Not once, but twice

The second quizzing week went better than the first quizzing week. When I have a good quizzing day, I'll usually will tell you what happened on Quizzing Sunday.

I arrived sometime between 12 and 12:15. By the time I got there, everyone went out to get lunch. I had my lunch of a drinkable soup and a Full Throtle Energy Drink (It gave a good buzz). We had to wait a long time for Mike and Bruce to get back from their lunch, so practice started later. Jai was the first one to get back from lunch. She delieved Becka her lunch, so Bekah had to eat that first. But first she had to steal my foam finger and hit people with. She would eventually break my foam finger.

Practice was fun as always. But still we went through it fast. One match we even got through with only two errors and only one missed bonus (As surprising as it sounds, Spring City is capable of only having two errors). It went fast. The best match was when Bruce was the quizmaster. He made sure he stopped on the dot, and did not go lightly for errors or fouls! But the best part was when Michael was reading. When it came time for the demon to say "Ha!" Mike said, "Ahhh." Like Coach Dave said, it sounded like the demon went to the doctors to get his throat checked. Of course, we burst out laughing and poked fun at Mike. Never a dull moment, never. Despite starting late, we finished early. It gave us more free time, and we had a 4th practice match later.

Free time was fun again. Since it was cold and wet outside, our activity was left to be inside. It was soccer, but a basketball was used. I decided "No way." I listened to the the text on my mp3 player and watched. It was Christine and Bekah vs. Bruce and Mike. It was funny. The ceiling got hit a few times. It was kinda funny watching Bekah and Christine get pummeled over and over again with the basketball. Christine kicked it pretty hard and it left a print on the wall.

After our 4th match and dinner, we headed off to the quizmeet at Zion. We got questions on the way up, and everyone got the questions down. Even when we got there, we went to a solitary place (lol) to practice with more questions, and were on top of every question. We couldn't get any more ready than we were. And it showed.

We had two quizmatches. The first one was against Paradise 1, the second against Zion 1. The performances in the matches were almost identical. Both times we scored points in the triple digits. The first match we scored 120 points, the second match we scored 130 points. Both matches we got team bonus. Both matches Mike and I quizzed out. On the second match, Christine almost quizzed out, too. This greatly helped our scores. Our team score average rose to 100 points per match. My individual score went up to 31 points per match. Our team rocked this week. I can't wait to see where I, as well as the team, placed on the standings. Now I'm really syked for next week.

Quizzing Question of the Post:
Who are the 12 disciples that Jesus appointed apostles?

I don't know why I am on here. I really don't want to talk about it. My feelings and emotions are all blurbed into one mess. It's like a giant yarn knot ball. You can't untie it, the only way the undo it is to cut it up. Then you have a bunch of little pieces of yarn that aren't of any use. I've composed "the pieces" right here, the pieces of thoughts on my feelings running my head. This "poem" (I use that term loosely) may not make any sense, or you may catch on easily. Like I said, I don't want to talk to anyone about it, nor do I want anyone to be making a deal about it or getting on my case about it. Please let it be

No, it can't be, it wasn't suppose to beIt's such a small difference, but a difference nonetheless
Why me? Why why why why me?!?!
It should have never ever happened
Dumb, stupid, moronic, egregious
Hyprocritcal: I said I wouldn't, but I did
Too fast, too little, too late
Inexcuseable, unacceptable, egregious
It almost seems impossible
My image, my repuation - destroyed, dismantled
I can't ever take it back
Does this make me any less?
Can I bounce back?What happens if I can't?
Should I just give up, or try again?
Eloi, eloi, lama sabbachnatha
How can one go from so good to so bad?
I wouldn't accept it from anyone else, and neither from me
Am I hurting the team?
It was the difference between the best and the worst
Am I possibly overexaggerating?
Did I give enough?Does it really matter?
It was a hard team
The little things made the difference
I knew to slow down, I knew to be happy with what was sent my way
But I missed what could have led to success
Was it greed? Pride? Arrogance?
Did I let my feelings get the best of me?
I did bad, but I also did good
And after all I have said and did
I have some good friends, I wish I could be a friend back
I deserve all the ridicule and trashing, I don't want to face up to it
I am number 1 in the team, they need me, I must step up for them
I must, no, need, no, WILL, do better

Like I said, I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't want to talk about it. I'm going stay off IM, email and the internet to help avoid it. I'll get over it....eventually. Give me a few more hours. But if you REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY need to talk to me, leave a comment saying the exact date and time you'll be online and say what you want to talk about, and why, and I'll consider talking to ya.

"I'll turn around to pick up the pieces." -Hoobastank

Pre-season scrimage quizmatch

Today was the day I predicted that the first quizzing week would be. I was wrong. The Ohio confrences are starting their second week of quizzing today, and we have yet to start. The suspense for next week to start is killing me. I wish it would just hurry up and get here. I could really go for a quizmatch around now. I bet all of you could go for a quizmatch now, so I set one up for you. Ten questions on the first week of quizzing material. So everyone take my quiz (especially quizzers) and see where you place. It will give a good idea of who will be a threat next Sunday, and who will need more practice by next Sunday :)

Quizmatch on Luke 1 & 2:1-40

Countdown to the first quizmatch of 2006:
7 days

Yesterday was our second practice. Not as full as last time. With 2 Tedors gone, and Christine absent as well, there was only 4 quizzers. In theory, if all quizzers quizzed out or errored out, only 12 questions would be asked, not 15. So both quiz outs and error outs were moved up to 4 questions. The first practice match was my best. Since quiz outs were 4 question quiz outs, I QUIZZED OUT ON QUESTION 4!!!! Even if quiz outs were 3 questions, I would have quizzed out on question 3. It was on 2 right buzzes and 2 right bonuses. Now, if I can just do that at a real quiz match, I'd be set. Next time, I want to try to do it all on buzzes, but I think Mike would interfere on that with a crazy buzz just to spite me. That was my best practice match yesterday. For the other two matches, I quizzed out as well. Only 1 of the matches was I not the first one to quiz out. I also got to contest one, and I won the contest (see below)! When we went through our normal reading and 3 practice matches, the time was 8:25 PM. We eneded a little earlier than usual. Since we had no other questions to be asked, we ended practice and then went to the eating.

I think we are slightly improving. Mike and I are doing great. We get quiz outs. I just hope when we have more of a competition we continue to do that. The only thing I worry about is our newbies. In all our matches, each team scored around 55 to 65 points. Why is that so bad? Well, in each match, Mike and I (we were on separate teams) contributed 45 of the points. I'm glad that I am individually performing so well, but I wish there was more of a team score. The rookies do well, but we only really see their action after Mike and I quiz out. They won't be able to do that in real match. We got to kill that habit. We got to get them to start jumping in faster, to the point they may even beat us. And I pray that Christine will get better too. We need to see where she is at. I would also like to see 4 practice matches next week.

Ok, here is the contest I faced. I did win the contest, and my coaches said that most quizmasters would do that as well. Let me hear what you think-

Question: Who were descendants of Aaron?
My answer: Zechariah and Elizabeth
Ruling: Incorrect
"Right" answer: Elizabeth (only Elizabeth, not Zechariah)
My contest: Based on Luke 1:5, the verse begins talking about Zechariah, then goes to talk about his wife Elizabeth. The verse uses the word "also" along with Elizabeth's name, hinting that Zechariah is part of this. It means, "Zechariah was a descendant of Aaron, and Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron."
Result: Contest granted

Now I was looking at the other translation and versions, only two versions using the "also" are the NIV and CEV. Most versions call Elizabeth "a daughter of Aaron" which definitely would not be Zechariah. But then again, other translations do not matter in quizzing, just NIV. It is your call.

Quizzing carols???

Countdown to the first quizmatch of 2006:
12 days

Ah yes there is only 12 days left until quizzing...12 days...I feel a song coming on. As some of you may know, I have parodied many famous songs to lyrics that have to involve quizzing. During December, the Christmas season got to the heads of the radio station. So some Christmas stations played nonstop Christmas music. My sister loved this and played it every chance she got. Since there was less than one month until quizzing began, I started studying heavily, and listening to my Audio CD of the quizzing material. Sometimes you'd have these two sounds mix. This mix of quizzing and Christmas carols got to my head and lo and behold, the birth of quizzing carols. So I have posted two on here. One is written by Jen Horning, an old Q-File (I miss those). The other is an original written by me. Let's start with my "original" first.

The 12 Weeks of Quizzing [A Parody of "The 12 Days of Christmas"]
(Instead of going verse by verse, adding a line every time, I'll just put down the last verse with every line. You get the idea)

ON THE 12TH WEEK OF QUIZZING, MY QUIZ COACH GAVE TO ME...

12 questions before review
11 hour bus ride
10 cheering fans
9 tournament matches
8 buzzers buzzing
7 quizzer quiz team
6 practice matches
5 errors, lose points!
4 question team bonus
3 question quiz outs
2 backup subs
and the quizzer sitting out isn't me!!

The second song dates back from 2003 (ironically, the last time we quizzed on a gospel). It may be old, but it is still good. Every year, before quizzing begins, I sing it. Instead of re-writing the whole song, I'll provide a link:

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Quizzing Version)
[You can guess what this is a parody of]

Quiz practice is tomorrow night @ 7! I extended my memorization to the second half of Luke 1. I can't wait for a second chance (and myabe a less sloppy performance).

What's up in quizzing pre-season

As I hope all of you know, November 2005 has past. I see April-November as an off-season. This is a steady, light practice. All you do is read over the material a few times and write questions. Maybe do some buzzer drills. Nothing to big. On November 30, the off-season ends, and a new phase begins. December becomes the quizzing pre-season. This is when the not-so-serious quizzers begin seriously considering if they want to quiz for the new season. For the serious quizzers, studying becomes more intense than during the off-season, but not as intense as regular practice. During the preseason, writing detailed quizzing questions for every verse is being wrapped up and finished. All question written from now on will be 15-question quiz matches for the week you are studying. During this time, you find out the weekly sections and read carefully only those parts. Now you start serious word-for-word memorization, because if you start that in the off-season you'll forget it when quizzing starts! Some teams even have pre-practices to work on stratergy and explain quizzing to rookies. The real quizzing practices begin after the pre-season ends, which is the end of December. January begins the quizzing season will real quizzing practices, and real quizzing matches! This is also when you get your quizbook, official schedule, and you know who is on the team

And that's what exactly happened. On December 21, I finished my questions for Luke 1 and 2. Questions done. I had gotten my buzzer speed to 304 buzzes/min., an improvement from last year's 300 buzzes/min., but not up to 300 buzzes/min., my all-time high. I had read over the material quite a few times. Still I had no quizbook, so I kept reading out of my Bible. And I still didn't know the breakdown of the material. On December 27, the official quizzing website updated, after 7 months of lacking and update (especially announcing the 2005 ACC Tournament Champions! ). The breakdown for the first week was Luke 1-2:40. I had fully completed Luke 1 & 2. I was slightly ahead, but that was OK. So I would ready the material in the Bible, listen to it on my Dramatized NIV Audio Bible CD. Then I began the memorization. I memorized the Benedictus and Magnificant. I could say it fluently by New Year's Day.

Well, Reading got their quizbook in mid-December. Christmas break rolled around and I still didn't have a quizbook. Of course I was panicing! I called coach Vicki Deitrick a few time asking about it, and every time she dind't have it. Even she was beginning to bug Fred asking it. Well, on New Year's Eve, they opened up a box, and saw the quizbooks inside. The Deitricks finally received the quizbooks. They were about to open the quizbooks, when Coach Vicki paused and said, "Graham is on edge. We better call him and tell him the quizbooks are here." She did call up and told me I could get my quizbook, and said today is good. She hung up the phone and said to coach Dave, "How much you want to bet that Graham will be here in the next half hour." She was right. I got there in 15 minutes (yes, I was going the speed limit!). The minute I hung the phone up, I picked it back up, called my parents, and told them I was going to the Deitricks. They knew why, so I went. I got my quizbook on December 31. It was the best Christmas present I got. I began highlighting it immeaditely. This is what it looks like (thanx Morgen!)



The following Wednesday, yesterday, January 3, was the first quiz practice. Christine was unable to come. Bruce and Brandon were able to come, Brandon had his last practice before heading back to Penn State. The old veteran Michael Schwager was already there, and not late for a change. I met the new quizzer, Becca and Jai. Since Becca was a tad late, we started with a quizmatch. We explained how a quizmatch goes as we go on. The first practice question of the year I buzzed in and got correct. By the end, I quizzed out. So did Mike. Brandon errored out, but that doesn't matter since he's not returning. Becca arrived, so we began a normal quizzing practice. We prayed, then read, then practice matches. During the reading, I quoted the Magnificant. In the remaining two quiz matches, I got the first question right on a buzz, and I quizzed out. Mike also quizzed out both matches, and Brandon was able to get one last quizout.

Now that we have one practice, I have been able to get an idea of our team and evaluate them. Our team consists me, Mike, Christine, Jai and Becca. Yes, you counted right, we only have a team of five. In October, we started out with a team of 8. By November, we had a team of 7. By December, we finished with a team of 5. Five is somewhat a good number. It is a good number for the rookies and substitute. There is a better odds of getting in. I were prefer a 6 quizzer quiz team. Two subs are better than one. Now, no one can get sick, or have a bad day. They MUST quiz. We cannot afford anyone missing in action. I still haven't been able to see Christine practice, but I think she'll do good. She is syked to be a starter (so far) and wants to quizout this year. If her mind is at it, I think she can. Mike did hold to what he said to me. He did quizout 3 times, and is now challenging me to do better. I think he will step up this year, maybe even to the Top 50 Quizzers List. For beginning, our rookies did good. Jai got a few buzzes in and was correct with them. Being on her team, I noticed that some questions she missed a buzz after half a second. She'll be good and get us team bonus. Becca was a bit shy, especially buzzer shy. We will have to get rid of that. But on every bonus she got, she answered it right. It's a sign that she knows the material. Now to get her buzzing, and we'll be good. I see promise in our team. We can easily get them to learn to buzz in for team bonus. By the tournaments, we'll be ready. Mike will get quite a few quizouts this year, and may shoot to the Top 50 Quizzers List. I think I can, too. I sense another great year.

Ah, yes. I now have an official countdown for quizzing. I found out that quizzing was not January 15, but January 22. A week later than I wanted, and the anxiety waiting for it is killing me! Yet I am patient. It just means more time to study.

OFFICIAL Countdown to the first quizmatch of 2006:16 days, 19 hours, minutes