Advice from Shreanna Powell, former National Champion
Thinking about attending Nationals for the first time? Here’s the scoop!
First of all, Teen Bible Quiz Nationals is one of the best weeks of the year! From the competition to seeing old friends to new experiences to the trip itself, TBQ Nationals is worth the investment of your time and resources. I have attended 11 Nationals—twice as a spectator, six times as a quizzer, twice as an official, and once as a coach. And let me tell you, this week of competition and fun does not disappoint! However, in order to have the best week possible, it’s important to know what to expect and how to prepare.
As you begin to prepare for Nationals, expect the questions to increase in difficulty. While there will still be a decent number of questions each match that require basic knowledge of the material as in League, State, or Districts, there will be several questions each round that will require extra studying beyond simply quoting and carding. Though the ten-point questions do not change much, the twenty- and thirty-point questions have varying degrees of difficulty. Some 20’s will be from a single verse while others will be from four consecutive verses. For 30’s, some answers will require six or more verses. In addition to questions from the text, Nationals tests the quizzer’s knowledge of the concordance. This includes words that appear two, three, four, or even five times in the text, such as a question that asks for the three verses that mention the “grace of God.” Concordance also includes lists such as adjectives and of-phrases, in addition to larger chapter analysis answers. Although it is helpful to have studied the concordance, it is not a prerequisite for competing at Nationals as it is still possible to answer non-concordance questions each round.
After you qualify for Nationals, expect to invest time in individual and team preparation. While every team has a different way of structuring their study time, all of them spend time in two important areas: individual and team. Individual work is where quoting, carding, and learning occurs. Team preparation is where all the individual work comes together. Many teams have multi-hour practices where they go over questions and read sets. These question sets are pulled from the District-Regional-National sets, PreNats 1 and 2, tournament questions, as well as questions written by coaches. These practices are often intentionally longer in order to equip students’ minds and bodies to handle long days of competition at Nationals.
Intermixed with the rather intense hours of studying, teams participate in a variety of other preparatory activities. They share meals together and take breaks from studying by playing games and hanging out together. Teams also strategize and plan for the trip itself. This includes determining transportation, dining, and logistics. For many teams, this can also involve deciding what to wear each day. Some teams decide to keep things more low-key, while others work hard to coordinate their matching outfits. No matter how you go about it, all of the planning you put in pays off in the end once the week starts.
When you think about what you hope to accomplish at Nationals, it’s great to set goals. However, those goals need to be realistic and reasonable. As a first-year team at Nationals, your focus should be on growth and the experience as a whole. For first-year teams, it’s not about your record. In other words, don’t make win-loss goals. Instead, craft growth-focused goals, such as focusing on correct answers, interrupting questions, or number of questions answered per match. No matter how prepared you are, there is still a learning curve for quizzing at Nationals. As a result, every question, whether answered correctly or incorrectly, is a chance to learn and improve, which is part of why attending Nationals, even if you feel unprepared, is such a good experience. Therefore, concentrate your goals on growth, on making the week of Nationals the best possible experience, and on making new relationships.
As I mentioned, attending Nationals is an investment, but with the right planning, finances should not stand in the way. As you might expect, it can be expensive to go to Nationals when you look at the cost of transportation, lodging, dining, and registration. If you are considering going to Nationals, now is a good time to start planning and budgeting for the trip, even though it is still months away. The best way to break up the cost is through fundraising. This can be done in a variety of different ways, depending on what works best for you and your team. Some teams reach out to local restaurants and stores and ask them if they would like to help sponsor a team. Other teams set up specific times to do fundraisers, such as selling doughnuts, doing car washes, or hosting events. Another simple way to do fundraising is through Vertical Raise. Participants submit a list of names and emails. The Vertical Raise platform then helps teams fundraise by sending out emails to those people asking for donations. If you don’t have the time to spend organizing a fundraiser or going door-to-door, this is a great option. Through fundraising and planning ahead, the financial aspect of Nationals should not prohibit you from attending.
Besides studying and financially planning for Nationals, expect this week to be one of the best of the year. Come ready to experience excellent competition, make new friends, and join a vibrant community of people who love the Word of God. Win or lose, Nationals is a week of growing and of making memories that will last a lifetime. See you in St. Louis!
Shreanna Powell, Napierville, IL
Advice from the Bible Quiz Community
We asked people in the official Facebook group for their best advice for teams attending Nationals for the first time. Here are a few of the top responses:
Be in the know with communications….Facebook, Discord, etc. Meet as many people as possible and ask lots of questions. Walk away with many friends, enjoy every moment, and keep Jesus the main thing.
Be proud about making it to Nationals and remember that this first time around is a lot of learning and having fun. Still do your best and meet your goals but having the expectation “we are here to learn”
Nationals is like one big reunion where we have new family members every year. Meeting new people and making friends is all about jumping in and asking to play or get to know someone.
Make new friends. This should actually start at league meets and invitational tournaments. You’ll make friends for life!
Enjoy every moment & don’t get too stressed.
Remember to have fun!
Try to plan at least one team outing off-premises. A lot of times Nationals tend to be in big city or metro area. Get out there and see some of it.
Make new friends. Life’s too short to just sit in your hotel room.
Be prepared for all of the contesting.
Look for an experience with the Lord!