Bible Quizzing in Hebrew!

We have covered other different Bible quizzing systems here before, but I think this may be the first time that I have come across a form of Bible quizzing in the original language!

In preparation for the famously difficult quiz — offered in Hebrew for yeshiva students and in English for supplementary school students on middle- and high-school levels — Darren and Ike needed to familiarize themselves thoroughly with about 70 chapters from the Tanach — the Five Books of Moses, Prophets, and Writings — along with selected rabbinic commentaries. In order to advance to the national finals, students must first participate in a three-part regional qualifying round, which both brothers had done successfully ever since seventh grade.

Congratulations to the winners of this amazing competition, and for now I'll just be glad our quizzing uses an English translation and not the original Greek!

Ouch!

WEEK 39: Study Philippians 3-4

This week (May 29 thru June 4), please study Philippians 3-4.

If you want to read the chapters online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

If you want to listen to the chapters online, click here. (Uses the free RealPlayer.)

If you would like to review the reference questions from Philippians, click here. (Thanks to the EFCA.)

If you would like to review the keywords, click here (Uses free barefootministries.com)

Study Tip: As we move thru these review weeks, are you making sure you are not losing your knowledge of the all the books? Be sure at least once a week to sit down and quiz yourself on all the chapters to make sure your mind remains fresh on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon!

Focus on Nationals: Salt Lake City

Those going to Nationals may not know a whole lot about the State or the city of Salt Lake City. Here are a few facts about its history to get you started, so you know what to expect.

In ancient times Utah was inhabited by various Native American groups. The ancient Pueblo People, also known as the Anasazi, built large communities in southern Utah from roughly the year 1 to 1300 AD. The Ute Tribe, from which the state takes its name, and the Navajo Indians arrived later in this region.

Salt Lake City was founded on July 24, 1847, by a group of Mormon pioneers. (Mormons are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) The pioneers, led by Brigham Young, were the first non-Indians to settle permanently in the Salt Lake Valley...On the very day of arrival the pioneers began tilling the soil and planting crops. Within a few days plans were drawn for Great Salt Lake City, named after the salty inland lake which dominated the desert to the west. Out from the center of the city, now Temple Square, blocks were arranged on a grid pattern in 10-acre squares, separated by streets 132 feet wide -- "wide enough for a team of four oxen and a covered wagon to turn around."

When the Mormons first arrived in the valley the region was part of Mexico. A treaty signed in 1848 ceded it to the United States, and in 1850, the "State of Deseret" became the Utah Territory. Deseret means honeybee, a symbol of industriousness. Utah's state symbol is the beehive...

Salt Lake continued to grow in the 1980s. Development included the Salt Palace Convention Center expansion, the Salt Lake International Center, University of Utah Research Park, and Triad Center.

The downtown skyline changed again in the 1990s when the Salt Palace Convention Center was rebuilt and a major office tower and new courts complex were constructed. Redeveloped city blocks, restored building facades and new urban parks further enhanced the beauty of downtown...

Salt Lake was proud to host the Olympic Winter Games in February 2002. The largest city ever to host the winter games, Salt Lake prepared well in advance for the most prestigious event of its history. Many venues are still in place and are available for the public to enjoy and relive Olympic memories.

FOCUS ON RULES: Contesting

This year, Districts saw more Contests than ever before in my experience. It was an interesting phenomenon because most years they are kept to one or two quizzes where a truly egregious call was made. But the spirit of these contests still seemed to be right to me - they showed knowledge, had real arguments, and were kept respectful... and stayed respectful even if ruled against. If you choose to use a Contest at Nationals, be sure to keep it in the same spirit. If you do want to Contest, be sure to keep the rules in mind.

1. If there is reason to believe the quizmaster has erred in ruling an answer
‘correct’:

a. Then any member of the opposing team may request to ‘confer’ with his/her
captain. If the captain requests the ‘confer’, he/she may talk to any one of
the four (4) remaining quizzers of his/her choice. Maximum time: 30
seconds.

b. At this time the captain may present a contest to the quizmaster. Maximum
time: 30 seconds.

c. Before ruling on the contest, the quizmaster shall allow the other team an
opportunity to confer. This confer shall be between the captain and the
quizzer whose answer is being contested. If the captain’s answer is being
contested, he/she may talk to any one of the four (4) remaining quizzers.
Maximum time: 30 seconds.

d. At this time the captain may present a ‘counter contest’. Maximum time: 30
seconds.

2. If there is reason to believe the quizmaster has erred in ruling an answer
‘incorrect’:

a. Then the captain or the quizzer who was ruled against, or the captain and
any quizzer from the opposing team may request a ‘confer’. The quizzer
whose answer has been ruled incorrect may confer with his/her captain. If
the captain’s answer has been ruled incorrect, he/she may confer with any
one of the remaining four (4) quizzers. Maximum time: 30 seconds.

b. The captain may then present a contest to the quizmaster. Maximum time:
30 seconds.

c. The captain of the opposing team may then confer with any one of the four
(4) remaining quizzers. Maximum time: 30 seconds.

d. The captain may then present a ‘counter contest’ to the quizmaster.
Maximum time: 30 seconds.

3. A contest must be given before the next ‘jump’ question, ‘bonus’ question, or
time-out.

4. The judges may be consulted if an answer or decision is contested or if the
quizmaster needs help, but the quizmaster will make the final decision as to
whether an answer is correct or incorrect. The quizmaster and judges are the
only persons allowed to look in the Bible during a quiz.

5. If the quizmaster decides that he/she has ruled incorrectly on an answer, the
score will be appropriately adjusted. Only the quizmaster can decide if a
particular question is scripturally incorrect or ambiguous. If so, he/she may
discard and replace the question.

Scoreboard

Images of Eternity

Mourn with those who mourn: Steven Curtiss Chapman

Our prayers go out to Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian singer, and his family whose youngest daughter died this past week in a car accident.

At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

Prayer for the Internet Generation

Prayer request from Surely

Team, Please be praying for Surely today and tomorrow. She is trying out for cheerleading and could use our support to keep up her spirit and do her very best.

WEEK 38: Study Philippians 1-2

This week (May 22 thru May 28), please study Philippians 1-2.

If you want to read the chapters online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

If you want to listen to the chapters online, click here. (Uses the free RealPlayer.)

If you would like to review the reference questions from Philippians, click here. (Thanks to the EFCA.)

If you would like to review the keywords, click here (Uses free barefootministries.com)

Study Tip: Do you feel yourself building confidence as we continue these reviews? If not, it may be time to change tactics and instead of studying all the chapters for each week of review, choose one and become a real expert on it. Better you walk into Nationals an expert on half the chapters than not really knowing any of them.

More Audio Options for Study

We have been very blessed this year to have Mr. Sarris recording his reading of the Quizzing Material for us. But sometimes it is useful to hear the Word in different voices, so that you are ready for whatever way a future Quiz Master may read the text. If you are interested in hearing another way, check out these MP3s from QuizCoach.Com. They are not professional quality, but they can be an effective tool to supplement your study methods.

Gutenberg Bibles on Display

Morgan Gutenberg was the man who invented the printing press and ushered in the age of inexpensive publishing to the world. Do you now what was the first book he printed using his famous press? THE BIBLE! Now, three copies of Gutenberg Bibles are on display at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.

The Morgan's Gutenberg Bibles — two on paper and one on vellum — represent the largest number of copies in any single collection.

The museum says each Bible "has characteristics that set it apart from the others." But taken together, they "offer fascinating insights into Gutenberg's ambitious plans for this masterpiece of printing."

If you are interested, it may be worth a trip into NYC this summer.

Scoreboard

Apologies, scores posted this morning were incorrect. There was a bug in my spreadsheet. Fixed here.

Choir sings

Polar Pete serves his country

Remember Polar Pete from the Kickoff at the beginning of the year? Well, it turns out his only skill isn't locating and selling frozen treats. He is also serving in the Army as a JAG officer and helping Iraq establish its system of justice!

That’s because Polar Pete Brake is also Captain Pete Brake, member of the Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps and assigned to assist the Iraqi government in prosecuting what it calls crimes against the coalition.
“It’s a strange feeling, driving an ice cream truck on weekends and then getting on a train to come back to the Pentagon and spending the week helping prosecute insurgents, the kinds of people who plant the road-side bombs that you see on the news.”
Brake, who was already a lawyer when he enlisted in the Army following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, had been on reserve duty, working at a law firm when the call came. The Army mobilized him for a period of at least one year and possibly as long as two years. Currently, Brake spends five days a week in Washington and catches a train home on the weekends.
“I’m lucky because it’s really not that far, but five hours is still a long commute,” he said. “It’s a challenge, logistically, but I can’t complain. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up, and I get to come home on weekends. There’s a lot of guys that are sacrificing a whole lot more than I am.”
And considering the only reason he is in the Army is because of the attacks against the Pentagon and World Trade Center, going to work in the building is a powerful experience.

We're proud of you, Polar Pete.

You've got to pray just to make it today

WEEK 37: Study Ephesians 4-6

This week (May 15 thru May 21), please study the Ephesians 4-6.

If you want to read the chapters online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

If you want to listen to the chapters online, click here. (Uses the free RealPlayer.)

If you would like to review the reference questions from Ephesians, click here. (Thanks to the EFCA.)

If you would like to review the keywords, click here (Uses free barefootministries.com)

Study Tip: At Nationals, you will be competing among the best of the best. So, how does a little team from Connecticut differentiate itself from the rest? By ensuring you not only know the words of these books, but their meanings as well. Take some time as you study to learn the outlines for each book, make sure you know some basic history about each book and the city to whom it is addressed (Which city addressed here was famous for its temple to Artemis? Check ACTS for the answer). This way, you will not only show your rote memorization skills and your quizzing speed. You will also show the Quizmasters that you understand the context of each letter.

Nationals Blog

Have you clicked over to the Challenge 2008 blog? Check it out, as it has all kinds of information about the event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A MESSAGE FROM STARFIELD

Hello all, your good friend Tim here. Writing from my home in Canada, where we're gearing up for a tour. 18 shows in about 20 days - which is great, except it moves very quickly. We get to play a good long set each night and that's fun, but we also pack everything up and head to the next city as soon as it's done. That's the nice thing about some of the youth conferences we do - where we're spending 4 or 5 days with a group of people. By the end of the week, you feel like you know each other - you've spent time together and you're not rushed off.

Which, of course, brings me to Challenge 08 - something we've been planning on for a long time now. I hope everyone is planning on coming and being part of the week, and are taking some singing lessons or something to get your voice warmed up. Because we're going to make you sing along with us, and loudly. Probably some jumping involved.
Maybe some light jogging. Rumors of me asking you to do pushups and jumping jacks are completely untrue.

Keep an eye over there as Nationals approaches. Lots of good stuff is sure to be there.

FOCUS ON RULES: Important Highlights

As we approach Nationals, now is a good time to review the rules under which we quiz. We'll start off with a few highlights to remind us about key points of quizzing.

Finish the Verse Questions:

From the rules, "Once the verse or verses are begun by the quizmaster, the quizzer must quote the entire verse word-perfect and must state the reference. A quizzer may go back and repeat what has been said from any point, but will be charged with an error any time the exact words are not used."

A few extra notes from experience: Keep in mind that the Quizmaster's ear is the FINAL judge of your performance. Try to speak slowly and enunciate clearly. If the Quizmaster did not hear you, then they can call you wrong, even if you know you said all the words. The tape will be there as backup, but typically is less reliable for catching detail than the human ear.

Reference Questions:

From the rules, "If the quizmaster does not complete the question before a quizzer jumps, the quizzer must state the basic question
that is being asked, in question form, although the answer may be given first. There will be no indication as to the need for a multiple part answer to the ‘reference’ question. The quizzer will be expected to know all of the appropriate parts of the answer from the reference given. (When an official reference question list is being used, the question that is on that list must be the one that is stated.)"

A few extra notes from experience: Since identifying the question is key to a reference question, always be sure to start the question, even if you think the Quizmaster finished it. This ensures maximum clarity.

Situation Questions:

From the rules, "The quizzer will be expected to know all appropriate parts to the answer. The quizzer does not need to complete the total quote ‘word perfect’ as long as enough of the quote has been given to satisfy the quizmaster that the quizzer is sure of the location of the quote."

A few extra notes from experience: The "satisfaction of the quizmaster" is a very flexible term. If you have given the answer and the quizmaster has not called you right or wrong, tell the quizmaster as much about the quote as possible, until s/he is satisfied.

Scoreboard

Rock the Sound 2008 Announced!

The first few bands for Rock the Sound 2008 have been announced: DAVID CROWDER BAND, LEELAND, and SKILLET. The concert will be November 15th this year, and while it likely will not be a Quiz Team activity. It is sure to be a Youth Group activity. Either way, I plan to be there!

Bible Knowledge Test Scores

For those of you who took the Bible Knowledge Test at Districts, it has been a tense time wondering about your scores. Well, wait no longer! The scores are in.

UPPER DIVISION


Ken from Cresskill took high score for the Upper Division with 112 points. Congratulations!


LOWER DIVISION


Congratulations to Chit-Chat for taking high score for the Lower Division!!!

People look at Coach Mark this way ALL the time

WEEK 36: Study Ephesians 1-3

This week (May 8 thru May 15), please study the Ephesians 1-3.

If you want to read the chapters online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

If you want to listen to the chapters online, click here. (Uses the free RealPlayer.)

If you would like to review the reference questions from Ephesians, click here. (Thanks to the EFCA.)

If you would like to review the keywords, click here (Uses free barefootministries.com)

Study Tip: At Districts, did you notice how quickly people tended to jump? The best teams jump on the third word, and even the worst teams wind up jumping faster than normal because of the adrenaline. Therefore, it is important to be ready to figure out your location in the Bible from only a few words. There are two good ways to do this. First, get familiar with the KEYWORDS - the one-used-words which can uniquely tell you where you are at all times. Second, start practicing with questions after only reading the first few words. You'll be surprised how soon you'll be identifying questions on the first 3 words.

Saturday Night Tips

Tip of the hat to Darth Nader for finding this site.

Good sportsmanship

In Bible Quizzing, we study hard and practice hard so that we can do our best and hopefully win at Midwinter, Districts, and Nationals. But ultimately, we do not quiz only to win, but to learn God's Word and treasure it up in our hearts. It is important to remember why you do what you do, and to remember that ultimately good sportsmanship is as important as playing hard. Consider this story from Oregon about a girl's softball game.

At the plate, Tucholsky concentrated on ignoring the wise guys. She took strike one. And then the senior did something she had never done before -- even in batting practice. The career .153 hitter smashed the next pitch over the center field fence for an apparent three-run home run.

The exuberant former high school point guard sprinted to first. As she reached the bag, she looked up to watch the ball clear the fence and missed first base. Six feet past the bag, she stopped abruptly to return and touch it. But something gave in her right knee; she collapsed on the base path...

ut on senior day, the first baseman volunteered a simple, selfless solution to her opponents' dilemma: What if the Central Washington players carried Tucholsky around the bases?

The umpires said nothing in the rule book precluded help from the opposition. Holtman asked her teammate junior shortstop and honors program student Liz Wallace of Florence, Mont., to lend a hand. The teammates walked over and picked up Tucholsky and resumed the home-run walk, pausing at each base to allow Tucholsky to touch the bag with her uninjured leg.

As we pratice and as we quiz, let's remember that at the end of the day, winning is only one part of the game.

Scoreboard

Again, scores are reset since Districts.

The Paparrazi come to practice

You may have noticed Coach Matt snapping a few shots at the first Nationals Practice. Click on the image below to see the whole set.

Congrats to Stephanas!

Official Quiz Team congratulations go out to former quizzer Stephanas, who is now a navy man. I am hearing that he will be returning to our part of the world as has been accepted to Naval Academy Prepatory School (NAPS) in Newport, RI. After completing his education there, he will be moving onto Annapolis for the Naval Academy itself.

Congratulations, Stephanas. From your leadership and tireless work ethic as a quizzer, we never had any doubts! If you get a chance, feel free to stop on by to some practices or quiz meets to relive your less-military "battles" from high school.

Be careful what you pray for

WEEK 35: Study Galatians 4-6

This week (May 1 thru May 7), please study the Galatians 4-6

If you want to read the chapters online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

If you want to listen to the chapters online, click here. (Uses the free RealPlayer.)

If you would like to review the reference questions from Galatians, click here. (Thanks to the EFCA.)

If you would like to review the keywords, click here (Uses free barefootministries.com)

Study Tip: Have you noticed that at Districts and Nationals there are 3 Finish-the-Verse questions in every quiz? If you need a way to improve your quizzing points, memorizing just one FTV per chapter can make a big difference. That gives you 21 verses to learn, but a chance to take back critical points for your team. At Nationals, many quizzes are very close, so even a single question can make a difference.