REGISTRATION UPDATE: The online team registration process is now CLOSED and all Tournament meals and merchandise purchased through it are now final and non-refundable. Check payments for Tournament meals and merchandise purchased through the online team registration process must be received no later than Friday, May 9. For instructions on to whom checks should be made payable and to what address they should be mailed review this information in the "Payment" section. Additional Tournament meals will be available for purchase on a space-available basis during onsite team registration on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30. Additional Tournament merchandise will be available for purchase while supplies last at the GW Bookstore beginning on Wednesday, May 28. From this point forward, the only changes that may be made to team registration are competitor/alternate competitor names and requests for tickets for Opening and Awards Ceremonies, which should be sent by e-mail no later than Friday, May 23. Please remember to include the school name and the team number in the e-mail.
Congratulations on qualifying for the 2008 Science Olympiad National Tournament! The George Washington University, in partnership with DuPont, is proud to host this year’s Tournament and looks forward to welcoming your team to Washington, DC at the end of May. Eligibility is determined by a team winning its state tournament and then our receiving confirmation of the win via the process that has been established by Science Olympiad headquarters. After clicking Finish, the head coach will receive an e-mail confirmation of what was submitted. Note that the # of registrants will appear as "1" given that the head coach is registering on behalf of the team. Any subsequent changes to the registration, within the parameters noted on this page, should be made using the link that is included in the confirmation e-mail.
Before completing the team registration process, please be sure to read the instructions below; the instructions will provide additional information about the questions that will be asked during the registration process. Please note that access to the team registration process is via the link that was included in the registration invitation that was sent to the head coaches of all teams that have qualified for the National Tournament. Please also be sure to use the e-mail address to which the link was sent for purposes of completing the form.
The team registration process should be completed as soon as possible, even if not all of the questions can be initially answered with final information and/or providing payment for Tournament meals and merchandise. Except as noted throughout these instructions, the form will remain available for editing through Monday, May 5, but please be sure to click “Finish” with each edit in order to ensure that the information is received.
Merchandise
Please refer to Merchandise for details of the merchandise that will be available for advance purchase through the online team registration process. Merchandise that is purchased in advance through the online team registration process will be distributed to head coaches during the onsite team registration on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30. All merchandise will also be available for purchase onsite at the Tournament, in the University Bookstore on the Ground Floor of the Marvin Center, although quantities may be limited and prices will be higher than those stated for advance purchase.
Meals
Please refer to Meals and Dining for details of the Tournament meals that will be available for advance purchase through the online team registration process. Teams are strongly encouraged to pre-purchase all meals through the online team registration process; the appropriate meal tickets will be provided to head coaches during onsite team registration on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30. Onsite purchase of these meals may be available on a space-available basis, but this is not guaranteed, so please plan accordingly. All menus include vegetarian selections, although if there are other dietary needs for which we should accommodate, please indicate this under the “Meal Options” section of the registration form.
Travel Information
In order to properly prepare for onsite registration, we would like to know on which day teams will be arriving for the National Tournament, keeping in mind that onsite registration will be available beginning on Thursday, May 29. Teams will also need to indicate the number of cars, vans, and school/charter buses your team will be bringing to campus. Refer to Lodging, Travel, & Tourist Information for additional information.
On-Campus Housing Information
Each team will be able to request on-campus housing in the residence halls for the nights of Tuesday, May 27 through Monday, June 2. However, please note that the beds are only guaranteed for the nights of Thursday, May 29 through Saturday, May 31; beds for all other nights will be on a space-available basis. Additionally, please note that each team will be initially allotted 17 beds, although the registration form will offer the ability to request additional beds on a space-available basis. While we will make an attempt to honor requests for additional beds, please realize that space is limited and teams should therefore prepare accordingly with accommodations beyond the residence halls (ie. hotel rooms). Additionally, all participants staying in the residence halls will need to use the beds provided; use of sleeping bags and/or sleeping on the floor to increase room capacities will not be permitted.
All on-campus housing will be located in residence halls on GW’s Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses. All residence halls are air-conditioned and linens, blankets, pillows, and towels are included in the cost of staying in the residence halls. Most residence halls provide two, three, or four beds per room and feature private bathrooms in each room or suite; when bathrooms are shared, they are designated for a single gender. Please note that GW Housing Programs will make specific campus and hall assignments in order to best maximize the available residence hall beds; requests for specific assignments will not be honored. Refer to Lodging, Travel, & Tourist Information for additional information on residence hall rates as well as the free Vern Express shuttle service that will be provided between the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses throughout the Tournament.
When completing the online registration form, each team will be asked if they would like to place an on-campus housing request. If “no” is selected, the team will be unable to request on-campus housing at a later date. Although the team will be able to modify the registration form and alter this selection after the initial selection, these changes will not be honored. As such, the initial selection of “no” to this question is final.
Teams that indicate that they would like to request on-campus housing by selecting “yes” will request the number of beds, not to exceed 17 beds; in single occupancy and shared occupancy rooms for each night that on-campus housing is requested. After indicating plans for the initial 17 beds, teams will be able to make a request for additional beds on a space-available basis. Please note that we request that at least one adult chaperone accompany each group staying in the residence halls, and this should be incorporated into the request for beds. The adult chaperone must also arrive on campus on the earliest scheduled day of their team’s on-campus housing stay.
Once the registration form is received, the information will be shared with GW Housing Programs. GW Housing Programs will then contact each team shortly thereafter to indicate how many beds, and on which dates, can be made available to the team. Until GW Housing Programs contacts the team to provide confirmation of what on-campus housing can be made available to the team, the
information submitted on the registration form is a REQUEST ONLY and is therefore not a guarantee. Once this confirmation is provided, GW Housing Programs will then provide the team with a Summer Housing Agreement to confirm the reservation and to request payment, which is separate and apart from the online registration process for the tournament (as such, on the tournament registration confirmation, the housing request will appear as "complimentary" because it is still just a request). Please note that any changes that are needed to the initial request for on-campus housing should be made through the Summer Housing Agreement provided by GW Housing Programs. Although teams will be able to modify the selections on the team registration form, these changes will not be honored.
Ceremonies
Each team will be guaranteed seating for 17 individuals, including 15 competitors and 2 coaches, at the Opening and Awards Ceremonies in the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center. Please note the 15 competitors includes the 2 who will represent the team in the Parade of States. Additional seating for alternates, chaperones, or other guests associated with the team will be provided on a space-available basis, either inside the Smith Center or at a satellite viewing location proximate to it. The online registration form will enable each team to request the total number of tickets (including the 17 individuals noted above) needed for each ceremony. Tickets for both ceremonies, to include the specific viewing location for those not guaranteed seating, will be provided to head coaches during onsite team registration on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30.
Payment
The online registration process will enable teams to provide payment for all Tournament meals and merchandise that are purchased in advance through the online process. Payment will be accepted in the form of check and credit card (Visa and MasterCard only). For those paying by check, please note that The George Washington University's Federal Tax ID # is 53-0196584 and that the University's W-9 Form is available here. Those teams not ready to confirm the purchase of merchandise and/or meals should select payment by check and will be able to return to the form at any time up until Monday, May 5 to complete the purchase. For teams that wish to pay by credit card after initially selecting check as the payment method, the merchandise placed as an “offline order” (payment by check) will first have to be refunded by the head coach using the provided function in the online registration and then the same quantity may be re-purchased with a credit card. Teams paying by check will need to ensure that the check, made payable to The George Washington University, is received at the following address no later than Friday, May 9:
Science Olympiad Registration
The George Washington University
2100 Foxhall Road, NW
Webb Building
Washington, DC 20007
After Monday, May 5 there can be no additional changes made to the online registration form and any Tournament meals and merchandise purchased will be non-refundable. Other changes, such as team member names, can be made by contacting the Tournament directly.
Once again, The George Washington University and DuPont look forward to welcoming your team to Washington, DC at the end of May.
