GETTING STARTED IN ACADEMIC CHALLENGE COMPETITION

There is growing interest in Academic Challenge competition in the state of Texas, but there is no central coordinating body for such competition. However, a number of people across the state, including experienced academic team coaches, have created an informal network for the purpose of encouraging the development and growth of this activity.

The individual matches in an Academic Challenge contest involve two teams of four high school students competing in a "College Bowl" format. The teams score points by answering questions posed by a moderator, and an electronic buzzer system is used to record which student is first to be ready to answer. The result is an exciting, competitive atmosphere in which the points go to the team that "beats the other team to the draw" by buzzing in first with the correct answer. The precise format of individual contests may vary somewhat, but most of the competitions in Texas were greatly influenced by the long-running Texaco Star Academic Challenge contests that used to be held in several areas around the state.

Question sets: The two choices are (a) to write your own questions or (b) to purchase sets from a commercial supplier. Most of us have found that writing our own questions is simply too labor intensive and too time consuming to be a valid option. However, if you do write your own questions, then they can be geared specifically to the students who will be competing. As far as purchasing question sets is concerned, there are a number of suppliers, and the ones we have used at Sam Houston State for our contests are indicated on the accompanying list of equipment providers. Shopping around is highly recommended since prices vary considerably. To give you an idea of costs, sets of "practice questions" that are fine for an intraschool competition may run around $5 to $10 apiece, whereas question sets that are guaranteed to be fresh or "pristine" for a regional interschool tournament may run between $35 to $100 apiece. In some circumstances the question sets can be re-used after the passage of time, and, if you are able to conduct more than one match simultaneously, the same question set may be used in each of the simultaneous matches--a considerable savings for a larger tournament.
 

Buzzer systems: Having at least one buzzer system to use is a must. Coaches who have participated in contests which relied on judges who tried to tell which student first raised a hand speak of how difficult and how contentious that can be. The two choices are (a) to build your own or (b) to buy one (or more) from a manufacturer. People who have built their own tell me that at many high schools there is at least one person who knows enough about electronics to assemble a workable system. Essentially the device needs to be able to respond when one of eight (or more) students pushes a button in a way that "locks out" slower responses and has a light showing which student was first to volunteer to answer the question. Usually, there should also be a timer that counts down from 60 seconds for the "lightning round" of questions that is a feature of many contests. Commercial buzzer systems will exemplify these basic components, and shopping around is highly advisable since prices and available features vary considerably. I have been quoted prices ranging from $245 to $625, for example. The manufacturer whose systems we use at Sam Houston is indicated on the sheet. One final note is that buzzer systems are not just a piece of contest equipment, They have their use in the classroom as well. Any kind of material that lends itself to quick answer review, for example, can become an occasion for an exciting contest between "teams" in that particular class.
 

Volunteers: Teachers, administrators, students, and parents are, of course, the usual volunteers. To conduct an Academic Challenge match you need (1) a moderator who reads the questions, (2) a judge/scorekeeper who helps the moderator with issues that arise as well as keeps score, and preferably (3) a second scorekeeper who, in addition to helping keep score, resets the buzzer system after each attempt to answer. At a number of matches Student Council members volunteer to fill this last role, whereas the roles of moderator and judge are usually filled by adults. The question sets all have answers printed beside the questions, so there is no need for the moderator to be omniscient, but a moderator who is confident and broadly knowledgeable can help things run smoothly. Essentially the moderator needs to be an emcee who can keep things moving while treating the student contestants with firmness, grace, and respect. The role of the judge/scorekeeper is to help the moderator when there is a dispute about an alternative answer or an application of the rules. It also is helpful to have resources such as an unabridged dictionary available to be consulted.
 

While only four students compete at one time, teams are usually larger--six to ten students is the standard range. One good thing about the small size of the competing groups is that any school that has one or two outstanding students can field a competitive team. The movie "Hoosiers" illustrates that point as far as basketball is concerned, and it is equally true for Academic Challenge competition. Initially, selecting a team is a matter of recruiting those students with high class rank, solid achievement on standardized tests, etc., but it is important to realize that good grades are not enough by themselves to make a good Academic Challenge team member. Attitude is very important since a team member must be willing to take risks in trying to answer questions when the answer may be uncertain, and he or she must be willing to play cooperatively as far as the team itself is concerned. Specialized knowledge of subjects such as Civil War history or mathematics also may play a role in selecting the strongest overall team.
 

Since the teams are small and since they do not require expensive equipment, many schools find that they can support Academic Challenge competition as they do clubs and other activities. An annual budget item for practice materials and for entry fees and travel costs to regional tournaments ranges ordinarily from $250 to $1500, depending on the amount of travel. Some schools also elect to offer the academic team coach a stipend for her or his involvement. A number of programs find that they can generate significant support from fund-raising activities such as charging $1.00 to witness a competition between the Academic Challenge team and a team of faculty members. In addition, local businesses and service clubs are often pleased to sponsor a team that is plainly associated with academic excellence. The Rotary Club in Waco, for example, sponsors an annual Academic Challenge tournament for schools in that area, in Abilene KTXS-TV sponsors a tournament that runs throughout much of the school year, and in Brownsville KRGV-TV sponsors a "Mastermind" Tournament.
 

Finally, there are regional tournaments around the state which are hosted by high schools, local service clubs, television stations, and colleges and universities. These tournaments regularly take place each year in the Greater Houston area, El Paso, the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, Abilene, Wichita Falls, Temple, Waco, and no doubt elsewhere. Some of these are large, multi-day events such as the tournament sponsored by the Greater Houston Academic Coaches Association which involves about 50 schools competing at a number of sites on dates throughout the school year. Others are smaller, taking only a day and involving perhaps as few as eight teams. Participation in such regional tournaments is the gateway to the Texas Academic Challenge State Championship, held on a Friday and Saturday in April at Sam Houston State University, and to competing in national championships such as the National Academic Challenge held in Washington, D. C. (won this year by St. John's High School of Houston!) and the Panasonic National Academic Challenge held at Disney World.
 

One way to get excited about Academic Challenge competition is to visit one of the tournaments referred to above. Observing teams in action, being amazed by the breadth and depth of the knowledge displayed, seeing some of the best and brightest young minds in action is often enough to persuade a person that this is a worthwhile endeavor. One of the veteran coaches, Paul Cain of Ysleta High School in El Paso, took the time recently to set down in writing his observations about the value of Academic Challenge competition after ten years as a coach.
 

While there is no central regulating body for Academic Challenge competition, there is an informal network for sharing information (the Texas Academic Challenge Network or TACNet). Dr. Fair has volunteered to serve as a facilitator for the network, and his contact information is listed below. If we at Sam Houston State University can be of help, please contact me. Dr. Fair's two children were involved in Academic Challenge competition when they were in high school, and he has seen first hand its value for them and for many other students. At Sam Houston State University we believe that others should be given the same opportunity.
 

Tracy Steele, Ph.D. Coordinator SHSU Academic Challenge Program c/o. Department of History Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX 77341-2239 Ph: 936-294-1480      Fx: 936-294-3938 his_tls@shsu.edu

Mitzi Mahoney, Ph.D. Coordinator for Spring 2003 SHSU Academic Challenge Program c/o Department of Political Science Sam Houston State University P.O. Box 2149 Huntsville, TX  77341-2149 Ph: 936-294-1464 pol_mlm@shsu.edu