The biggest impression that Quiz Bowl has had on me is the memories of these kids being themselves. Their laughter, frustration, quiet reflection. Their venting and anger turning into a smile as I cheer them up. Our motto "Keep moving forward." Watching them begin as immature, distracted players and become fierce competitors. Practices where the laughter and rapid fire buzzing was heard down the hallway and people had to stop by and check out what was going on. The 8 competitions we went to where we lost miserably but then loses became wins and then more wins and then qualifying two teams for Nationals. It seemed so far away, always just out of reach. But we just kept pushing through- long hours- team building exercises and ultimately two very strong teams. A journey of discovery because I had no idea what I was doing. I also tried to juggle this with National Science Bowl, Future City and TEAMS. All of which we did great at, but I was stretched thin and we did lose momentum on all of them. Successful adventures where the learning outweighed any win or triumph.
I see the patterns of things now. The patterns of one personality clashing with another. The mosaic of determination, motivation and letting loose. Getting my students to remember this is fun. Seeing the faces turn from frowns to smiles. I started to be able to anticipate their moods, when to take one student out of a game and add a different student in. All of this recognition is going to make year two so much tighter and more efficient. That is my goal for next year stream-line down to just one tournament- Quiz Bowl. Focus all my time on just this. Get to know my players faster and identify the patterns early so I can build a cohesive team quicker and then build team rapport- be stronger earlier. This will eliminate most of the struggles they have had on team B. A clash of personalities.
Each one of these 12 students has such a beautiful, memorable and unique personality and spirit. Each bringing a fascinating and beneficial quality to the team. They started out only being an expert in one subject then slowly...they became experts in 2-3 until the team had all the subjects covered. NAQT has such a variety of subjects it took a lot of time getting students familiar with them. Next year, I am going to have tutorials just to get the background knowledge then work in to the questions. This will get them more confident. I think their reluctance to hit the buzzer cost them a lot of games. They were not out manned by intelligence but through sheer speed and the fact that most of these teams were used to the rapid reading style of the moderators. I am going to read the questions faster from the get go. Let their qualities shine through endurance and resilience as well as intelligence and intuition. The patterns of things- seeing connections between the skills needed and skills acquired- bringing their uniqueness more into the game. Giving them an individual purpose letting them find their voice and then letting them sync as a team. The more I can let them find their way early on, the more I can get them coalesced as a team.
Strategies are unique for each team this I have learned. Making sure that ultimately this is an academic game- not a stressful event. I watched many coaches just lose it with their team when they lost a game. Causing more stress for the players. My strategy- keep it light, focused and always mindful. It is a game. Ultimately if it is not fun and we do not let them shine win or lose they will lose interest. So I will continue to emphasize their strengths, their personalities and the rest will continue to fall in to place. Quiz Bowl 2017- buzzer off, packet closed, chapter finished. Now, a party for the team and believe it or not next week- tryouts for next year. No rest for the wicked. "Wicked cool" that is.
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