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College Poll results

Discussion of quizbowl topics not related to specific tournaments
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Charlie Dees
Posts: 4134
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2006 12:00 am
Location: Columbia, MO

College Poll results

Post by Charlie Dees »

Hsquizbowl organized a mid-season college quizbowl poll. The results can be found here - http://hsquizbowl.org/blog/?p=128

However, the most relevant detail to what I want to discuss is the fact that State College High School was ranked 12th and Maggie Walker High School was ranked 16th, along with Southside receiving an honorable mention. These rankings are an immense accomplishment that both teams have put in the work to deserve, and will show when they steamroll the competition at Nationals.

The other thing that warrants discussion, however, is that, yet again, MSHSAA rules have made it literally impossible for a high school from Missouri to ever achieve this kind of feat. No high school team from Missouri is currently allowed to play as a team in a collegiate event. Not only that, but there is little incentive for Missouri teams to want to do the kind of learning that makes Maggie Walker and State College so good as long as the system of 4-quarter tournaments with a bunch of 2 line tossups and 20% calculations dominates the circuit. I think anyone who believes in perpetuating this system that explicitly bans teams from getting recognized like these two teams have should be embarrassed. I hope more and more players will realize that there is something more to aspire to, and will take this as a call to do everything in your power to improve through learning the kinds of material that comes up in pyramidal questions, playing in tournaments to try and qualify for nationals, and trying to do things like play on open teams in college tournaments, write questions, and whatever else works. If these teams managed to get this good in so short a time, it is completely possible for another high school team to get there, so if you guys put in the work there could be another national trophy in the state's future. And I ask you, the dissatisfied player who wants to provide your team with more tools to improve, to cogently tell your coaches, ADs, principals, and MSHSAA advisory committee members why these policies are so wrong headed and destructive. The more people we get talking about this, the more likely it is we can agitate for change.

Charbroil
Posts: 1039
Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2007 12:00 am

Re: College Poll results

Post by Charbroil »

Charlie makes long posts, so here's a summary:

Play good questions, go to good tournaments*, and work for positive change in Missouri Quiz Bowl and your team can too be nationally recognized at not only the high school but also the collegiate level.

*Information about which can be found at the Missouri Quizbowl Alliance website at www.moqba.org

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