As I enjoy doing from year to year, I will be interviewing several quizzers from many of the top programs in the country. Up first for the ’07 PI series is Kelsey Davies, a rising sophomore for Calvary FL.
Kelsey,
Thanks for your willingness to help on this!
-When did you first get involved with Bible Quiz?
I first started Bible Quiz in my 7th grade year when we were doing the Corinthians. But I didn’t really start memorizing a substantial amount until my eight grade year in Matthew.
When you started this year, what were your expectations for yourself as a freshman quizzer?
Well, I didn’t really have any higher expectations than just doing my best. Then, however, Matt West challenged me to memorize the entire books of I & II Peter. When I realized how much knowing that extra material helped me at the Kickoff in May, and then at the IDS, I decided to memorize all the material and know it not word perfect, but pretty well. I didn’t know how I would quiz ,but I hoped knowing it all would help.
-What were your expectations for your team?
I expected us to do pretty well. At the beginning of the year, three of our quizzers made commitments to memorize all of I & II Peter, so then the expectations were pretty high. I expected us to at least place top five in the tournaments we attended. But as long as we all did our best, I wasn’t going to be disappointed.
How much of the material did you have memorized? When did you have that memorized by?
I memorized the entire books of Hebrews and I & II Peter, but not word-perfect. I could tell you which verse was which, but when I quoted, I usually missed words like “and”,”if”, and “for”. I believe that I had I & II Peter done by July 4th. I had most of Hebrews done by Christmas, and then finished up the few I had remaining in January. I didn’t have first three words down solid until late February.
-How often did/does Calvary meet as a team for Bible Quiz?
We meet every Wednesday night during the school year, and periodically through the summer. If we were preparing for a tournament, we would meet a few more times during the week for longer practices to get ready.
-How much does it help or hurt you as a quizzer to have somebody like David Tyrell on your team? I know some may look at that type situation (another great quizzer on the same team) with disdain. Thinking it would mean you have to be jumping against another great quizzer every quiz. What do you think?
Well, it has its good sides and bad sides in my mind. It is great to have David on my team because we can help each other in off quizzes. Say, for example, either of us is having a really bad quiz , the other can step up and bring the team back. When we both are doing well, it is awesome! Also, having someone on your team that you have to compete against pushes you to do better, in the quizzing as well as in memorizing. The situation can be frustrating, however, if you want a better score personally. Also, I think that is part of the reason we have in the past made errors a lot against teams that were not jumping that fast. When you have someone who is fast sitting on the bench beside you, it is hard to not compete against them too.
-Is it discouraging at times knowing that your road to AACS nationals is much harder than most teams in the nation? (as in how tough FACCS is)
Definitely! It is sometimes discouraging to think that teams you have outranked all year are able to be at AACS and you are not just because they live somewhere that doesn’t have much real competition. But, then again, I guess we just have to work harder and be better prepared. Who knows? It could help us in the long run.
How tough was it to lose to FBCCF at FACCS this year?
If you mean tough as in mentally, it was pretty rough. But they are a really good team, so it is not like we lost to an unworthy opponent. They worked really hard, and proved that even without their strongest quizzer, they are a solid team. But, they were fun to root for at AACS. They did an awesome job.
-As you have quizzed most of the top teams in the nation, who would you say is the toughest team for you to quiz against?
FBCCF. Not sure why. I think it is because they are the only team that we haven’t beaten at a national competition. They have many good quizzers, not just one, which makes them hard to beat. PVKY is tough to quiz against, but we have proven we can beat them. FBCCF is an extremely resilient team, which makes them hard to beat! The stronger the competition, the better they quiz. They seem to thrive under pressure, which is something our team hopes to learn to do better.
If you had to choose, what other state besides Florida has the best quizzing talent?
Tough question. Probably Kentucky. They memorize it so well and quiz amazingly. But Illinois, New York and South Carolina are close seconds in my mind. There are so many good quizzers out there, it is hard to remember where they all come from.
-How good do you see Calvary FL being this next year? Will making it to Nationals be easier without Praise Santos quizzing for FBCCF?
I think Calvary will really excel this coming year. We already have 5 of our quizzers committed to the entire book of James. We are losing a great captain, but I think we are going to pull it off. Making it to Nationals should be easier, but with people like Katie, John, Luke, and Willie, I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t!
-What national tournaments will Calvary FL be attending next year?
As far as I know, as many as we can. Definitely Athens, CIT, and SCQANIT.