had a great time and wish you safe travels!

[daijobu]

This year in the live webcast, they did display the questions on some of the questions, though not necessarily long enough to read.

 

ETA: I see what you mean with the archived versions having the questions, so that the viewer can play along (maybe hitting the pause button instead of the buzzer). That's good.

 

Yeah, I saw they posted the questions this year!  We missed the photo of Sherlock's corgi, so we had to look it up on the internet ourselves.  

 

Seriously, I know nothing about producing TV, but if I were at the controls, I feel like I could do so much better.  ("Camera 3...now!")  There was a moment when they were announcing the finalists, and the camera was on Lou the whole time!  We never got to see the students.  

 

Amazing that kid who got a perfect score on the written round.  Bad news for the rest of us...that means they'll be making the tests harder next year!  

[JoJosMom]

According to the Mathcounts lady I talked to, ESPN is in charge of camera set-up and control. After the recording is released to them, the Mathcounts people will edit the tape, make it split-screen, and post the questions on one half of the screen. That way you can pause the screen and actually read the question. I still can't get over how many questions were answered before I had read even 3 lines of the question. 😮

[JoJosMom]

Mathcounts has posted a link to the video.  Also, for those who are interested, they posted a TON of photos on their Facebook page.  There's one little mathlete who's just.so.cute! :001_wub:   (Actually, they all are, I'm just a wee bit biased!)

[Kerileanne99]

Mathcounts has posted a link to the video. Also, for those who are interested, they posted a TON of photos on their Facebook page. There's one little mathlete who's just.so.cute! :001_wub: (Actually, they all are, I'm just a wee bit biased!)

Thank you for the link!

 

Although I showed it to my little mathematician before bed thinking she would love it...aaandd appprently not. She was in absolute hysterics because 'they are aaallll BOYS mom! Why? I don't understand...girls can be good at math, right?'

 

😥 yes. Yes, they can:(

[JoJosMom]

Thank you for the link!

 

Although I showed it to my little mathematician before bed thinking she would love it...aaandd appprently not. She was in absolute hysterics because 'they are aaallll BOYS mom! Why? I don't understand...girls can be good at math, right?'

 

😥 yes. Yes, they can:(

 

AAAAACCKKK!

 

Oh, no! That's awful! FWIW, Richard Rusczyk spoke at the conference about "after Mathcounts," and he specifically addressed camps and competitions for girls.  He said he makes a point of it, because he spoke to one girl who didn't particularly like competitions but loved a math camp.  BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE'D EVER BEEN AROUND GIRLS WHO LIKE MATH. Urgh.

 

Are you in an area where there are summer math camps? There are links to many programs on the AoPS site. None of my daughter's friends are into math, but we live in such a small area that it's not uncommon (statistically speaking) to have individual interests that others don't share, so I think it kind of norms it here.

 

Give your baby a :grouphug:  from me. (But tell her it's from mom; she shouldn't be getting hugs from strangers! :laugh: )

[Cosmos]

Here's the NH State Team in 2012 -- all girls!

 

http://www.nhspe.org/mathcounts/2012/

 

[Lilaclady]

It seems South Carolina also have 3 girls and 1 boy on the team.

We did notice no girl made the top 10 countdown but I was amazed at those young guys- definitely very good. I was impressed.

[JoJosMom]

There was 1 girl in the top 20.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I plan to watch it later, but I did watch the intro.  I love how they introduced the teams. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

There was 1 girl in the top 20.

 

It's understandable.  Girls are so much smarter and a lot of them find stuff like that so elementary and boring.  So they don't bother.

 

 

 

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I kid of course, but yeah I sure wish there were more girls at the top. 

[Kerileanne99]

Here's the NH State Team in 2012 -- all girls!

 

http://www.nhspe.org/mathcounts/2012/

We are on vacation at the moment, but I showed this to her at breakfast this morning...she asked how many weeks were left before we head home so she could start the new math books I just recieved for Fall:)

[Kerileanne99]

AAAAACCKKK!

 

Oh, no! That's awful! FWIW, Richard Rusczyk spoke at the conference about "after Mathcounts," and he specifically addressed camps and competitions for girls. He said he makes a point of it, because he spoke to one girl who didn't particularly like competitions but loved a math camp. BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE'D EVER BEEN AROUND GIRLS WHO LIKE MATH. Urgh.

 

Are you in an area where there are summer math camps? There are links to many programs on the AoPS site. None of my daughter's friends are into math, but we live in such a small area that it's not uncommon (statistically speaking) to have individual interests that others don't share, so I think it kind of norms it here.

 

Give your baby a :grouphug: from me. (But tell her it's from mom; she shouldn't be getting hugs from strangers! :laugh: )

I THINK it was the cumulative effects of the last year...she is the youngest girl in the coop (age 6) but is working ahead of the majority of the high school girls there. Whenever she 'talks math' she gets these horrible blank stares and pitying looks from the 'older' girls she likes. Her favorite teenage girl openly shuttered and said 'ooh, why do you like maatthhh so much?!'

Luckily, my kiddo generally doesn't care (or is oblivious!( and does her own thing...but I hate that she is subjected to all those ridiculous comments and the like.

I honestly think other girls are a big reason why girls don't seem to pursue math as much. Only in areas where it becomes 'cool' or they have support have I seen active and open love of math in girls.

Unfortunately, we live in an area where there aren't math circles or events within a reasonable distance. We continue to investigate the possibility of starting a club or circle but so far I am mostly met with skeptical looks or Luke-warm reception at best. Not to mention a few comments about the age of my kiddo. I think most are convinced that because of her age our circle would involve basic addition and subtraction in the form of worksheets and flashcards!

[JoJosMom]

I THINK it was the cumulative effects of the last year...she is the youngest girl in the coop (age 6) but is working ahead of the majority of the high school girls there. Whenever she 'talks math' she gets these horrible blank stares and pitying looks from the 'older' girls she likes. Her favorite teenage girl openly shuttered and said 'ooh, why do you like maatthhh so much?!'

Luckily, my kiddo generally doesn't care (or is oblivious!( and does her own thing...but I hate that she is subjected to all those ridiculous comments and the like.

I honestly think other girls are a big reason why girls don't seem to pursue math as much. Only in areas where it becomes 'cool' or they have support have I seen active and open love of math in girls.

Unfortunately, we live in an area where there aren't math circles or events within a reasonable distance. We continue to investigate the possibility of starting a club or circle but so far I am mostly met with skeptical looks or Luke-warm reception at best. Not to mention a few comments about the age of my kiddo. I think most are convinced that because of her age our circle would involve basic addition and subtraction in the form of worksheets and flashcards!

 

This may work out to be a blessing in disguise.  Going on her own, she won't be influenced by the negative opinions of others.  My DD is not nearly precocious as is yours, but I have now realized that having her away from the majority of her peers during the (hellish) junior high years has benefited her enormously. :grouphug:

 

[Dmmetler]

Get Alex with other smart, mathy girls, stat! I'm not kidding-having dealt with this, I understand just how devestating it can be for a kid to have the stuff she loves denigrated by those she looks up to, and for DD, the saving throw was getting out there and meeting professional and pre-professional women in the field. Knowing that she's not alone has made her more comfortable with putting herself out there with other girls, and occasionally finding them. And from what I've seen, professional women in the field are willing to support and encourage girls because they know how lonely it is. I strongly suspect that if DD had been a 9 yr old boy, not a girl, she might not have been accepted to the pre-bac program so early (the other girl who recently graduated started at age 12-and before DD, was the youngest kid ever accepted. Most of the boys are older teens).

 

Something like PGR, DYS Summit, SENG conferences, and other gatherings can be a great way to realize you're not the only girl who enjoys math, too, and be very validating.

[daijobu]

I honestly think other girls are a big reason why girls don't seem to pursue math as much. Only in areas where it becomes 'cool' or they have support have I seen active and open love of math in girls.

 

I think most are convinced that because of her age our circle would involve basic addition and subtraction in the form of worksheets and flashcards!

 

Agreed.  My dd is not oblivious and cares intensely what other girls think of her.  Which is why she leads a double life: her fun normal girl life with her friends who aren't really academically oriented, and her hardworking ambitious self which she leads at home and in classes, camps, etc.  

 

I was asked to be in charge of dividing up the check because I'm mathy.  Yuck.  I'm not in the mood to be everyone's human calculator when I could be enjoying conversations with friends.  

[Dmmetler]

My DD has described it as a secret identity, and one of her fears when she gets any publicity whatsoever is that other girls in our local area who won't understand will find out and think she's weird. She only feels like she can be open about that kind of stuff around a few people her age, and that's sad.

[daijobu]

My DD has described it as a secret identity, and one of her fears when she gets any publicity whatsoever is that other girls in our local area who won't understand will find out and think she's weird. She only feels like she can be open about that kind of stuff around a few people her age, and that's sad.

 

Yeah, I feel like it's unfair that if you are serious about sports or music or dance, everyone is down with that, but not if it's academics.  Or snakes.  Or academic snakes.  

[daijobu]

I was so excited to read this in the MC newsletter I just received, regarding Edward Wan, who not only won the national championship, he won as a 7th grader (most winners are in 8th grade), and also received a perfect score on the written competition.  

 

"Given this list of rare achievements, many would assume Edward is simply a prodigy, someone whose talent in mathematics is purely natural. But what makes Edward even more exceptional is this: he did not qualify for the MATHCOUNTS National Competition last year. A Mathlete, who less than a month ago received a perfect score on arguably one of the most challenging MATHCOUNTS tests ever written, was defeated at the Washington State Competition last year. In fact, when interviewed for a blog post by Microsoft, Edward summed up his achievement this year, compared to last year, with a simple adage: “Practice makes perfect.â€

 

"That Edward practiced and worked very hard for his achievement is a point that is probably not highlighted enough in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Many people continue to view talent in STEM as something that we are born with, or born without. But the truth is, brilliant students like Edward cultivate their brilliance through effort, persistence and yes, failure. But when these students inevitably make a mistake—whether at the nation’s most prestigious math competition or on a routine test at school—they rethink their strategies, learn from their errors and keep trying. Practice makes perfect. It is also what makes a national champion."

 

While I do have a hard time buying that some inborn talent is not necessary to become a champion, I do believe that anyone can be a reasonably good math competitor.  If math competitions were like AYSO soccer, where practically every parent in the US signs up their kid to kick a soccer ball around on Saturday afternoons, we'd yield a lot more mathletes.  

Edited June 1, 2016 by daijobu

[JoJosMom]

I was so excited to read this in the MC newsletter I just received, regarding Edward Wan, who not only won the national championship, he won as a 7th grader (most winners are in 8th grade), and also received a perfect score on the written competition.  

 

"Given this list of rare achievements, many would assume Edward is simply a prodigy, someone whose talent in mathematics is purely natural. But what makes Edward even more exceptional is this: he did not qualify for the MATHCOUNTS National Competition last year. A Mathlete, who less than a month ago received a perfect score on arguably one of the most challenging MATHCOUNTS tests ever written, was defeated at the Washington State Competition last year. In fact, when interviewed for a blog post by Microsoft, Edward summed up his achievement this year, compared to last year, with a simple adage: “Practice makes perfect.â€

 

"That Edward practiced and worked very hard for his achievement is a point that is probably not highlighted enough in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Many people continue to view talent in STEM as something that we are born with, or born without. But the truth is, brilliant students like Edward cultivate their brilliance through effort, persistence and yes, failure. But when these students inevitably make a mistake—whether at the nation’s most prestigious math competition or on a routine test at school—they rethink their strategies, learn from their errors and keep trying. Practice makes perfect. It is also what makes a national champion."

 

While I do have a hard time buying that some inborn talent is not necessary to become a champion, I do believe that anyone can be a reasonably good math competitor.  If math competitions were like AYSO soccer, where practically every parent in the US signs up their kid to kick a soccer ball around on Saturday afternoons, we'd yield a lot more mathletes.  

 

Luke Robitaille, the second place finisher, is a 6th grader.  :ohmy:

 

Honestly, both boys are brilliant.  To succeed at that level, though, they have to work at it.  Note also, that ALL members of the Texas team got to the Countdown Round.  That tells you that they trained hard and effectively.  Much like top athletes.  :thumbup1:

 

[epi]

I was so excited to read this in the MC newsletter I just received, regarding Edward Wan, who not only won the national championship, he won as a 7th grader (most winners are in 8th grade), and also received a perfect score on the written competition.  

 

"Given this list of rare achievements, many would assume Edward is simply a prodigy, someone whose talent in mathematics is purely natural. But what makes Edward even more exceptional is this: he did not qualify for the MATHCOUNTS National Competition last year. A Mathlete, who less than a month ago received a perfect score on arguably one of the most challenging MATHCOUNTS tests ever written, was defeated at the Washington State Competition last year. In fact, when interviewed for a blog post by Microsoft, Edward summed up his achievement this year, compared to last year, with a simple adage: “Practice makes perfect.â€

 

"That Edward practiced and worked very hard for his achievement is a point that is probably not highlighted enough in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. Many people continue to view talent in STEM as something that we are born with, or born without. But the truth is, brilliant students like Edward cultivate their brilliance through effort, persistence and yes, failure. But when these students inevitably make a mistake—whether at the nation’s most prestigious math competition or on a routine test at school—they rethink their strategies, learn from their errors and keep trying. Practice makes perfect. It is also what makes a national champion."

 

While I do have a hard time buying that some inborn talent is not necessary to become a champion, I do believe that anyone can be a reasonably good math competitor.  If math competitions were like AYSO soccer, where practically every parent in the US signs up their kid to kick a soccer ball around on Saturday afternoons, we'd yield a lot more mathletes.  

 

From what I can see, both Edward Wan and Luke Robitaille have had extremely high results in various math contests at very young ages. While I'm sure they work hard, it is impossible to get these results without a very high level of natural ability. Edward Wan not making the WA team a year earlier is really due to it being a very competitive state, so that a mistake or two could cost you a place on the team.

 

 

 

[epi]

The problem with watching the streaming version is they don't display the countdown round problems as the students are solving them.  I was just talking with Lou DiGioia who is the emcee at nationals (and executive director of the board), and he mentioned that a few weeks later they are posted on the MC website and formatted in such a way that the viewer can play along in the countdown round.  

 

The formatted video version of the video is now up on this page

https://www.mathcounts.org/programs/competition-series/competition-videos

I had been checking this page periodically to see when this version appeared, but I may have missed it because it didn't appear where I expected on the page, so it may have been there a while. It's grouped with the "highlight" videos instead of the "full" videos, but it looks like the full thing, minus the pre-competition speeches/announcements, plus displayed questions so the viewer can play along.

 

.

[epi]

For anyone interested, there is a webcast of the National MATHCOUNTS Countdown Round tomorrow (Mon 9 May 2016) at 10am ET which can be found here

https://www.mathcounts.org/national-competition

https://www.mathcounts.org/national-competition-webcast

If you miss it, it will probably be archived here

https://www.mathcounts.org/programs/competition-series/competition-videos

 

It's pretty interesting to watch, though I wish they displayed the questions to the viewers better, to see what the contestants are seeing. The contestants see the whole written question appear on a screen, and an announcer starts reading it out, but sometimes they only get to read a few words before someone buzzes in with an answer.

 

It looks like the same links are good for 2017 (Monday, May 15 at 10:00 am ET).

[daijobu]

Is there an underdog competitor we should all be rooting for?  I have to admit I think Lou DiGioia does a great job as host.