<<I *never* heard of Chip Beall's
competition down at Loyola until Matt mentioned it. That
would be more understandable if I weren't a graduate of
Baton Rouge High. State quiz bowl in Louisiana is
organized rather the same way football is, so far as I can
tell. 1st and 2nd place teams at regionals advance to
state (hosted by Northwestern State up in
Natchitoches). Teams compete in 5 divisions determined by size
of school The divisional champs then play each
other. The resulting state winner does not then qualify
for nationals (an importance distinction from what
occurs in DOE). >>
This is a problem that
many HS quizbowl state championships and state
associations need to address: insularity. Too often there is
no mention of the other opportunities available to
play--outside the state during the regular season, at
nationals, or in future years in college. Some states take
this to a frustrating extreme by banning out-of-state
play at any time (Kansas, Illinois.) The collegiate
"community", whatever it is, needs to make contacts with high
school organizers and get the word out regarding the
full spectrum of formats and
tournaments.
--M.W.