JACKSON CHURCH YOUTH ENJOY COMPETITION

Members of the junior quiz team are Katie Fink, Lindsey Chubboy and Jeremy Rockhill.

Each student on the Bible Quiz Team at Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Jackson begins the new year of competition with the assignment of memorizing two verses and reviewing two others each week.

By the time district finals roll around in June, they will have learned more than 500 verses.

Bible quizzing is an enormous investment of time and commitment for the children on the team, which consists of junior quizzers up to the age of 12 and a senior team with members ranging in age from 12 to 18 years.

The church's junior team consists of three members, all from Jackson. The three are Jeremy Rockhill, 6 years old; Lindsey Chubboy, 10 years old; and Katie Fink, 11 years old. The junior team is coached by Marilyn Brown of Jackson.

Members of the senior quiz team are Laura Chubboy, 15, of Jackson; Shawnda Strand, 14, of Marble Hill; Christa Chubboy, 12, of Jackson; Jessica Newberry, 12, of Cape Girardeau; and Rachelle Brown, 16, of Jackson. Matt and Cindy Chubboy of Jackson coach the seniors.

While being on the team is hard work, all of the members say it is rewarding. The Bible quiz team will travel nearly every weekend from the beginning of January through August, when members will compete at the Missouri State Championships. If they are successful on the state level, the team members will advance to national competition held in October.

Each Bible quiz consists of 20 questions with point values ranging from 10 to 30 points, depending upon the difficulty of the question.

Aside from the quizzers and their coaches, several other principals are necessary to conduct a quiz.

The quiz master is the person in charge of the proceedings during the tournament competition and is responsible for conducting an impartial quiz. The quiz master concerns him- or herself with the phrasing, content and the exact language used in each quiz participant's response to questions.

A second judge, the foul judge, monitors quizzers to ensure that they make no unnecessary jerks toward teammates or the answer buzzer.

Such strict judging makes competition detailed and intense.

The experienced senior quiz team members know the intensity of competition. Laura Chubboy recalled an important quiz bowl which she lost by a slip. Her incorrect response cost her a trip to the national quiz tournament in 1993.

Chubboy was answering a four-part question in which she was to correctly name all of the body parts mentioned in a particular Bible verse. While she accomplished this, she added "beard" to her response, an incorrect addition for which she lost all possible points, since "beard" was ruled not to be a part of the body.

Shawnda Strand admitted that the competition can be frustrating.

"I hate it when you know the answer to the question, then you start to answer and you lose it," she said.

In order to prevent such an occurrence, the quizzers take their Bible studies very seriously.

Jeremy Rockhill, a member of the junior quiz team, said that his mother writes Bible verses on a chalk board at home and separates the verse so that her son can first learn one and then another portion of each verse.

"Sometimes mom writes the verses on little cards and then scrambles the words and I have to put them in order," Rockhill explained, adding that he spends 1 1/2 hours each day memorizing Biblical verses.

Despite the frustrations and hard work, the quizzers and coaches quickly admit that they are more than repayed in the benefits derived from participating in Bible quizzing.

Rachelle Brown feels that her involvement in quizzing makes her more knowledgeable in her religion. Other team members feel that the Biblical knowledge they gain helps them in friendships and in giving advice to others.

Senior coaches Matt and Cindy Chubboy say involvement in quizzing has benefited their children, making the kids better students in school.

In addition, Cindy Chubboy said, "Quizzing helps the kids learn to compete without having bad attitudes."

While the competition can be intense, it is also fun and exciting for all involved because it provides a good outlet for the children's energy.

As the quiz season gets into full swing, the quizzers and coaches look forward to weekend trips to quiz tournaments in Illinois and Indiana. All of the quizzers say making new friends and traveling play a big role in their enjoyment of quizzing.

The group is excited about an upcoming senior quiz tournament, to be held March 11 at Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Jackson. The public is invited to attend.