What's up with Utah?

[ermaxfield]

I just graduated from high school, and this next fall I will be going out to Brigham Young University in Utah. I was just wondering if anyone here knew much about the quiz bowl program out there. (I noticed there was no discussion about Utah specifically--western qb seems to be centered in California.) I believe the term for BYU's qb team is "inactive." However, this is all I know concerning quiz bowl in Utah.
Is it very developed, severely lacking, non-existent, etc, etc? I would like to start something if there is no strong program there--whether it be with local high schools or simply an informal college type program. Any suggestions on how to go about doing this--such as recruiting, gathering interest, and overall tips in general for a first timer? I've already talked to David Madden about working with high schools and maybe even middle schools to get them involved with the National History Bee/Bowl, but I would like to expand it by including other qb question providers, notably NAQT and HSAPQ.
Thanks!

[cvdwightw]

There is a very small high school circuit that runs on NAQT questions. NAQT indicates that teams from Juan Diego Catholic, St. Joseph Catholic, and Christian Heritage attended a 2011 tournament on IS-A questions.

BYU showed up to ACF Regionals last year (2010), so I think they still have some sort of team. I can send you the contact information of a couple of students who have been in charge of the program in past years; perhaps they can point you to the remnants of the team.

[Marble-faced Bristle Tyrant]

Boise State seems to be closer (6 hours vs 11 hours to ASU and UC Irvine according to Google Maps) and hosted MUT this year and last year.

[Mike Bentley]

Yeah, Utah is closer to Boise State than we are in Seattle. It would be awesome for the circuit if you could get a Utah team up and running. Boise hosts about two tournaments a year, but if that part of the circuit starts growing (there was a team at Idaho that came to some tournaments last year, for instance), it's possible that more tournaments could be held in the Boise area. You guys are also not incredibly far from the Bay Area (looks to be around 10-11 hours) so that's another maybe once-a-year option.

Feel free to e-mail me ([email protected]) if you have any questions about the circuit.

[ermaxfield]

Dwight--I would love some contacts, thanks!

So the general consensus is that quiz bowl is more established in Utah's surrounding areas? I see.

[nadph]

For what it's worth, you could probably use to drum up quite a bit of interest.

[cchiego]

It sounds like there might also be some kind of team at Southern Utah University based on this article. Might want to make some inquiries to those folks.

If you're up for an 11 hour drive, we in San Diego would certainly be glad to have y'all at any tournament. I suspect most California programs would be more than willing to work with a BYU team on any entry fees, so don't let that dissuade you from coming.

[Sun Devil Student]

Emaline, try looking for someone named Trace Stay, and/or e-mailing [email protected]. About a month ago, the Voice of ASU Quizbowl (namely, [email protected]) received an e-mail from that address, signed by Trace. However, we wrote back and haven't heard anything since.

It does look like your shortest travel time would be to Boise State, but if you guys ever want to come to ASU we're ecstatic to have you.

[Sun Devil Student]

So the general consensus is that quiz bowl is more established in Utah's surrounding areas? I see.

Not quite. Wyoming and New Mexico, to my knowledge, are still blighted wastelands of death in collegiate quizbowl. (There are scattered reports of intramural activity, but nothing has gotten through the mountainous barriers for some time.) Colorado has high school activity and someone tried to start a college club at UColorado-Boulder a couple years ago but they haven't made it to a tournament yet, I don't know if they've folded or are still gasping for breath. Arizona has Univ. of Arizona trying to build up a new team, but remains dependent until then on a precariously established Arizona State club whose founder just stepped down. Idaho has Boise State, which sounds like a smaller but somewhat more stable club that started around the same time ASU did. I've also heard there was once a club at UNLV, but it's been a while since I last heard anything out of Nevada. And Utah, of course, is what you see from your vantage point.

So, I think all of us in quizbowl will welcome your enthusiasm and look forward to seeing a lot more quizbowl in Utah.

[cvdwightw]

There appear to be high schools in cities just south of Provo (the Nebo School District) that have giant "Knowledge Bowl Week" IM tournaments. You may be able to contact some of the people who run those tournaments and see if they're up for something interscholastic.

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3

[MahoningQuizBowler]

I contacted Provo High, which is a listed member of National History Club, to ask about the possibility of hosting. I've not received a response yet; I will follow up tomorrow.

[tiwonge]

We've had Utah schools come up to Boise for tournaments. I have contact info for some schools. I know that Juan Diego and Saint Josephs both have somewhat-established programs. I can put you in touch with them.

Also, I can add you to my mailing list so that you're notified of tournaments up here. It's only a 5 hour trip. :)