Joining an ARML team
Team selection for the American Regions Mathematics League varies from team to team.
Contents
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 'Generating'.
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.
Connecticut
Connecticut team selection is based on performance in math leagues across the state, from which a few upperclassmen can automatically qualify, and a runoff which is held in early March. To participate in the runoff, either have the math team coach at your school contact the league director in February to get the date or, if you don't participate in a league, contact Daniel Bochicchio, the current coach, at dbochicchio@eosmith.org. Connecticut sends three teams.
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."
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.
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-9:30pm. Team selection is done by individual scores at practice and at the discretion of the coaches.
Chesapeake ARML
The Chesapeake ARML team draws on all areas and schools in Maryland not served by the Montgomery teams or by the public high schools in Howard or Baltimore Counties. 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. For more information, contact the Chesapeake head coach, Catherine Asaro, at asaro@sff.net or here on AoPS in the Maryland Forum. Web site at http://chesapeakemath.catherineasaro.net
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.
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.
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)
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 three different ARML teams; the four being Central Jersey (which typically sends an A team and a B team), BCA/AAST, and WW-P.
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.
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. In all, they are a very strong team.
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
Ontario typically sends two teams of fifteen students, one in the A division and one in the B division. Team selections involve a combination of optional problem sets and team practice performance scores. Practice sessions start in February 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
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Visit the Western PA ARML website and feel free to contact a coach or member to join the team.
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.
Texas
The coach, Sam Baethge chooses mathletes around Texas (or schools in Texas) who have done well in various math contests. The keys are the AMCs, and Mathcounts. TXML also helps, as he runs the competition. The TML, or Texas Math League takes the team to ARML in Iowa. Three teams of 15 students each go. There is a gold, silver, and unofficial team.
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).
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...
