New Teams

New Teams

EQUIPMENT

    1. Electronic quiz seat-pads and lights system used to determine the initial jumper are made by:

      Steve Kirkman
      736 Ashley Drive
      Chaska MN  55318
      (248) 398-1161
      Quiz Equipment

    2. Chairs must be suitable for the seat-pads.
      1. Chairs must all be the same size and type.
      2. No padding of any kind may be used on the chairs.
      3. Chairs may not have arms or desk-tops.
      4. The chairs should be arranged in a semicircle in front of the judges' table and facing the audience.
    3. The judges' table must be large enough to seat the quizmaster, scorekeeper, and timekeeper/judge. The judges will sit between the audience and the quizzers.
    4. The scoreboard (chalkboard, whiteboard, or overhead projector) should be visible to the judges, quizzers, and the audience.

RESOURCES

For the actual scripture memorization, any KJV bible will allow students to memorize the scriptures. Over the years however it has been found that the following resources available on Bible Quiz Shop will assist students greatly in the memorization and retention process.

    1. Scripture Portions (Small booklets that contain only the amount of scripture that is being used that year) are ideal for individual study.
    2. Verse Flashcards allow quizzers to go through individual chapters or the entire text with verses mixed up on individual cards to increase recall and  improve knowledge of the text.

There are two important facets to organizing a quiz team for a new school year: recruitment and retention.

RECRUITMENT

    1. If possible, get a list from the school office of every student. Scan this list (which could be very long) for names that jump out at you as potential good quizzers. An excellent quizzer will have:
      • A love for God's word
      • A high degree of discipline and self-motivation
      • A good memory
      • Quick recall
    2. Ask teachers for recommendations.
    3. Promote quizzing the first week of school and have a sign-up campaign.
    4. Personally talk to each person on your prospective list. Clearly describe to each student what memory work and time commitment is involved.
    5. When a student commits to do quizzing, ask him for recommendations of other students. Sometimes he can influence students that you could not have.
    6. Start small. A core group of 5-8 students is all you need.

RETENTION

    1. The key to retention is accountability. As students begin to memorize, they need daily checkups on their progress.
    2. Enlist the parents as quoting partners to encourage daily accountability at home.
    3. A little encouragement goes a long way. Help them develop determination.
    4. Share your excitement at seeing them memorize God's Word.
    5. Encourage a family atmosphere among the team members. There should be no criticism of each other; only positive affirmation.
    6. Have them quiz against each other at least twice a week to encourage competition.
    7. Do not give a student more than he can handle: he will "burn out."
    8. Do not give a student less than he can handle: he may get bored or feel like he is not worth much to the team.

COACHING STRATEGIES

    1. Bible Quizzing is most easily handled as a daily Bible class. This way the team meets several times a week for devotionals, quoting, practicing, and mutual accountability. The team can instead meet as a co-curricular activity, but must then compete with the myriad of other activities clamoring for their attention; plus, the amount of practice time is greatly diminished.
    2. A typical practice has three parts: quiet time, quoting time, and quizzing time. Quiet time includes a devotional from the scripture being studied, and allows time for meditation and prayer. Quoting time is when everyone quotes to their partner and vice versa. Quizzing time is the practice to prepare for the competition.
    3. Success in Bible quizzing comes with these two words: MEMORIZE and PRACTICE.
    4. Assigning material to memorize
      This is one of the hardest parts of coaching--deciding how much a student can memorize well. Much prayer and meditation is needed in this area. Some students can memorize the entire material each month, while others can handle only half. If you notice that a quizzer is overloaded, have him concentrate on one section of the material until he perfects it. If another quizzer perfects his material quickly, give him another chapter to work on. It is not necessary for every verse to be memorized, but it is recommended.
    5. Listening to them quote
      While you listen to one student quote, the rest should be quoting to each other. Whoever is the listener in each quoting pair must keep his eyes on the Bible to ensure word-for-word accuracy. Have each student quote large portions of a chapter to you, then ask him to quote individual verses. Always have them give the verse number before they say each verse to help them associate the verse with the reference.
    6. Practicing
      As soon as possible, order a quiz box. They are invaluable during practice. The sample questions provided each month are good for practice. Drill your team over the different types of questions until they are familiar with each one. Split your group into two teams or more so that they are competing against each other.
    7. Keeping a running total
      As a way to encourage faithfulness and reward diligence, keep statistics of how each quizzer does in practice. This will be helpful when deciding on a captain and co-captain, and also who will start and who will be a substitute.
    8. Helping them quiz smarter
      If they are jumping too late, help them learn how to anticipate the question and how to watch the quizmaster. If they are making errors, keep track of the type of questions they are having the most trouble with and help them work on those questions.
    9. Helping them apply the Word to their lives
      Throughout the year the students should be involved in a deep study of the scriptures they are memorizing. They should research the history of the books and consult commentaries. They should keep a journal of the truths revealed in these sacred verses, and how these truth should change the way we live. Be prepared to have a "quiet time" each practice over a specific passage of scripture; during this time each quizzer can share how God has spoken to him through His Word. Look for "teachable moments" every day when you can remind them how they can apply something they have learned. Challenge them to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
    10. Asking another team to come and put on a "Bible Quizzing Clinic"
      Some of the teams with extensive experience in Bible quizzing could bring their quizzers to your school one day to meet your team and demonstrate the rules and strategies involved in a quiz match. This will encourage your team and build a camaraderie between the two teams since we are all on the Lord's side.

ASSISTANCE

If you would like some in-person help to get a quiz team started where you are, you can get in touch with Micah Folkers via email or Facebook to ask for a visit, more resources, or just some advice! Micah has personally helped to start several Bible quiz teams, including one in inner-city Milwaukee, and he would be thrilled to partner with you in starting your team.

His services include:

    1. Presenting Bible quizzing in a fun, exciting, persuasive way to your church/school and recruiting a team.
    2. Personally training a coach or coaches to handle a team and equipping them with the resources they need.
    3. Training brand new quizzers on everything from how to memorize to the finer points of Bible quiz strategy.
    4. And much more! You will find Micah to be passionate, flexible, and committed to helping your team succeed.