Quiz Bowl
In quiz bowl, two teams of four players face off head to head. Each player holds their own "buzzer" like the ones on "Jeopardy!" The reader asks a "toss up" question and any player may press on their buzzer at any time. That individual player must then answer immediately--without consulting with teammates. If correct, the team gets 10 or 15 points, depending on how early in the question the player buzzed in. If incorrect, the reader completes the question for the other team and they get a try. Correct answers on toss ups also earn the team three related bonus questions worth 10 points each, for which they can consult for a few seconds and answer as a team.
Major topics in quiz bowl include science, history, literature, geography, current events, pop culture and sports, fine arts, social science, mythology, and more. Schools can bring multiple teams to each tournament. They compete against teams from other schools and sometimes even against teams from their own school. Tournaments usually consist of around six preliminary rounds, each with around 20 toss-ups (and any bonuses that teams earn). Based on win-loss record, some teams advance to the playoffs, where a champion is crowned.
The quiz bowl season begins in late October and runs through February or March, with 6-8 meets on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings/evenings. Players that qualify will compete in the High School National Championship Tournament in May, which typically is held in Atlanta.
Social Media (Twitter): @ChanKBQB
National Academic Team Competition: Based on team/student(s) qualifying.