Chipola Brain Bowl to Compete In National Tournament

With its championship win in the online sectional tournament on Jan. 23, the quiz bowl team from Chipola College proved themselves worthy to play on a national stage. On Saturday, Feb. 27, the team will represent their school in a 16-team national competition:  National Academic Quiz Tournaments' Community College Championship Tournament.

Quiz bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic activity for teams of four students.  Quiz bowl teams use buzzers to answer questions about science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, social science, current events, sports, and popular culture. The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration, since no individual player is likely to be an expert in all subject areas. Participation in quiz bowl both reinforces lessons from the classroom and encourages players to develop new intellectual interests.

The 2020 Community College Championship Tournament was the last NAQT championship contested before the COVID-19 outbreak.  Though it disrupted many competitions in the 2020-21 school year, community colleges were able to compete in an online sectional tournament to qualify for the 2021 CCCT. This year all of NAQT's championships will be conducted online using Zoom conference calls for each match.

Chipola won the Community College Championship Tournament in 2013, 2012, and 2011, and also attended in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, and 2009.  Most recently, in 2020, they entered two teams, both of which made the playoffs and one finishing in second place.

The team comes in with some nationals experience with captain Kiley Justice, who played in the 2020 Community College Championship Tournament in Orlando, the 2019 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament in Rosemont, Illinois (near Chicago); and the 2019 Community College Championship Tournament in Orlando.

Chipola will send two teams to the 2021 CCCT.  The A team will be captained by Kiley Justice, who will be joined by Jack Connolly, Trevor Schrock, and Taylor Young.  The B team will be captained by Jon Proctor, who will be joined by Felix Preston, Kaleb Todd, and Colby Williams.  The teams will be coached by Stan Young, who will be assisted by Robert Dunkle.

Tournament results will be updated throughout the day at http://www.naqt.com/go/stats/11803 so everyone can follow along and see how the team does.  You can also follow #ccct on Twitter.  

Photo: CHIPOLA BRAIN BOWL TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL TOURNAMENT—Pictured are just a few of the Chipola Brain Bowl competitors, (from left): Trevor Schrock, Kaleb Todd, Kiley Justice (captain), Taylor Young and Jon Proctor.