Closing the first half of the quizzing season at Petra

 Despite Stony Brook's point per match average dropping by 10, the quiz team was pleased to find out that they only 1 place, from 4th place to 5th place. Yes, Stony Brook was still a top 5 team in their league :) . Again, Stony Brook quiz coach Graham Holcomb reminded them of the motivation poster "Hang in there!" and explained that hanging in there can sometimes simply mean maintaining the point per match average. Since the team's point per match was at 84, the Stony Brook quiz coach encouraged the team to reach that every match. They could do so by getting team bonus and 1 quiz out. That's what the team aimed for. At Thursday night practice, the quiz team performed at par. It felt like for every buzz in they got correct, they got a buzz in incorrect, and it seemed like for every bonus they got right, they got a bonus wrong. The team definitely need more studying and more practice, but at least the team knew what they need to work on before Sunday.

Sunday afternoon practice looked the same as the last week Sunday afternoon practice. Caleb, Kate and Lauren each had choir (3 different choirs albeit), so Sunday afternoon practice consisted of just Kaylee and Olivia. Kaylee and Olivia had definitely improved from Thursday practices. They had both lists and situations memorized. Overall, again, the 2 performed at par. If one did poorly, the other one did well, and vice versa. After having a dinner of cheeseburger pasta and salad, Graham drove Kaylee and Olvia to the Metzlers. There Lauren also met up with the team. Once Kate got back from choir, the whole quiz team piled into the Metzler van to head to Petra Church for the quiz meet. On the way up, Graham asked the team questions, with the heavy focus on Caleb, Kate and Lauren because they missed practice. Once the team arrived at Petra, the quiz coach had to separate from the quiz team for a coach's meeting. After the coach's meeting concluded, the quiz coach met up with the quiz team.

Stony Brook vs. Grace & Truth 2

Stony Brook had to wait for the third round for their quiz match versus Grace & Truth 2 in the Petra sanctuary, with Todd Hertzler as the quizmaster. While the quiz team felt intimated by a sanctuary match, especially with the bright lights and microphones, but at least it was not versus home team Petra. On question 1, Kyle of Grace & Truth 2 buzzed in. He babbled for 30 seconds, so much so that the quizmaster had to meet with his judges. After meeting some time, they decided they could not give the points, so the bonus went to Olivia. Olivia knew what Todd Hertzler was looking for, and she got the bonus right. On question 2, Kyle would buzz in again, and this time, he got it correct. On question 3, Olivia buzzed in and answered correctly. On question 4, Caleb tried buzzing in, but unfortunately, he errored. Grace & Truth 2 quizzer Michael would pick up the bonus. After 4 questions, the quiz match was tied at 20 points apiece. At this time, Grace & Truth 2 would take off, with Kyle quizzing out on question 6 and Michae quizzing out on question 9. Olivia must have got frustrated, as she buzzed in consecutively on questions 8 and 9, but she would error on both. After question 9, Graham called a time out, in fear that Olivia would error out with a 3rd error. Kaylee went in as the substitute. During this time, Graham pointed out the 50-point deficit and strongly encouraged the team to go for the team bonus. Kate took that that to heart, as she buzzed in and answered correctly on question 10. Caleb tried again to contribute to team bonus on question 12, but again, it resulted in an error. During questions 11 and 13, Tabitha from Grace & Truth 2 buzzed in answered correctly. Now Tabitha could quiz out with a 3rd right answer, or Jeremiah or Addie could buzz in and give a right answer for team bonus. At this point, Stony Brook could not catch up to the 60-point deficit, so Graham called time out to put Olivia back in, so she could get a quiz out just as much as the team could get team bonus. On question 15, Todd asked, "Satan in the Hebrew is..." and Olivia buzzed in and said her audible word. She thought about it and at first, she said, "The advisory" but then she changed her answer to "The adversary" and got it right for the quiz out, her 6th quiz out of the year. On the last question, Kaylee buzzed in, but unfortunately, she could not come up with the answer that the quizmaster wanted. Even worse, that was the 5th error, and Stony Brook lost 5 points. Not only did Stony Brook lose 5 points, Stony Brook lost the match 40-100.

Stony Brook vs. Waterway 2

Stony Brook had a break round before their match versus Waterway 2, with Sam Clement as the quizmaster. In the beginning, Waterway 2 owned the buzzing, buzzing in on 5 of the first 6 questions. While that worked for Waterway 2's Gracie, who used all 3 buzz-ins to quiz out by question 6, it did not work for Waterway 2's Alyssa, who errored on both of her buzz ins on questions 1 and 3. Kate took advantage of the bonus, answering both right. The only buzz from Stony Brook within the first 6 questions was Kaylee on question 4, and she answered correctly! Olivia must have been frustrated to not get in so far this match, as she buzzed in and answered correctly twice in a row! Alyssa of Waterway 2 also must have felt frustration not earning any points yet this match, and she buzzed and answered right twice in a row. On question 11, Olivia quizzed out, her 7th on the year. This allowed Caleb to sub in, increasing Stony Brook's chance for team bonus. On question 12, Kaylee buzzed in and answered correctly, her second for the match! Stony Brook was now in the lead 75-50. On question 13, Alyssa from Waterway 2 buzzed in and gave her 3rd right answer for the quiz out, bringing her team only 5 points behind Stony Brook. On question 14, Reagan from Waterway 2 buzzed in. Fortunately for Stony Brook, she answered incorrectly, but unfortunately, Kaylee got the bonus wrong, too. On question 15, Reagan of Waterway 2 would try buzzing in again, and this time, she answered correctly. After 15 questions, Stony Brook lost 75-80. In all honesty, the loss was a heartbreaking shock for the quiz team, as they felt the kept it close in the beginning and took charge in the middle.

Stony Brook vs. Petra 5

Stony Brook had no time to mourn the loss, as they had back-to-back matches, with the next match versus Petra 5. Olivia started off the match strong for Stony Brook, buzzing in on the first 2 questions. While she answered first one correctly, she could not get the second one. Alivia from Petra 5 would then take charge of the match, buzzing in 3 in a row and answering all 3 right for a quiz out, giving Petra 5 the lead over Stony Brook, 35-10. For the next 2 questions, Petra 5 would commit 2 errors, and Stony Brook would pick up both bonuses, 1 from Kate and 1 from Olivia. Olivia would follow up her right bonus with a correct buzz in, which would result in her 8th quiz out of the year. At this point, Petra 5 would take control of the match. Ella from Petra 5 would buzz in and answer correctly question 9. Next, Shalyn of Petra 5 (formerly of Petra 1, now taking more of an assistant coach role) buzzed in 3 in a row and answered them all right for her own quiz out. Then Ella buzz in and answer questions 13 and 15 correctly, making her the 3rd Petra 5 quizzer to quiz out this match. After question 8, the only time Stony Brook could get in was on question 14 with Kate's right answer, but even that was a bonus. Therefore, Stony Brook lost 55-105.

After 4 quizmeets and 11 quizmatches, Stony Brook now has a record of 4-7. After 4 quizmeets and 11 quizmatches, Stony Brook scored a total of 840 points, with an average of 76 points per match. While not as high as Stony Brook did in its opening week, Stony Brook should still be delighted in its performance. At 840 points, Stony Brook has already scored more than they did last year (730 points last year). At 76 points per match, Stony Brook still has a higher average than it did at point during the season last year (last year, the highest Stony Brook ever got is 70 points per match). Don't forget that Stony Brook has 3 team bonuses, more than the 2 last year. Furthermore, 4 of the 5 Stony Brook quizzers have scored more points than they did last year for a personal all-time high, and 3 of the 5 Stony Brook quizzers have quizzed out more than they did last year for a personal all-time high. And nobody can say "It's just because it's longer season." Nope. This year, Stony Brook beat its records within 4 quizmeets and 11 quizmatches, as opposed to last year, which took 6 quizmeets and 12 quizmatches. And these records, both team records and individual records will only increase as the season continues. Let's see what the Lord has in mind for Stony Brook in the second half of the quizzing season! :)

Opening the 2nd half of the season at Petra

 Now quizzing was back to normal for this year. The quizzers had a whole 2 weeks to study and practice the rest of chapter 9, chapter 10 and chapter 11. The quiz team needed it. While the first opponent of the upcoming quizmeet, Maple Grove 3, was (about) equal in strength in the Stony Brook quiz team, the second opponent, Petra 3, fell among the top 5 teams in their league. After doing some research and math, their quiz coach realized that Petra 3 fell in the top 5 due to consistent team bonus. Therefore, the quiz team made it their goal to get team bonus in practice by having all 5 quizzers buzz in and answer a question correctly in each practice. Every Friday practice, it would be a slow start, but by the end of the night, the team would get that team bonus.

The Metzlers hosted the Sunday afternoon practice. Caleb had to miss the first quarter of practice due to choir practice, so the 4 quizzers had 2 practice quiz matches which required to 4 questions to quiz out. In the 1st practice match, Lauren and Kate quizzed out with 4 questions, and on the 2nd practice match, Olivia and Kate quizzed out on 4 questions. Caleb rejoined the team two-thirds through the second quiz match, so the practices matches went back to quizzing out on 3 questions. Now that all 5 quizzers practiced together, they all went back to buzzing in and answering correctly 1 question every match. Without a doubt, Stony Brook knew they could get team bonus. After a vegan dinner of koshari and some free time, the quiz team departed once again for Petra Church to open the second half of the season!

On the ride up, the quiz coach went over the questions Caleb missed with Caleb, and if he answered incorrectly, the bonus went to another random quizzer.  After that, the quiz team did rounds of questions until the quiz coach felt like the quiz team got it. Even upon arriving at Petra, the quiz team found an area to go over distinguishing between similar questions. When the time came, the quiz team filed into the sanctuary for a time of worship. When worship concluded, the quiz team decided to stay in the sanctuary to watch a quizmatch. Once that quizmatch finished, the time came for Stony Brook to quiz.

The Stony Brook quiz team went to room 303 to face off with Maple Grove 3, quizmastered by Phil Sauder. Kate, Caleb, Lauren and Kaylee took the starting lineup, with Olivia as the first substitute. The quizmatch began with with correct buzz in from Dana on Maple Grove 3. On question 2, Dana buzzed in again, but she errored. The bonus went to Caleb, and he got it right, listing off 4 of 6 of what no has left. Caleb followed up by buzzing in and answering correctly on question 3, temporarily giving Stony Brook the lead 20-10. Maple Grove 3 quizzer Cy then buzzed in and answered correctly, tying up the quizmatch. On question 5, Caleb buzzed in, looking to quiz out, but he could not, for he errored. Caleb got another chance on question 7 when he got a bonus to name the 6 commandments that the man with great possessions claim he kept from his youth. Unfortunately, Caleb could only name 5, missing the opportunity to quiz out again. Soon the quizmatch would go downhill. The top 2 quizzers from Maple Grove 3 quizzed out  consecutively. It went back and forth between the two teams, but Maple Grove 3 was reaching the point where it was out of Stony Brook's control. Still, Stony Brook was 2 questions away from team bonus, thanks to Kate's correct buzz in on question 10. The Stony Brook quiz coach pulled out Kate and put in Olivia to increase the chance for team bonus. It looked hopeful when Olivia, on her first question in for the quizmatch, buzzed in and answered correctly. It look like Stony Brook would get team bonus on question 15 again, but unfortunately, Lauren picked the wrong soil. It was not meant to be. Stony Brook lost to 50 to 90. Nevertheless, Stony Brook managed to get 50 points out of the match, thanks to 20 points from Caleb and 10 points from Kate, Kaylee and Olivia.

Stony Brook vs Maple Grove 3

The Stony Brook quiz team had back-to-back matches, so they had to head up to the summit of Petra church to quiz the home team Petra 3, that top 5 team. Petra 3 took an early lead. After 7 questions, they were winning 55-10, thanks to their top quizzer Abby quizzing on 3 consecutive questions (all buzz ins, too!). Halfway through the match, though, Stony Brook took control. On question 11, Olivia quizzed out, her third of the year! Kate got 2 buzz ins correct and Caleb got a bonus correct, contributing to the quiz team's score. After 13 questions, the score was tied at 65. It looked like Stony Brook was heading towards another one of their famous ties! Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. This time, Petra 3 would get the team bonus on question 15, winning the quizmatch 95 to 65. After the quiz match, their quiz coach gathered the team together to remind them how well they did, even if the final score did not show it. Stony Brook impressively held their ground against a top 5 team. Equally impressive, Caleb made his first contest! Although he did not win the contest, he presented it in a logical and reasonable way, one that made his quiz coach proud!

Stony Brook vs. Petra 3

The Stony Brook quiz team now has a record of 1-4-3, with a total of 535 point and an average of 66.875 points per match. Furthermore, Caleb's 3 correct answers earned him 30 pointing, bring him to over 100 points for the year. Stony Brook now has 3 quizzers over 100 points for the year!

This is how you end the first half of the season

On this Valentine's day, the quizzing material was 1 Corinthians 11:17 to 14:25, which includes 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter known for love. Fred said he didn't do that on purpose, but who knows. Quiz practice was at the Essicks. Because they had limited parking space due to the snow, we all drove up in Justin's car, and the Beams met us shortly later. As a Valentine's gift, I told the quizzers I would give them a piece of dark chocolate if they answered a good buzz-in correctly. Candy was flying everywhere in practice. Practice went ok. We got off 4 new matches, and did a match of missed questions. Amanda knew her lists, but seemed to be missing simple bonuses. Kristy seemed absent for many questions and her column would go blank for questions. Denise was quizzing out, and so was Joy. Justin would either quiz out or error out. We studied our best, had dinner, and left for quizzing.

We got to Neffsville at 6:15, just in time for worship to start. Right after worship, announcements, and joke. Then once 6:30 came around, it was time for Conestoga to quiz. Our first round match was against Petra 2. This match some of my quizzers were looking forward to because they had a friend on the team. Other quizzers were not looking forward to it because Petra 2 was the no. 1 team in our league. Again, for the holiday, I gave all the quizzers a duct tape rose to put with their nametag. Not really wanting to do it, but needing to, I started Amanda over Kristy because Kristy wasn't getting a lot and I needed someone who knew the lists in starting just in case the list questions came early. I told them to just do their best, score as much as they can, and rely on God's strength. The first half of the match was pretty close. Both Denise and Joy got 20 points. On Petra 2's side, they had their perfect quizzer quiz out. But by the end of question 9, it was only 45-40 Petra 2. On question 10, Denise errored, Nadine on Petra 2 got the bonus, and the match swung in Petra 2's favor for the rest of the match. Petra 2 buzzed in on every question, getting team bonus. On the last question, Kristen from Petra 2 errored, and Amanda got the bonus right. We lost 50 to 115, but we've score less than that twice before, and held Petra 2 from reaching their average.

We had a match break, but only one. We met Hope Community in the stuffy upstairs room. I told the quiz team to shake off the old match. This was a new match and we couldn't give up. Once again, it was close up to question 9. Hope Community was leading 55 to 40. Stephanie Hartman, Hope Community's top quizzer, quizzed out, and had another quizzer ready to quiz out. Conestoga was set up for team bonus with only 1 quizzer. After question 9, Conestoga took control of the match. Denise quizzed out on question 10. Kristy took her seat and on question 11 she buzzed in, answered correctly, and got team bonus. Question 12 Hope Community had a second quizzer quizzed out. The last 3 questions were review, and they were all Conestoga's. Kristy took question 13. Then, out of nowhere, Joy buzzed in on the last 2 questions, answered them both correctly, and got a quiz out, her first of her career! Way to go, Joy!

Conestoga had a two match break before their final match of the night. We all went down to the room we were going to quiz in, sat on the coaches, and just rested. During one of those matches, we watched Gehman get team bonus on question 4. Yikes! Before we knew it, it was time for us to quiz against Parkesburg 2. I went with the same lineup, seated differently according to what I saw in Parkesburg 2's other match. I told the quizzers to do what they did the last match. A lot of the questions I heard being asked I personally asked during the practices, so they knew it. I personally told Justin that because I knew he could quiz out with buzz-ins in practice, so he could do it in a real match. That talk must have been the encouragement he needed because he buzzed in on the first question and got it right! Denise gave me a scare when she errored on questions 3 and 4. I made her promise me that she wouldn't kill the seat by erroring out. On question 6, Alyssa quizzed out. During the timeout, I told the quizzers she was the only one we say action from, so now the rest of the match is ours. Sure enough, it was. Joy buzzed in twice in a row to get 20 points. Even Amanda buzzed in, but ended up erroring because she finished the question instead of giving the answer. Denise redeemed herself by getting the next to buzz ins correct and quizzing out. We were once again 1 question away from team bonus, with Kristy taking Denise's place. On question 12, Justin, who had been dorment since question 1, buzzed in and answered correctly. On question 13, Joy buzzed in, answered correctly, and quizzed out again! Here's a 2nd year quizzer (and may I mention it's an inconsecutive 2nd year) who got her first two career quiz outs, all with buzz-ins! With Joy sitting down, Meredith got up, increasing our chances for team bonus. So either Kristy, Amanda or Meredith could get team bonus, or Justin could get a quiz out. Technically, with two questions left, we could get both. On question 14, Justin buzzed answered correctly, and quizzed. This was his first quiz out since week 2, and only his third quiz out all season. On question 15, Kristy buzzed in, but couldn't think up an answer and errored. Well, neither could Parkesburg 2 because the bonus was dropped. Conestoga didn't get team bonus, but did score in the triple digits. Conestoga won 105 to 35.

At the end of the first half of the season, Conestoga has a win-loss-tie record of 6-4-1. Our average increased to 78.18. That was a great boost for our team. If we can start the second half of the season the way we ended the first half, we can really move up our average.