Re: Quizbowl

etchuck · Tue, 03 Apr 2001 15:23:46 -0700

Just to answer the facts of the issue, yes there
is a summer quiz bowl "boot camp" (as I call it) run
by Academic Competition Enterprises, consisting of
coordinators Rick Barry, James Garrick, Hodges Lewis, and
Carlotta Wright. This summer there will be camps held at
Furman University and (IIRC) Southwest Missouri State
during the later part of July.

The issue of these
camps has been controversial because of the issues Eric
raised. It is similar to having an actual class dedicated
to quiz bowl (which I don't think exists) or
Academic Decathlon (which I DO know exists in some of the
more competitive schools). It is under these auspices
that I know I have formed my own opinion on the impact
of classes and boot camps on the nature of quiz bowl
(and AD).

To its credit, the ACE camps do try
to give participants a taste of the various styles
of quiz bowl being run at the HS level, mostly in
the southeast but also at the various nationals
(Chip, ASCN, NAQT HSCT, PACE NSC; they do group NAQT and
PACE together into one session because they consider
our questions "tougher"(?) than the normal fare
around the country I think). Also to its credit, it
forms a similar function as AAU/summer basketball
leagues for players to individually hone in on their
skills and coaches to "scout" players with
potential.

But to agree with Eric, that also bothers me a little
bit. I don't know how many of us are alumni of the ACE
camps, but I think very few of us attended these camps.
I also think that while playing is a very important
factor, one learns more by writing questions. I don't
know whether they teach students to write or edit
questions at this camp, but I'm guessing not. Furthermore,
very few of these participants participate in any of
the summer tournaments such as Philly Experiment, the
Michigan 1-on-1, or the GWU summer comps; in fact the HS
students that do tend to be from more DC-area/northern
schools... not the southern schools that usually populate
the camps. Part of this is also probably due to the
market: no one in the Atlanta area ran a summer open,
much to a few people's chagrins here.

I do not
wish to denigrate the camps; they do play a very
important role in some kids' development as players. Many
of them have continued on to become very good
players on the circuit. But I also encourage kids who do
go to these camps to stick their necks out and play
a little at the college-level summer opens...
academic AND trash. That type of comraderie will help
raise your experience and exposure to tougher questions
that will help to develop your talents in the long
run.

But just as important... ENJOY your summer.