Joining an ARML team

Team selection for the American Regions Mathematics League varies from team to team.

Alabama

The Alabama ARML team is coached by Xinke Guo-Xue, Jacob Glidewell, and Kimberly Cox, as of 2021-2022. The meetings are currently run online via Zoom. Alabama generally has enough interest to send one team per year to ARML. There are six practices held during the Spring Semester to determine the team each year. The 6 practices include 3 individual tests to help determine the team and some lectures on certain math topics not commonly taught in school, as well as practices of previous years' team rounds. Please email Xinke Guo-Xue at xinkeguoxue@gmail.com if you are interested in trying out for the Alabama team.

Arizona

The Arizona ARML team has been organized by mathleague.org since 2008. More information on participating can be found at http://mathleague.org/arml.

California

Northern California

Practice meetings are held at UC Davis, Mathematical Sciences Building, room 2112, on Thursdays at 7pm. For more information, e-mail Eric Brattain-Morrin at eric.brattain@gmail.com and visit the team website.

San Diego

The SD team is entering just its third year of participation, so a permanent process of selecting team members has yet to be decided upon. The team is organized by and practices at the San Diego Math Circle (SDMC), and most of the students on last year's team were regular attendees at SDMC. Also, since the 2007 team contained no seniors, the organizers for the 2008 team are not planning on extending invites to new students unless scores on the AMC exams or the San Diego Math Olympiad (SDMO) are particularly high.

A student who wishes to attend practice should try to take the SDMO. If a student wishes to speak with one of the coaches for the team, they may do so by contacting AoPS member 'jamess1964352660'.

• San Diego Math Circle website

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area ARML team has been organized by mathleague.org since 2008. More information on participating can be found at http://mathleague.org/arml. Teams are coordinated by Tim Sanders, AoPS user farmertim. Coaching and practices are run by Moor Xu, AoPS user annoyingpi. One can contact them for further information, although nearly all questions are answered by the link provided above. In SFBA, anyone is welcome to sign up for an ARML team. The number of teams that will be going is determined by the amount of interest, and it very rare that someone who signs up will be excluded. Only the top three teams are selected by merit, and the other teams are chosen by geographical placement. The three top teams usually all place in the top 20, often even in the top 15 or 10.

Southern California

The Southern California team is open to residents of the following Southern California counties: Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, San Bernardino, and Riverside. The organization fields three or four teams (45 or 60 students) and competes at the western ARML site in Las Vegas.

Practices are held throughout the school year, approximately once a month, on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. Practices are normally held on Saturday afternoons. In addition, there is a Santa Barbara area group that meets and practices in Goleta and becomes part of the Southern California team.

Team selection is based on all of the following criteria:

• Attendence at practice sessions.
• Performance on problems at practice sessions.
• Performance at ARML itself in previous years.
• Performance on AMC and AIME, including current and previous years.
• Performance at CSULB Math Day at the Beach, a contest held in March.

The coach is Dr. Kent Merryfield, a professor at CSULB. His AoPS user name is Kent Merryfield. Please contact him for further information.

• Math Day at the Beach website.
• SoCal ARML website.
• SoCal ARML wiki page.

Connecticut

Qualification for the Connecticut ARML Team is via the Connecticut ARML Qualification Test. In usual (non-COVID) times the test is given at various locations in the state in early March. Student selection for the team is then announced during the Connecticut state math meet (CSAML). The students selected for the team then participate in two practices held on Saturday mornings in mid-May, and three teams of 15 students each go to the ARML contest at Penn State.

In 2021, the ARML Qualification Test will be given online, the two practices will be attended remotely, and participation in the ARML competition will take place from home via video conference.

For further information about the CT ARML Team and to register for the test please see the team’s webpage or contact CTARMLTeam@gmail.com.

District of Columbia

The Chesapeake team serves areas of the District of Columbia. See See Maryland below, under Chesapeake.

Florida

Florida ARML sends three teams to ARML each year. The selection criteria for the Florida ARML team takes into consideration several factors:

• AMC and AIME performance
• Past AMC, AIME, and USAMO scores
• Past ARML performance
• FAMAT-designated competitions
• An annual statewide tryout test

Florida ARML is organized by the Florida Student Association of Mathematics. Email eliross2@aol.com for more information.

Georgia

Georgia ARML has sent at least two teams to ARML each year since 1991. Beginning in 2008, we took advantage of the opening of the new Southern Site to add a third team (the "C" team). In 2011, we added a fourth team (the "D" team). In the past, the A team competed in the A division and the B team in the B division, but recently, the A team, the B team and the C team compete in the A division. We also field a few alternates as well. Students interested in participation should do well in local tournaments and the AMC and AIME. In addition to schools invited to the annual varsity state tournament, the Georgia ARML coaches invite other individuals that are under serious consideration for the ARML team. The coaches select the team members during the state tournament based on USAMO index, performance in local tournaments, and score at the state tournament. It is vital that any student under consideration has what we call "verified ability". This can be described as having good results from more than one contest or tournament. "Good results" can be described as placing higher than someone who was on the ARML team last year -- that is, doing better than someone who we know is good.

The coaches attempt to select the best 30 students in the state (regardless of age or grade) to comprise the A and B teams -- those selected usually consist of USAMO qualifiers, the top 12 at the state tournament, and team veterans. (Of course, these groups are represented by overlapping Venn diagrams.) It is rare that a first-time senior is selected, although it does happen. Then the coaches select the best 15 young students (10th grade and below) to comprise a C team -- a team specifically comprised of up-and-comers who the coaches hope will be A and B team material in the future. Finally, the coaches allow anyone not selected, but who is interested in competing at ARML, to form a team of "walk-ons" which becomes the D team. It is rare for a student from the walk-ons to be so good that they move up to the A or B teams, but it has happened.

The team usually practices on Sundays from the state tournament until the trip to ARML. The specific compositions of the A, B, C, and D teams are not usually determined until immediately before ARML. A member's team placement (on A, B, C, or D) depends on the person's performance against other team members in practice and the coaches's discretion.

Maine

The two Maine ARML Teams consist of approximately the top 30 scorers on 5 MAML (Maine Association of Math Leagues) Meets. Training includes the problem set "Pete's Fabulous 42."

• MAML Website

Maryland

Montgomery (Montgomery County, MD)

Montgomery County typically sends four teams of high-schoolers and one team of middle-schoolers to ARML, with all 5 teams (Montgomery A, B C, D, and Junior) teams competing in division A in the past. However, all students as of 2017 are put in all teams, with middle schoolers able to join A team if qualified.

Top scorers from the Montgomery County high school math league are invited to ARML practices after the regular season, which ends around February. Top scorers from the middle school league are also invited. The Montgomery County ARML contact is Ms. Zenia Yang at the Yang Academy. Interested students from Montgomery County Public Schools who did not participate in the math leagues can ask their high school math team coaches to contact Ms. Yang and attend the weekly ARML practices to try out for the teams.

Practices are usually held at Montgomery Blair High School on Thursdays from 6:30pm-9pm. Team selection is done by individual scores at practice and at the discretion of the coaches.

Chesapeake ARML

The Chesapeake ARML team draws on areas of Maryland, DC, and Virginia. Selection is based on AMC/AIME/USAMO scores, UMD Math Contest scores, participation on Chesapeake teams for PUMaC, HMMT, JHMT, Purple Comet, ARML Power Contest, and similar, and a series of practices done in April and May (students aren't required to have participated in all or even most contests). For more information, contact the Chesapeake head coach, Catherine Asaro, at asaro@pobox.com or here on AoPS in the Maryland Forum. Web site at http://chesapeakemath.catherineasaro.net. See also Washingtonian article on the Chesapeake Math Program.

Howard County

The Howard County ARML teams draws the twelve public high schools in Howard County, MD.

Baltimore County

The Baltimore County ARML teams draws on the public high schools in Baltimore County, MD.

Michigan

Michigan sends three teams to Iowa. The teams are collectively known as the Michigan All-Stars. In general participants must place in the top 100 at MMPC, a local competition, to be in the running for the team. All members of the top 100 receive and invitation to be on the team. There are 3 practices that decide who is on which of the three teams. Although MMPC automatically qualifies for team selection, it is possible to get on a team by contacting coach Dave Friday. The three teams are the Reals, Naturals, and Primes. Two compete in A and 1 in B... Michigan was also awarded the best shirt design at ARML Iowa 2015...

Minnesota

Minnesota sends two teams to ARML each year, with the Gold and Maroon teams usually competing in divisions A and B, respectively.

Roughly 35 students are invited to ARML practices, which take place on three consecutive Saturdays in May. There is no practice Memorial Day weekend. Invitations to the ARML team are extended to the top 10 state scorers on the AMC12, the top 10 regular-season scorers on the Minnesota High School Math League, and the top 10 scorers on the Invitational Event at the statewide math league tournament (held in March).

Since these lists tend to overlap quite a bit, invitations are usually given to students "further down" these lists until enough invites have been given to fill two 15-person teams.

In addition, an extra 5 or so younger students (typically in grades 8 through 10) are invited to be ARML "students in training". They may or may not go to ARML, but often serve as alternates (in the event that other students cannot attend). The expectation is that a student in training will learn from the practices, and the following year will be on one of the two teams. Since the creation of the AMC8 and AMC10 exams, the top scorers from these exams have typically been invited to ARML practices, either as team members or students in training.

The selection of the Gold and Maroon teams is determined by students' performance at practices, and is not announced until the night before the competition.

Usually at least one student in training is invited to go to ARML. This is to prevent a last-minute no-show (due to illness or emergency, for example) from crippling one of the teams.

Invitations to participate on the MN team are usually sent out shortly after the MN State High School Math League statewide tournament in March.

• Minnesota State High School Math League site

Missouri

Missouri sends two teams, Red and Blue, and a few alternates for a total of 36-37 students to the Iowa site ARML competition.

Open practices are held usually once a month during the school year in two places, Springfield and St. Louis. Attendance is encouraged but not required. There are usually one or two "all day practices" a year at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Applications are based on AMC/AIME scores, GPML scores, other math competitions, and past ARML experience. Most if not all applicants are selected for the team.

Since ARML is NOT a strictly a “state” team competition and because neither Kansas nor southern Illinois have ARML teams, ARML has given the “Missouri” team permission to include students from Kansas and from western Illinois (eg Edwardsville, etc.) on the MO ARML team. (eg. the 2008 team fielded 6 from KS, and 1 from IL)

MO ARML homepage

Nevada

The Nevada ARML team has been organized by mathleague.org since 2008. More information on participating can be found at http://mathleague.org/arml.

New Jersey

New Jersey sends four different ARML teams. Also, many NJ students are on the Lehigh Valley teams.

BCA/AAST

AAST (a school in Bergen County Academies) sent 6 teams in 2012, all named after Greek Gods. Although there is a testing process to determine who's on which team, anyone in the AAST Math Team is permitted to participate in ARML. website

Central Jersey

Qualification for the Central Jersey ARML team requires that

• the student has participated (and chosen as a representative for the school) in at least 4 of the Central Jersey Math League meets,
• and the average score meets a certain minimum which varies per year (this year, it is 3.0).

Afterwards, interested students have to attend training sessions which take place at Highland Park High School or Hillsborough.

More information can be found at CJML website.

WW-P

WW-P, short for West Windsor-Plainsboro, is a team founded in 2012. Currently, it consists of students only from the WW-P school district, but students in close areas may be welcome as well. The selection process is a series of individual tests, and other experience is taken into consideration if needed. Two teams were sent in 2013; the A1 team ranked 3rd nationally. Also, they got 1st nationally in the B-Division two times in a row. More teams may be formed if more students join the program.

If you would like more information, please email southmathclub@gmail.com.

Raritan Valley

website

New Mexico

The New Mexico ARML team has been organized by mathleague.org since 2008. More information on participating can be found at http://mathleague.org/arml.

New York City

For information about the New York City Math Team, please visit the NYC Math Team homepage.

North Carolina

North Carolina sends two 15-person ARML teams to compete at Penn State. The 2006 NC "A" team placed 1st in Division A. Invitations to spring team practice sessions are extended based on performances at the NC State Math Contest, AMC, AIME, Duke Math Meet and other math competitions. The top 15 or so finishers at the NC State Math Contest (Comprehensive) and all USAMO qualifiers are among those typically invited to practice sessions. Performance at these practice sessions and math contests determine team assignments.

NC State Math Contest qualifying events are held throughout the state in February and March. Archie Benton, John Noland and several others coach and prepare the team with e-mail problems and the spring practice sessions held at the NC School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.

Ohio

Invitation is based on OCTM (a state-wide competition) and AMC scores. Also, at the OHMIO (second level of OCTM) the offer to join is extended to anyone who is interested. Team placement is based on a combination of OCTM scores, AMC scores, and how well the person does in practices. Ohio normally sends two teams, but is sending three this year because enough students were interested. Also, starting this year, the Ohio A team is competing in division A. The other two teams are competing in division B.

The first practice is Sunday, April 22, and the second is Saturday, May 19.

Ontario

Toronto

Toronto typically sends three teams of fifteen students. Team selections involve a team selection test and team practice performance scores. Practice sessions start in March and occur once a month until the actual competition. The practices are full day, 10AM - 4PM, on Saturdays.

More information can be found at: http://www.torontomathcircles.ca/team-selection.html

Waterloo

Waterloo and the surrounding region usually sends one team each year, which is currently accepting new members. Practices are held weekly at the University of Waterloo, beginning in late September. More information can be found at: http://waterlooarml.x10.mx.

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh

The Western PA region typically sends one or two teams to ARML each year, plus alternates. In addition, weekly practices are held at Carnegie Mellon University throughout the academic year; these are open to any interested high school students in the Pittsburgh area (well-prepared middle school students are also welcome).

A schedule for these practices, and other relevant details, can be found on the webpage of C.J. Argue, the head coach: http://math.cmu.edu/~cargue/arml/.

Lehigh Valley

For information about the Lehigh Valley ARML teams, please visit the Lehigh Valley ARML homepage and the Lehigh Valley ARML logistics page..

South Carolina

To join the SC All-State Team, one must take a preliminary exam administered through their school. For more information, please contact coach@scall-statemathteam.com.

The preliminary exam is composed of 25 questions (non multiple choice), and is usually composed of easy to mid range AMC-12 level questions. From this exam, approximately 50-60 (in 2006 it was 49) of the top scorers from the state are selected into the South Carolina All State Mathematics Team. The qualifying floor this year was 11 out of the 25 questions. After an individual is accepted into the SC All State Team, he or she is invited to one or two ARML practices which are usually composed of individual tests, team tests, and a power round test.

• SC ARML wiki page

Texas

Texas sends three teams each year to the Iowa ARML site. Interested students can submit a form on the team website to indicate interest. Dr. Edward Early, the head coach, forms every year's team by inviting any returning students who participated in the competition last year and who qualified for AIME again. The remaining slots are filled with newcomers. Most new invitations are sent out to students in 7th-10th grade, and selection is primarily based on performance on MATHCOUNTS and the AMC 10/12.

The team's website is located at http://edwarde.create.stedwards.edu/ARML.html.

Virginia

The Thomas Jefferson team serves areas of Northern Virginia

The Chesapeake team servers areas of the northern, central, and southern areas of Virginia.

See Maryland above, under Chesapeake.

West Virginia

The West Virginia team is selected using the top 15 winners in West Virginia State Math Field Day. Winners 16-30 are used as potential alternates for the team. West Virginia State Math Field Day uses a similar format as the ARML, having an Individual Exam, Individual Short Answer Section, Team Questions, a Team Power Question, and 2 sets of relays of 5 each (there are 10 members in each team).

See Other

• Newer discussion on AoPS message boards.
• Older discussion on AoPS message boards.
• ARML