– by Isaiah, sophomore –

On Nov. 4-5, the Bible Quiz team traveled over twelve hours to compete in far-away Wisconsin for their first tournament of the year. The team is made of Isaiah, Carol, Karol, Gabrielle, and Aislinn, who are all memorizing different chapters of the books 1 and 2 Corinthians.

“We were able to accomplish a lot before this tournament,” said Carol, junior. “In the summer, everyone was able to memorize most of their assigned chapters, and we only left a few holes.”

When the time of the tournament came, the team had 20 of 29 chapters memorized and spent the long van ride reviewing what they had learned by going over their chapters, asking one-time words, and answering practice questions.

“I am so proud of these quizzers,” said Mrs. Schimkus, quiz coach. “It was great to be competitive at a high-level quiz tournament as early as November. These kids have worked hard memorizing chapters of 1 and 2 Corinthians. This was the first of hopefully eight tournaments to end with success at AACS Nationals in April. More importantly, they can enjoy the lifetime spiritual success of memorizing God’s Word. I know these kids will continue to work hard and I am privileged to work with them. They are also great travelers!”

On Friday night, the team competed in the preliminary rounds, then went on to double-elimination the next day. Of the 12 quizzes the team competed in, they won or had a mid in 9 of them, and lost 3 of them. Aislinn Rocks, junior, answered the most questions on the team with 33.

“We have a few techniques we need to practice and perfect, but overall, I think we did very well for this early in the year,” said Gabrielle, senior. “There was some stiff competition, but I think we will be able to beat most, if not all, of those teams in the coming months. I am excited to participate in upcoming tournaments and improve on our skills.”

This was the team’s first of five invitational tournaments they will compete in this year. The tournament was also the first time the team wore their BJQ (Bible Jump Quiz) sweatshirts. The next tournament will be hosted here on Jan. 7.