BQ Coach

Does Negative Feedback Bother You?

2009-07-20T21:42:00.002-05:00

This is primarily a blog for coaches, but I know there are plenty of current and former quizzers who read as well. I had an interesting discussion with a friend of mine tonight, and I wanted to get some insight from you.

The question is this: Does it bother you when you hear negative feedback, such as reading negative points after a game, or specific criticism of your performance on a blog or forum? An example would be from my post-nationals breakdown where I commented that the Challenger Division seemed weaker to me than in previous years.

There are many adults who feel strongly that to criticize a student's performance, either in general or in particular, is inappropriate. They sincerely believe that such comments can create hurt feelings and cause negative emotions among quizzers. Many feel that this is tantamount to sports commentary, and that such criticism has no place in Bible Quiz.

As you might imagine, I have a different view. I believe that quizzers have thick skin and know when their performance is not up to par. I do not advocate personal attacks or hateful hyperbole, but I believe that many quizzers draw motivation from a critique of their quizzing. I also think quizzers can make up their own minds about how much stock to put in someone else's opinion.

I do believe that restraint needs to be shown. I know there are a lot of quizzers who look up to me, and I have to measure my words more than someone who doesn't have as large an audience. Quizzers are smart, tough, and very competitive, especially those who quiz at the national level. They know when they haven't performed their best and have no problem with a factual accounting of it. Many will say that it inspires them to work harder.

I have a personal story that illustrates my feelings about this. In 1994, we had a short-lived quizzer newsletter. In one issue, a quizzer named Jason Sorens from Braeswood wrote an article previewing some of the top teams and quizzers in the country. I should tell you that he was one of them, and he made some insightful comments about himself and other quizzers. I was mentioned in generally very positive terms, but one thing he said stuck out. He described me as "mercurial." Now, that's not necessarily a negative comment, but it could certainly be taken that way. I didn't take offense. Instead, I used that as motivation to be more consistent. I also made a joke of it.

So I would honestly love to know what you think. I am putting a poll up as well, and I'll leave the voting open. I would also love to hear comments, especially from current quizzers, about how you feel about this.

Post-Nationals Breakdown

2009-07-19T18:18:00.002-05:00

The 2009 Nationals experience produced several thoughts for me. I will try to expound on some of them here.

-Owasso's second title in as many years should not be overlooked. Repeating a a champion is not an easy feat, and the Wagner boys worked hard to get where they are. It will be interesting to see how the loss of Josh will affect them in the new season. Give them a lot of credit, though. Since the expansion, only Lakeland, FL, Colorado Springs, CO, and Orange Hills, CA have accomplished that.

-There were a lot of seniors at this year's nationals, and they certainly acquitted themselves well. Half the top ten quizzers were seniors, and Jared Burkhalter won his third Male Quizzer of the Year award. Each of the top four teams had seniors that were crucial to their success.

-Youth was also served in this year's field. Later this week, I will detail a few young quizzers to watch, but for now we'll talk about Abby Rogers. Third high scorer was a remarkable accomplishment for the sixth grade prodigy, but consider that in addition she was the overall high scorer at JBQ Nationals a month ago. Female Quizzer of the Year indeed! She's very well educated in the strategies of BQ, and should be a force for years to come.

-This was certainly a competitive Nationals, and while the top teams wound up being easy to predict (nearly everyone called four of the top five), Teams like Garfield, NJ, Wesley Chapel, FL, and Grand Island, NE made good runs. Even teams that wound up toward the bottom of the Championship Division like Acworth, GA and Bridgeville, PA rose up to conquer top-five teams and made a difference in the standings.

-Conversely, I think the Challenger Division might have been more irrelevant than ever. I don't say this to bash those teams at all, but when I (and several others) can pick the Championship field with 95% accuracy, it might be time to reevaluate how National Finals is structured. Personally, I would love to see the field cut back to 32 teams with a full round robin schedule. That would add three games, but would require more endurance and strategy from the top teams. I dare say we might not see an undefeated team in that format for many years.

-I know there are a lot of people who aren't thrilled with the selection of Troy, MI for next year's Nationals site. Personally, it matters very little to me. Parking will be free, but there won't be free breakfast. Bernie Elliot assured me that the rooms for quizzing will be plenty spacious and the noise from other rooms will be less an issue than it was this year.

-There was a far greater presence at Nationals from NYM than there has been in past years. I'm not sure if this reflects a greater emphasis from the national office or if the proximity made involvement easier. I know that the website issues have created some apprehension on the part of the quiz community. I think as long as we can see positive changes, I'm not concerned too much with who making the final decisions.

Overall, I had a good week and enjoyed myself quite a lot. I'm looking forward to the new season and the fun it will bring. I expect to be posting a great deal in the next few weeks as things get set for Corinthians.

Congratulations Mark and Ashley!

2009-07-19T00:11:00.001-05:00

GeoTagged, [N38.43715, E90.95811]

Yesterday evening after the banquet, Mark Whitehead and Ashley Mefford got engaged. I wish all the happiness in the world to these former quizzers and their families.

Nationals 2010

2009-07-17T21:41:00.003-05:00

Nationals 2010 will be in the Marriott Hotel in Troy, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit), July 4-9.

Click here for the hotel's website. (I originally linked to the wrong Marriott so if you tried the link above before 10:45 AM on July 19, 2009, try again.)

Boys/Girls Quiz

2009-07-17T20:35:00.001-05:00

GeoTagged, [N38.73341, E90.35501]

East/West Quiz

2009-07-17T20:34:00.001-05:00

GeoTagged, [N38.73341, E90.35501]

John and Bev Porter enjoying the banquet

2009-07-17T19:16:00.001-05:00

GeoTagged, [N38.73341, E90.35501]

Banquet Tonight

2009-07-17T13:48:00.002-05:00

For tonight's banquet I will be tweeting throughout, and posting a full report on the blog when it's over. If my internet connection were faster, I would love to webcast it, but I can barely get YouTube videos to load. Hopefully, we'll be able to overcome that hurdle next year.

Nationals Day Four Analysis

2009-07-16T22:50:00.002-05:00

Today was the final day of competition in St. Louis (unless you count the adult quiz, which I don't). This has been a very enjoyable week for me. I've gotten to catch up with a lot of old friends, see some great quizzing, and meet some new people.

I think in many ways this Nationals felt more competitive from top to bottom than others. While Owasso and Bothell were clearly the class of the field, the top 15 or so teams proved very capable of winning tough games. It was a very competitive group, with the results coming down to the final match.

The Southeast Region placed the top three quizzers, with Brandon Duffy being the only west quizzer in the top five. So the projected East/West Quiz will feature the following:

East:
Jared Burkhalter
James Lex
Abby Rogers
Grant Warnock

West:
Brandon Duffy
Josh Wagner
Hannah Swanson
Jenna-Jo Duffy

The Boy/Girl Quiz will feature:

Boys:
Blake Porter
Billy Branham
Hudson Kelley
Jeremy Albrecht

Girls:
Catherine Hains
Courtney Walin
Melissa Larson
Lydia Hutchison

Tomorrow, we'll have the banquet and then most of us will head home Saturday.

Individual Tournament and Quoting Bee

2009-07-16T16:35:00.001-05:00

Daniel Wagner of Owasso was the Individual Tournament champion, and Hannah Swanson from Grand Island won the quoting Bee.

Nationals Final Results-Challenger Individuals

2009-07-16T14:38:00.001-05:00

Pos Quizzer Team Church Total AVG QO
1 Billy Branham Menominee, MI Lakeside Assembly of God 2290 120.53 18
2 Hudson Kelley Montgomery, AL First Assembly of God 1710 90.00 14
3 Courtney Walin Palos Heights, IL The Stone Church 1655 87.11 12
4 Jeremy Albrecht Bowling Green, OH Dayspring Assembly of God 1620 85.26 11
5 Melissa Larson Nyssa, OR Nyssa Christian Fellowship 1435 75.53 10
6 Devon Colegrove Corydon, IA Corydon Assembly of God 1390 73.16 10
7 EJ Mintah Wesley Chapel, FL (His Elect) Victorious Life Church 1360 71.58 10
8 Lydia Hutchison Wesley Chapel, FL (His Elect) Victorious Life Church 1320 69.47 9
9 Jeff Meyer Sparta, WI New Life Assembly of God 1315 69.21 10
10 Kaitlyn Dobbins Swedesboro, NJ Living Hope Worship Center 1290 67.89 15
11 Cameron Smith Noble, OK Noble Assembly of God 1225 64.47 8
12 Sarah Ingerson Shreveport, LA Hosanna Family Worship Center 1210 63.68 8
13 Christin Milman Brighton, CO The Worship Center 1190 62.63 12
14 Kelsi Hardy Kuna, ID Kuna Life Church 1155 60.79 10
15 Tiffany Wu Irvine, CA Orange County Christian Evangelical 1155 60.79 7
16 Kayla Hill Swedesboro, NJ Living Hope Worship Center 1050 55.26 6
17 Kara Gallo Bellevue, WA Bellevue Neighborhood Church 1000 52.63 7
18 Elaine Walker Lexington, KY First Assembly of God 930 48.95 6
19 Samuel Pryer White Cloud, MI New Life Assembly of God 925 48.68 6
20 Flynn Spicer Vancouver, WA Turning Point Christian Center 875 46.05 5
21 Angela Larson Nyssa, OR Nyssa Christian Fellowship 870 45.79 9
22 Elizabeth Milman Brighton, CO The Worship Center 805 42.37 6
23 Alex Daniels Racine, WI Racine Assembly of God 760 40.00 5
24 Rebekah Kelly Lexington, KY First Assembly of God 760 40.00 3
25 Cody Wolf Palos Heights, IL The Stone Church 720 37.89 5
26 Hannah Stout Fort Lupton, CO Living Water Assembly of God 715 37.63 6
27 Anthony Davis Noble, OK Noble Assembly of God 705 37.11 7
28 Ryan Albrecht Bowling Green, OH Dayspring Assembly of God 700 36.84 6
29 Rachael Stout Fort Lupton, CO Living Water Assembly of God 650 34.21 3
30 Mary Pryer White Cloud, MI New Life Assembly of God 615 32.37 3
31 Nathan Cowdery Wesley Chapel, FL (His Elect) Victorious Life Church 570 30.00 4
32 Breanna Laakkonen Lexington, KY First Assembly of God 545 28.68 3
33 Hannah Ingerson Shreveport, LA Hosanna Family Worship Center 525 27.63 3
34 Silas Mims Montgomery, AL First Assembly of God 500 26.32 3
35 Donovan Colegrove Corydon, IA Corydon Assembly of God 450 23.68 4
36 Cecily Spicer Vancouver, WA Turning Point Christian Center 415 21.84 2
37 Jonathan Barthuly White Cloud, MI New Life Assembly of God 390 20.53 1
38 Andrew Ingerson Shreveport, LA Hosanna Family Worship Center 375 19.74 5
39 Sarah Daniels Racine, WI Racine Assembly of God 360 18.95 3
40 Tierney Gillihan Kuna, ID Kuna Life Church 350 18.42 3
40 Ryan Toeller Racine, WI Racine Assembly of God 350 18.42 3
42 Ross Toeller Racine, WI Racine Assembly of God 340 17.89 3
43 Heidee Kolenda Menominee, MI Lakeside Assembly of God 330 17.37
44 H. David Kolenda Menominee, MI Lakeside Assembly of God 310 16.32
45 Marshall Kobylski Bowling Green, OH Dayspring Assembly of God 305 16.05 1
46 Sreya Santhosh Bellevue, WA Bellevue Neighborhood Church 300 15.79
47 Thomas Pryer White Cloud, MI New Life Assembly of God 220 11.58 1
48 David Zheng Irvine, CA Orange County Christian Evangelical 195 10.26 1
49 Nathan Dahlin Racine, WI Racine Assembly of God 195 10.26 1
50 Kalani Lewis Noble, OK Noble Assembly of God 180 9.47
51 Carmelo Martinez Sparta, WI New Life Assembly of God 165 8.68
52 Miranda Hill Swedesboro, NJ Living Hope Worship Center 155 8.16
53 Cory Williams Montgomery, AL First Assembly of God 150 7.89
54 Seth Larson Nyssa, OR Nyssa Christian Fellowship 140 7.37
55 Anthony Ho Irvine, CA Orange County Christian Evangelical 135 7.11
56 Kaitlyn Hong Palos Heights, IL The Stone Church 115 6.05
56 Renee Toeller Racine, WI Racine Assembly of God 115 6.05
57 Mason Lickey Bellevue, WA Bellevue Neighborhood Church 100 5.26
58 Jenae Bakke Vancouver, WA Turning Point Christian Center 95 5.00
59 Thomas Borja Bellevue, WA Bellevue Neighborhood Church 55 2.89
59 Kenzi Zesiger Kuna, ID Kuna Life Church 55 2.89
59 Keaton Gillihan Kuna, ID Kuna Life Church 50 2.63
59 Megan Bradshaw Brighton, CO The Worship Center 45 2.37
59 Kaleigh Tinsley Palos Heights, IL The Stone Church 30 1.58
60 Angel Martinez Sparta, WI New Life Assembly of God 10 0.53
60 Kia Dickerson Corydon, IA Corydon Assembly of God 10 0.53
60 Jordan Bowen Fort Lupton, CO Living Water Assembly of God 10 0.53
60 Amy Beckberger Palos Heights, IL The Stone Church 10 0.53
60 Austin Wolf Palos Heights, IL The Stone Church 10 0.53

Nationals Final Results-Challenger Teams

2009-07-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

1 Menominee, MI* Lakeside Assembly of God 14\5 2925 153.95
2 Nyssa, OR Nyssa Christian Fellowship 14\5 2440 128.42
3 Montgomery, AL First Assembly of God 13\6 2090 122.94
4 Wesley Chapel, FL (His Elect) Victorious Life Church 13\6 3245 170.79
5 Palos Heights, IL The Stone Church 13\6 2535 133.42
6 Swedesboro, NJ Living Hope Worship Center 12\7 2495 131.32
7 Racine, WI Racine Assembly of God 12\7 2120 111.58
8 Bowling Green, OH Dayspring Assembly of God 11\8 2620 137.89
9 Lexington, KY First Assembly of God 11\8 2230 117.37
10 Noble, OK Noble Assembly of God 10\9 2105 110.79
11 Shreveport, LA Hosanna Family Worship Center 9\10 2105 110.79
12 Sparta, WI New Life Assembly of God 9\10 1490 78.42
13 White Cloud, MI New Life Assembly of God 9\10 2150 113.16
14 Brighton, CO The Worship Center 8\11 2040 107.37
15 Vancouver, WA Turning Point Christian Center 8\11 1385 72.89
16 Corydon, IA Corydon Assembly of God 6\13 1840 96.84
17 Kuna, ID Kuna Life Church 5\14 1600 84.21
18 Bellevue, WA Bellevue Neighborhood Church 5\14 1445 76.05
19 Fort Lupton, CO Living Water Assembly of God 5\14 1375 72.37
20 Irvine, CA Orange Co. Christian Evangelical 3\16 1485 78.16
*Won playoff for first place, 180-130
Ties broken by head-to-head results, then by total points.

Nationals Final Results-Championship Individuals

2009-07-16T14:35:00.000-05:00

Pos Quizzer Team Church Total Avg. QO
1 Jared Burkhalter Orlando, FL Faith Assembly of God 2200 115.79 15
2 James Lex Acworth, GA Faith Family Church 2095 110.26 17
3 Abby Rogers Wesley Chapel, FL (Four Winds) Victorious Life Church 1990 104.74 14
4 Brandon Duffy Bothell, WA Cedar Park Assembly of God 1945 102.37 16
5 Grant Warnock Bridgeville, PA Journey Church 1810 95.26 14
6 Catherine Hains Bristow, VA Manassas Assembly of God 1720 90.53 13
7 Joshua Wagner Owasso, OK Owasso First Assembly of God 1695 89.21 11
8 Blake Porter Ozark, MO (Greatly Puzzled) James River Assembly of God 1665 87.63 13
9 Hannah Swanson Grand Island, NE Northridge Assembly of God 1575 82.89 11
10 Jenna-Jo Duffy Bothell, WA Cedar Park Assembly of God 1570 82.63 11
11 Daniel Wagner Owasso, OK Owasso First Assembly of God 1540 81.05 11
12 LaJoie Ward Binghamton, NY First Assembly of God 1445 76.05 12
13 Zach Mang Santa Ana, CA Orange County Worship Center 1425 75.00 9
14 Tamera Burkhalter Orlando, FL Faith Assembly of God 1345 70.79 12
15 Kyler Sederwall Garfield, NJ Praise Assembly of God 1330 70.00 9
16 Whitney Garrison Ozark, MO (Trembling & Bewildered) James River Assembly of God 1235 65.00 9
Joshua George West Plains, MO Faith Assembly of God 1235 65.00 9
18 Alyssa Batchelder Tulsa, OK Christian Chapel 1215 63.95 11
19 Jesse Wagner Owasso, OK Owasso First Assembly of God 1180 62.11 10
20 Kourtni Wyatt O'Fallon, IL O'Fallon Assembly of God 1125 59.21 6
21 Justin Czubkowski Garfield, NJ Praise Assembly of God 1100 57.89 8
22 Chelsea Brookbank Overland Park, KS Overland Park Assembly of God 1070 56.32 7
23 Colin Knoth Ozark, MO (Greatly Puzzled) James River Assembly of God 1045 55.00 10
24 Isaac Ward Binghamton, NY First Assembly of God 1015 53.42 6
25 Jacob Wyatt O'Fallon, IL O'Fallon Assembly of God 1005 52.89 7
26 Emily Murray Springfield, MO Central Assembly of God 1005 52.89 6
27 Cara Brower Bristow, VA Manassas Assembly of God 950 50.00 7
28 Tori Beye Grand Island, NE Northridge Assembly of God 915 48.16 10
29 Matthew Klika Springfield, MO Central Assembly of God 865 45.53 5
30 Ariel Brookbank Overland Park, KS Overland Park Assembly of God 855 45.00 6
31 Danielle Brozovich Ozark, MO (Greatly Puzzled) James River Assembly of God 830 43.68 4
32 Meg Pace Colorado Springs, CO Church at Briargate 770 40.53 4
33 Erinn Wolf Wesley Chapel, FL (Four Winds) Victorious Life Church 760 40.00 4
34 Joshua Echebiri Houston, TX Braeswood Assembly of God 725 38.16 6
35 Hillari Wyatt O'Fallon, IL O'Fallon Assembly of God 720 37.89 8
36 Jonathan George West Plains, MO Faith Assembly of God 700 36.84 6
Zachariah Brookbank Overland Park, KS Overland Park Assembly of God 700 36.84 6
37 Abram Benj Songsong Garfield, NJ Praise Assembly of God 670 35.26 7
38 Braden McCready Tulsa, OK Christian Chapel 670 35.26 5
39 Roysan Easo Houston, TX Braeswood Assembly of God 655 34.47 5
40 Ellen Oss Colorado Springs, CO Church at Briargate 645 33.95 2
41 Natalie Garrison Ozark, MO (Trembling & Bewildered) James River Assembly of God 635 33.42 5
42 Karan Bhargava West Plains, MO Faith Assembly of God 570 30.00 3
43 Dana Warnock Bridgeville, PA Journey Church 555 29.21 4
44 James Lynch Santa Ana, CA Orange County Worship Center 505 26.58 5
45 Justin Napper Ozark, MO (Trembling & Bewildered) James River Assembly of God 465 24.47 4
46 Obidinma Kpando Houston, TX Braeswood Assembly of God 465 24.47 2
47 Nathan Mori Bothell, WA Cedar Park Assembly of God 415 21.84 3
48 Brianna Riley Springfield, MO Central Assembly of God 415 21.84 2
49 Reesie Owens Wesley Chapel, FL (Four Winds) Victorious Life Church 340 17.89 1
50 Heather Karnes Bothell, WA Cedar Park Assembly of God 330 17.37 2
51 Julianne Kelley Colorado Springs, CO Church at Briargate 290 15.26 1
52 Colin Kuroishi Santa Ana, CA Orange County Worship Center 260 13.68 2
53 Victoria Myrick Binghamton, NY First Assembly of God 255 13.42
54 Isabella Lex Acworth, GA Faith Family Church 210 11.05
55 Michelle Paulson Tulsa, OK Christian Chapel 185 9.74 1
56 Sabrina Burkhalter Orlando, FL Faith Assembly of God 130 6.84
57 Koree Dickson Ozark, MO (Trembling & Bewildered) James River Assembly of God 115 6.05
58 Jessica Lynch Santa Ana, CA Orange County Worship Center 105 5.53
59 Jeremy Butler Orlando, FL Faith Assembly of God 100 5.26
60 Unwana Ekpa Houston, TX Braeswood Assembly of God 80 4.21
61 Christopher Knoth Ozark, MO (Greatly Puzzled) James River Assembly of God 70 3.68
62 Luke Wagner Owasso, OK Owasso First Assembly of God 50 2.63
63 Christopher Galea Garfield, NJ Praise Assembly of God 45 2.37
64 Michael Chorley Tulsa, OK Christian Chapel 30 1.58
65 David Batchelder Tulsa, OK Christian Chapel 25 1.32
66 Hannah Hutchison Wesley Chapel, FL (Four Winds) Victorious Life Church 20 1.05
67 Jeremiah George West Plains, MO Faith Assembly of God 15 0.79
68 Robert Mitchell Garfield, NJ Praise Assembly of God 10 0.53
69 Heather Murdy West Plains, MO Faith Assembly of God 10 0.53
70 Jacob Morrow Grand Island, NE Northridge Assembly of God 5 0.26
Jessica Sikes Bridgeville, PA Journey Church 5 0.26
72 Brandy Snavely Owasso, OK Owasso First Assembly of God 0.00
Alexexander Cheski Garfield, NJ Praise Assembly of God 0.00
Shane Warnock Bridgeville, PA Journey Church 0.00
Michael Rose Colorado Springs, CO Church at Briargate 0.00
Rose Oehlerking West Plains, MO Faith Assembly of God 0.00
Tiny Lopez Overland Park, KS Overland Park Assembly of God 0.00
Brooke Greaney Bristow, VA Manassas Assembly of God 0.00
LeeAnn Thomas Grand Island, NE Northridge Assembly of God 0.00
Oseikhuemen Omobhude Houston, TX Braeswood Assembly of God 0.00
73 Jordan Lemons O'Fallon, IL O'Fallon Assembly of God -5 -0.26
74 Miki Beye Grand Island, NE Northridge Assembly of God -10 -0.53

Nationals Final Results-Championship Teams

2009-07-16T14:33:00.002-05:00

The formatting is a little off, because this is copied straight from the NYM site. The columns are city and state, church, record, points, and average.

1 Owasso, OK Owasso First Assembly of God 18\1 4460 234.74
2 Bothell, WA Cedar Park Assembly of God 17\2 4260 224.21
3 Orlando, FL Faith Assembly of God 15\4 3775 198.68
4 Ozark, MO (Greatly Puzzled) James River Assembly of God 14\5 3605 189.74
5 Garfield, NJ Praise Assembly of God 13\6 3150 165.79
6 Wesley Chapel, FL (Four Winds) Victorious Life Church 11\8 3095 162.89
7 Santa Ana, CA Orange County Worship Center 10\9 2295 120.79
8 O'Fallon, IL O'Fallon Assembly of God 10\9 2840 149.47
9 Overland Park, KS Overland Park Assembly of God 9\10 2590 136.32
10 Bristow, VA Manassas Assembly of God 9\10 2660 140.00
11 Grand Island, NE Northridge Assembly of God 9\10 2485 130.79
12 Ozark, MO (Trembling & Bewildered) James River Assembly of God 8\11 2445 128.68
13 Binghamton, NY First Assembly of God 8\11 2715 142.89
14 West Plains, MO Faith Assembly of God 8\11 2525 132.89
15 Tulsa, OK Christian Chapel 7\12 2105 110.79
16 Springfield, MO Central Assembly of God 6\13 2270 119.47
17 Acworth, GA Faith Family Church 5\14 2305 121.32
18 Houston, TX Braeswood Assembly of God 5\14 1885 99.21
19 Bridgeville, PA Journey Church 5\14 2370 124.74
20 Colorado Springs, CO Church at Briargate 3\16 1695 89.21

Final Championship Division Results

2009-07-16T11:19:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Owasso, Bothell, Orlando and James River.

This is the first time since 1993 that a team went 18-1 at nationals.

As a side note, a 30-year record has now been broken. From 1978 to 1980 Riverside, CA was second place. Bothell has now been second for four straight years with a first place the year before.

Nationals Day Three Analysis

2009-07-15T20:08:00.004-05:00

This was a great day of quizzing. There was some movement at the top, but the final two rounds may end up being anticlimactic. Here's where we are:

-Owasso has one loss and has yet to play O'Fallon and Garfield. Both could present a challenge for them.

-Bothell has two losses and has yet to play Wesley Chapel and Grand Island.

-Orlando has three losses with Tulsa and Colorado Springs left on the schedule.

-JRA-Greatly Puzzled has four losses with Bridgeville and Acworth remaining.

-Garfield has five losses with Owasso and Bristow remaining.

Orlando and JRA have the easiest remaining schedules, followed by Bothell, Owasso, and Garfield. There are any number of potential playoff scenarios, or we could easily wind up with a clean slate. We'll see how it shakes out.

In Challenger, there are two 13-4 teams and three 12-5 teams. I would say that almost certainly we will see playoffs there.

JRA climbed the most today, with a 7-1 record and a big win over Owasso. Blake Porter had a much better day, and the team looked very strong. West Plains also improved on yesterday's 3-6 record to bring their overall mark to 8-9.

Individual Results for Challenger After Round 17

2009-07-15T19:27:00.002-05:00

Team Results for Challenger After Round 17

2009-07-15T19:25:00.001-05:00

Individual Results for Champ Division After Round 17

2009-07-15T19:22:00.002-05:00

Team Results for Champ After Round 17

2009-07-15T19:19:00.001-05:00

Bothell Takes Second Loss

2009-07-15T16:11:00.001-05:00

Bothell dropped their game against Bridgeville, PA today. That puts Owasso alone at the top. We'll see how the final rounds shake out. We're on the last game for today, and the final two are tomorrow.

I'll post much more after dinner.

Challenger Division Results After Round 14

2009-07-15T13:51:00.001-05:00

Champ Division Results After Round 14

2009-07-15T13:50:00.001-05:00

No more undefeated teams

2009-07-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to post a quick update that James River (John's team) beat Owasso so there are no undefeated teams left. Owasso, Bothell and Orlando all have three losses now. More details to follow at lunch.

Bible Quiz Endowment Opportunity

2009-07-15T07:43:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to give this some more publicity. This is straight out of the Coaches Connection for June:

If you knew that you could be part of giving away $25,000, would you help? Absolutely, right? Well, for one special month you can be a part of making this amazing opportunity happen. For all money donated to the National Bible Quiz Endowment Fund during the month of July, it will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor—up to $25,000. When matched,that’s a potential total of $50,000 that will be available to be given to Bible Quizzers in scholarships and awards!

Any donation that you give during the month of July 2009 will be matched. Give $10 and $10 will be matched. Give $1,000 and $1,000 will be matched. It’s like you are doubling your donation automatically! All contributions will go far in reaching our $25,000 goal for July. To make a contribution to the National Bible Quiz Endowment
Fund, send your donation to:

AG Foundation
Bible Quiz Endowment Fund
1661 North Booneville Ave., Suite D
Springfield, MO 65803

(Be sure to write "DAF9776" on the memo line of your check)

You may also do this on the website biblequiz.ag.org, click the endowment link. There is a link to donate online there. Type in "Bible Quiz" into the "Ministry Name" and go to YOUTH-BIBLE QUIZ SCHLSP. You then go through the form. Supposedly you can also set up monthly deposit.

Questions? Contact Pastor Bernie at elliotbq@aol.com.