2014 AACS National Competition

 
     This past week I had the opportunity to compete at the National AACS (American Association of Christian Schools) Fine Arts Competition at Bob Jones University, SC.   So much talent pooled together is truly a sight to behold.  These young people are the best and brightest of THOUSANDS of other kids.  To get to Nationals first you have to compete at the state level.  There are many, many different categories, including: choir, art, academic testing, creative writing, Bible memory, Bible quizzing, humorous interpretation, oral interpretation of Scripture, oral interpretation of poetry, dramatic interpretation, classical piano, brass instruments, group bells--basically anything and everything that falls under the "fine arts" umbrella.  Each of these (and many more) are first presented at the state competition (i.e. for NY, NYACS).
Then, not only do the teens have to beat out their other competitors to attend Nationals, they have to make a #1 rating score.  The judges have a certain amount of points they are allowed to distribute to each competitor.  Let's say they are limited to 100 points per kid.  They then deduct away from those 100 points, until they reach their final score.  There is a ranking scale, 100-90 is a #1 rating, 90-80 #2, 80-70 #3, etc.   But in order to qualify for Nationals, you are required to make a #1 rating.

   So for all those who were in attendance this week, they are the ones who had both, beaten their opponents, and qualified for Nationals.  I qualified in three categories: oral interpretation of Scripture, creative writing: poetry, and Bible quizzing.  Our Bible Quiz team arrived on Tuesday morning ready to compete.  Bible Quizzing was the only category that began on Tuesday morning, and went throughout the day.  Our first quiz was against Virginia and Michigan.  To give you a mental picture of how Bible Quizzing works, I'll describe the following as best I can.

             Bible Quizzing quizzes are judged by the quiz master (in this particular case, Dr. Craig Scott of Woodside Baptist Church, Colorado).  He sits at a table with the score keeper, and in some cases a secondary judge.  In front of him is the "quiz box".  Basically an electrical box, that is connected to fifteen sensor pads.  These sensor pads are then placed on fifteen chairs in front of the quiz master's table.  Each team (NY, VA, MI) gets five chairs with sensor pads on them.  If the team has more than five members, the additional members are substitutes; if the team has less than five members, the additional sensor pads are shut off.  
              When the quizzing begins all of the "starters" for each team, sit down on the chairs and on the sensor pads (from now on just pads).  The quiz box has on it a little light that is directly connected to a single pad (each pad has its own light).  One all of the lights have turned off (the quizzers have sat down on their lights), then the quiz master prepares the box.  He then reads the question, i.e. "According to John 3:16, Who so loved the world?"  At any time during the reading of this question the quizzers are allowed to jump (or turn their light on).  However, as soon as their light goes on the quiz master stops reading.  They may only hear, "According to John 3:16, Who so--".  As soon as their light goes on the quiz master recognizes the quizzer who jumped, and the quizzer has ten seconds to add pertinent information.  If the quizzer doesn't add anything within the time restraint the quizzer sits down and gets what is called an error (an incorrectly answered question).  When the question is re-asked, the quizzer who got the error and his entire team are not allowed to jump.  
               But, if the quizzer says, "Who so loved", they've added pertinent information and get twenty additional seconds to answer.  Most often, the quizzer will know the verse and say "God so loved", but sometimes the quizzer still doesn't know the answer.  If the re-asked (toss-up) question also results in an error, a different question is asked to the third team as a free.  Regular questions and toss-up questions are worth twenty points, while free questions are only worth ten points.  If a team has four errors they go -10 in points, if you error on a free it is not counted as an error.  But all errors after question 16 are -10 regardless of how many errors your team has (still not including errors on frees).
               The questions are written (for the National Competition) by Dr. Jack Knapp, on a selected text: this year being 1 & 2nd Corinthians.  He is typically known for writing brutal questions, and is the head quiz master for the entire Nationals Competition.  Each quiz has a 'high win', 'middle win', and a 'low win'.  At Nationals, if you have two low wins you are eliminated from the competition.  If you survive until their are only four teams left, you do not quiz again until Thursday at finals.  

    Our team survived to Thursday night finals with only one low win (loss).  We competed against Wisconsin and Florida in the first quiz, because Colorado had earned the bye (meaning they get to sit out of the quiz).  The quiz was neck and neck, with a final score of 130 (Wisconsin), 150 (New York), 110 (Florida).  Unfortunately this was Florida's second loss, and they were eliminated from the competition (placing 4th).  The next quiz Colorado was in.  What often happens when coming off of a bye (skipped quiz), is that while the other teams have had a chance to warm up, the team that was on the bye did not.  This might've been a deciding factor in the final outcome of the next quiz: 120 (Wisconsin), 90 (Colorado), 110 (New York).   However, this was only Colorado's first loss, and since you are not eliminated until you've received two losses they remained in the competition.  The following quiz was also an intense battle, but alas, someone has to go home.  The final score was, 70 (Wisconsin), 140 (Colorado), 190 (New York).  This was Wisconsin's second low and for this reason final quiz.

     Now, when the Bible Quiz Tournaments get down to only two teams, the rules change slightly.  There are still allowed only five quizzer from each team on the seats at a time.  But, in the event that one team jumps and errors, the other team gets to here the same question asked as a twenty point free.   In regular three team quizzing if a quizzer has answer six questions correctly (quiz out) they are not allowed to answer any more and if there is a substitute quizzer the substitution is then made.  Contrariwise, if any quizzer has answered six questions incorrectly (error out) the quizzer is not allowed to answer any more questions and if there is a substitute quizzer a substitution is then made.  Free questions do not count toward the individual quizzers total in three way quizzing (three teams), but in two way quizzing (with two teams) these free twenty point questions do count toward the individual quizzer's total.  For this reason many of the teams decide to pass free questions to their weaker quizzers.

        In the two way quiz, the final score was 200 (Colorado), 170 (New York).  Woodside Baptist Church placed first in the nation.  With New York placing a close second.

Congratulations to all the teams in attendance; remember, Bible Quizzing is just a tool to get God's word into our minds and hearts.  Be all that you can be, and live for the glory of God.

   --Ludzz