NHBB welcomes Jason and Mary Russell, Outreach Coordinators!

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Irreligion in Bangladesh
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NHBB welcomes Jason and Mary Russell, Outreach Coordinators!

Post by Irreligion in Bangladesh »

historybowl.com wrote: The National History Bee and Bowl is pleased to announce that Jason Russell, of Chattanooga, TN, has been hired as NHBB’s new full-time Director of Outreach. NHBB is also pleased to announce that Mary Russell, Jason’s wife, will also be working in a part-time role as Outreach Coordinator.
More details and welcoming of Jason and Mary here.

We're delighted to have Jason and Mary on board; they've been working with us since the fall, and their help has already made a major impact. As some are aware, Jason had been working for years on a part-time basis as a question writer with Questions Unlimited; he has finished his involvement with QU and is excited to be working on pyramidal quizbowl, in the Southeast and nationwide.

Given Jason's prior work with QU, I feel it necessary to say a little bit more. I was one of many people to speculate over the past few years that whoever was writing QU's "pyramidal" questions was inexperienced at the style and being stymied by Chip's preference for anti-pyramidal questions. This fall, I was thrilled to learn that A: that speculation was correct, as Jason served as their primary writer, B: Jason's inexperience was due to lack of mentorship and training from experienced editors, without which none of us would have been able to get where we are, and C: Jason's enthusiasm for the game made it easy for him to immediately embrace the principles of good quizbowl writing. (Jason's full-time work is on outreach, not writing, but I felt it crucial for someone with his prior writing background to learn how good quizbowl works before he could properly advertise our tournaments.)

Speaking as someone who suffered through the questions played in Illinois quizbowl circa 2005, I know how refreshing it is to play good quizbowl instead of one-line questions. As new players and coaches join the forums and play their first pyramidal tournaments, we see that refreshing experience beginning anew, all the time. Jason's got that same excitement and enthusiasm, and I'm thrilled he's working with us.

One of Jason's upcoming tasks as Outreach Director is organizing staff for NHBB Nationals; he'll be sending out e-mails for that shortly. If you're interested in learning more about NHBB Nats staffing, need a moderator within some vicinity of Chattanooga, or would just like to say hello, feel free to e-mail Jason at [email protected]. If you have any other questions, feel free to post here, PM me, or e-mail me at [email protected].

Happy New Year!
Brad Fischer
Head Editor, IHSA State Series
IHSSBCA Chair

Winnebago HS ('06)
Northern Illinois University ('10)
Assistant Coach, IMSA (2010-12)
Coach, Keith Country Day School (2012-16)
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