A few years ago I woke up one day and realized I had been involved in Bible Quiz for over a quarter of a century. Now 4 more years have passed and I am getting ready to participate in AACS Bible Quiz for the 26th year. With the recent request from Brant and David for more articles for www.biblequizzer.net I thought I would put together some of my reflections of 25 years at AACS. Because of my advancing age, selective memory and bias towards the teams I coached in the late 80’s and early 1990’s. I am sure that some will find errors in or disagreement with what I have to say. If you find something that you can substantiate as an error please e-mail me at tinscarecrowman@aol.com so we can set the record straight. If you are in disagreement with some of my observations or if you want to add to some of my lists then please respond through the message board so we can all enjoy the discussion. My observations I have formatted into several lists.
My personal involvement at AACS
- 2 years as a quizzer 1981 and 1982
- 8 years as a coach 1985, 1987-1992, and 1997
- 6 years as a judge, scorekeeper or spectator 1984, 1986, 1993-1996
- 9 years as a quizmaster 1998-present
Longest involvement at AACS
Jack Knapp – Quizmaster
David Douglas – Assorted
Dr. Robert Bell – Judge
Dr. Ward Anderson – Coordinator, Judge
Craig Scott – Coach and Quizmaster
Ward Hamilton – Coach
AACS Quizmasters
Jack Knapp
Dr. Charles Walker (Illinois)
Mike DeVries
Jeff Lemaster
David Douglas
Bill Valentine
Craig Scott
Biggest Surprise Winners at AACS
1993 Athens Christian, Georgia
1985 Pennsylvania
Best Programs Historically
Schaumburg, Illinois
The Master’s Academy Florida
Woodside, Colorado
Southside, South Carolina
Berean Academy, Tennessee
Athens, Georgia
Faith, Michigan
Best Programs Never to Win at AACS
Capital City, Texas
Valley, California
Old Paths, Pennsylvania
Heritage, New York
Tri City, Missouri
Who I miss at AACS
Dr. Charles Smith – Judge
Randy Thaxton – Coach
Faith, Michigan
Southside, South Carolina
Carole Calvert – Coach
Paul West – Coach
The Master’s Academy, Florida
Jeff Lemaster – Quiz Master
Mike DeVries – Quiz Master
Valley California
Hobe Sound, Florida
Best Bible Quiz States Historically
Florida
Colorado
Illinois
Best AACS Quizzers
Mike Devries
Karen Alexander
Valerie Wood
Jenni West
Israel Bandela
Most Amazing Accomplishments at AACS
1. Schaumburg Illinois’ Five Championships accomplished with balanced teams and no visible superstar.
2. The Master Academy’s 7 top three finishes in 8 years interrupted only because they lost at state to Pine Hills who finished 2nd at AACS that year
3. Southside Christian School’s 6 consecutive top three finishes at AACS
4. Berean Academy’s three consecutive wins at AACS in the early 1980’s. If our records were better they may well have had similar runs to those of TMA and SCS.
5. Craig Scott’s involvement with 4 or 5 Championship teams over a span of approximately 20 years.
Most Championships by State
Colorado – 6 (3 schools)
Illinois – 6 (2 schools)
Florida -5 (2 schools)
Tennessee – 3 or 4? (1 school)
South Carolina – 2 (1 school)
Georgia – 2 (1 school)
Best Additions/Changes at AACS in 25 years
Quizzing on Tuesday
“The Bell”
“The David Locke Rule” – ask me
Getting Points for correctly challenged incorrect answers
Computerized Scoring
The 9 year cycle
What Needs to be Changed
Toss-up Format
Quiz Light System (I love the red box but it is time to replace it)
The reading in the rule book of the challenge rules
No more fouls on non-continuous jumps (the bell has made this rule obsolete)
Additional question styles such as Key Word Quote or Give the Reference
Best Outside Influences on AACS
SCQANIT and all of the other tournaments that have followed
Florida Quizzing Association and Piedmont Quizzing Association
Youth for Christ Bible Quizzing
Don and Ibba Glaske
www.biblequizzer.net
Some “Wild Ideas” to think about for the next 25 years (Hopefully not that long)
At Large Teams
With 4 quiz rooms and fewer teams, most years than we used to have, how about allowing the quizmasters along with the top 5 coaches from the previous year come up with some at large teams to insure the field is at 24 or 27 teams every year.
West Coast Rule
How about a West Coast rule that insures that no team from the Mountain or Pacific time zones have to quiz before 8 a.m. their time.
Hand Held Buzzers
Systems are more readily available and would also provide a better opportunity for those who are impaired. Even better what about a system that allows jumping or hand held buzzers.
Virtual Quizzing
With the advancement of technology it is not unreasonable to believe that in the future teams at completely different locations could compete against each other. Think about the possibility to quiz against teams from other countries. This type of system could also provide more competition for those who are not close to other quiz programs. A system like this could also help to keep quiz going strong in case travel was restricted due to terrorism or a severe economic downturn.
My Prayer for AACS Bible Quiz
Dear Heavenly Father we thank you for Your word. We ask that many more will learn Your Word through Bible Quiz. We ask that divisions will not discourage young people from quizzing. We ask for leaders committed to building young people through quiz. We ask for Your guidance as those in leadership seek wisdom for the future of quizzing. We ask that Your Word will continue to guide those who have quizzed over the past 25+ years at AACS. Thank you for the ministry of Quiz and for those who had the foresight to provide this fun tool for learning Your word.