JBQ: C/Rookie/Pee Wee Quizzing

JBQ is fundamentally different from Bible Quiz in many key ways. One of the most important differences is that in JBQ, the material is essentially static. From year to year, you don't cover different books; rather, the first grade student studies the same stuff as the fifth grade student. This means that a student who begins quizzing in fourth grade is at a tremendous disadvantage compared to one that started in first grade. To allow for different levels of development, we have created additional leagues to specialize in rookie quizzers.

In Springfield, we had about 60 teams compete in our league last year. Organizationally, teams were divided into four leagues: A, B, C, and Rookie. A-league is open to anyone, but typically the high-level, older, experienced quizzers are found here. B-league is for experienced quizzers in fourth grade and below. C-league is for students in fourth grade and up who have never quizzed before. Rookie is for third graders and younger who have never quizzed.

In each league, the Fact-Pak is cut down and introduced on a graduated system. There are pros and cons to this setup. Here is how it works:

A-league & B-league:

Match #1: 1-150; 288-385; 481-520

Match #2:1-200; 289-425; 481-540

Match #3: 1-250; 289-460; 481-560

Match #4: 1-288; 289-480; 481-576

C-league:

Match #1: 1-150

Match #2: 1-200

Match #3: 1-250; 289-375

Match #4: 1-288; 289-425

Rookie:

Match #1: 1-150

Match #2: 1-200

Match #3: 1-250

Match #4: 1-288

When I coach in A or B, I totally ignore these divisions in preparing my team. The reason is because I am ultimately focused on winning at the end of the season, and my goal is to prepare my team for District Finals, which covers the entire Fact-Pak. Also, since these quizzers are already familiar with the material, we are usually focused on achieving our Master Seal, which requires total knowledge of the Fact-Pak.

For C and Rookie, we are still looking at the seals, but typically these quizzers aren't going to move past their Discover and Searcher in the first year. Success for these quizzers is based on mastering the 10s and 20s in sections. Plus, these quizzers are usually totally unfamiliar with JBQ, so they have to learn about the rules of the game and the fundamentals of quizzing.

At the higher levels, the graduated system is designed to provide some parity or balance to the competition. The idea is to allow for teams with less experience to have a slightly more level playing field against tough teams. In truth, this rarely works out. The top teams don't typically care whether they're quizzing over 150 or 288 10s; they're going to win because they've worked harder and are more aggressive.

The graduated system is a good thing for first-year quizzers. It allows an already level playing field to be more aggressive. Brand new quizzers aren't usually going to master 300 questions in two months. It takes a little time to figure it out. That said, teams with experienced leaders probably have an advantage over the new ones. This is an unavoidable reality that is true across every level of quizzing. Good coaching can make a huge difference.

This year, I am coaching a C-league JBQ team for James River. It's a challenge that I am looking forward to with great enthusiasm. It's been a long time since I've worked with quizzers that have never even seen a game before, and their excitement is contagious. Once again, I have a great assistant coach that I look forward to mentoring, and I expect that this will be a fun season.