Good teams ....

jeffburns1 · Post by **jeffburns1** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 6:07 pm

It's been a couple of months since we've had any kind of thread about improving as players and teams. I wondered what kind of responses would be elicited to the stem "GOOD QUIZ BOWL TEAMS...."

If you have any contributions, maybe it could develop into something like how to be a better player thread from last year.

No Sollositing On Premise · Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:31 pm

[irrelevant, misunderstanding the topic]

jeffburns1 · Post by **jeffburns1** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:13 am

Sorry, misunderstanding. I meant for the next word word to be a verb. Maybe the stem should be "Good teams should..." are "Good teams are the teams that..."

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 5:10 pm

Good teams don't give away secrets...

Seriously, I think good teams:
1) are positive in mindset, no matter who they play against.
2) have a coach that lets kids be kids but also expects them to be adults.
3) shake hands with their opponents at the end of matches and express the best characteristics of fair play and sportsmanship.
4) like to play against the best to see how good they are, in multiple formats, in many occasions.
5) write their own questions for practice or for tournaments.
6) have a mascot.
7) don't beat themselves or beat up on themselves.
8) know how to decompress, know how to focus, know how to have fun.
9) know how good they are without telling people how good they are.
10) have parents as groupies and the full support of their school's faculty and administration.

I'm sure I can think of others if pressed.

Dan Greenstein · Post by **Dan Greenstein** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:12 am

1. You do not talk about Good Teams.
2. You do not talk about Good Teams.
3. If a team says "stop," puts their heads on their desks or mass substitutes, the match is over.
4. Only two teams to a match.
5. One match at a time.
6. Buzzers required.
7. Matches go on for as long as they have to.
8. If this is your first year as a Good Team, you must attend nationals.

dtaylor4 · Post by **dtaylor4** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 11:43 am

E.T. Chuck wrote:Good teams don't give away secrets...

Seriously, I think good teams:
6) have a mascot.
10) have parents as groupies and the full support of their school's faculty and administration.

first of all, what kind of mascot are we talking about? a action figure or a full-fledged human dressed up? also, at our school we have a good team over the years but get no support due to our nationally-renowned jazz band. what do we do about that?

steven-lamp · Post by **steven-lamp** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:29 pm

DaGeneral wrote: also, at our school we have a good team over the years but get no support due to our nationally-renowned jazz band. what do we do about that?

You should "arrange" for their fun little travel bus to spontaneously explode and spiral off the road in a firey mass of twisted wreckage, then people will think your team is good...stupid band kids.

Stained Diviner · Post by **Stained Diviner** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 5:06 pm

Most importantly, Good Quiz Bowl Teams improve.

Also, they respect the game, respect people associated with the game, and enjoy the game and most things associated with it.

jrbarry · Post by **jrbarry** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 9:00 pm

I like most of what Dr Chuck posted although mascots are discouraged by me (for my teams). Writing questions is not what we do anymore either. But it is a way to learn.

I like the idea of improving as the year goes by. That is an important objective with me.

I tell my team (ad nauseum) that quiz bowl is about LEARNING! And winning is better (and more fun) than losing. Play businesslike and act as ladies and gentlemen. No celebrations in front of other teams, please. Always be courteous to other folks at tournaments. Ask questions politely and do not insist you are right. Ignore pompous jerks (except ME, of course!). And, most importantly...

HIGH SCHOOLS GIVE BETTER TOURNAMETNS THAN COLLEGES! :-)

harshrealm · Post by **harshrealm** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 2:14 pm

-Learn that winning isn't everything
-Give back when needed
-Have players who don't suddenly come up with another event they are "required to be at" the Friday before a tournament
-Have older players who remember that younger players are looking to them as role models
-Aren't doing quizbowl to fill up space college apps

No Sollositing On Premise · Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:02 pm

harshrealm wrote:...-Aren't doing quizbowl to fill up space college apps

As a corollary, they aren't doing quizbowl to get in the team's yearbook picture. We had that problem last year.

First Chairman · Post by **First Chairman** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:47 pm

Good teams let their students run the high school tournaments so they can make the college tournaments better.

As for doing quiz bowl for the "college application"... heh... we college interviewers all know how much that matters. (Having done them for 5 years... freaking out those who I also knew from qb...

)

zwtipp · Post by **zwtipp** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:02 pm

Good teams know that they're good, but they don't brag to others about it.

MahoningQuizBowler · Post by **MahoningQuizBowler** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 9:14 am

From my experiences running a league and tournament for the first time last year...

Good teams know about where they came from, whether the program has a tradition of winning or they built it from the ground after losing for many years.

Good teams DON'T call the team that they are supposed to travel to in league play that week, ask them to come out to their place, then provide no refreshment for them, beat them, and play "Another One Bites the Dust" on a CD player as they leave the school.

Good teams don't try to predict the outcome of tournament games as the #1 seed while standing in front of the tournament bracket within earshot of the #2 seed.

Good teams need more than one stud at the buzzer to win a championship.

Good teams know literature.

Good programs pay attention to how their reserve, freshman, etc. teams are performing just as much as the first team.

Good programs have websites.

Good teams, or teams that want to be good in the future, travel.

Good programs host tournaments.

Good programs have a coach who didn't "get stuck" with the job, but one who took it willingly and will do the work to become a good coach of a good team.

Good teams DO NOT WHINE, even if they get :hose: at the buzzer.

Good teams find a way to win, just like

solonqb · Post by **solonqb** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 11:35 am

Good teams play the questions, not the opponent. By which I mean they don't let the opponent's reputation affect their game.

bigtrain · Post by **bigtrain** » Sun Dec 19, 2004 9:34 pm

MahoningQuizBowler wrote:Good teams DON'T call the team that they are supposed to travel to in league play that week, ask them to come out to their place, then provide no refreshment for them, beat them, and play "Another One Bites the Dust" on a CD player as they leave the school.

For some reason I think there is a story behind that comment.

Just to add to the list:
Good teams almost always have a some sort of way of getting smart people in their school. Whether it be some sort of magnet program, they are located near a college or some other site that attracts smart parents and/or they are located in a school district with smart people.

Just to reiterate: good teams have good coaches.

msuter · Post by **msuter** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 2:20 am

In addition to the many ways already listed, I'll add my thoughts based on 17 years as an active coach.

Good teams have to make a commitment to excellence. They do this by:

Attending practice regularly and learning from questions they miss.

Making a commitment to become the most well-rounded players they can by reading, listening, studying lists, playing games, or by any other method that works for them.

Becoming part of a TEAM, which does not have an "I" in it.

Participating in as many tournaments as they can to gain experience.

Refusing to respond to baiting by the opposing team.

Modeling the attributes of a gracious winner or loser.

Shaking hands with their opponent regardless of the outcome.

Leaving the competition in the room once the match is finished.

Other factors that influence a group of students becoming a good team include having a committed coach and building tradition.

In response to bigtrain's comments about having some way to get "smart" people in their school, it certainly can help but your team can still become a strong team with "regular" students, which Spotswood has done in recent years. Although we have two universities, one four-year college and a community college within 20 miles of us, we have not had a preponderance of students whose parents were faculty members. We do have students who take honors and AP classes and who are quite involved in many extracurricular activities and hold part-time jobs.

This reminds me of a question a certain Northern Virginia coach (not any school that posts on here) asked me a few years ago after Spotswood had soundly defeated them twice--once at Duke and again at Banneker. The coach came up to me and said that he would like to know how a "country school in the middle of nowhere, like Spotswood, had any smart kids." I don't remember exactly what answer I gave him (certainly not the one that was going through my mind

), but I don't think he was the only coach I've dealt with over the years who had the mindset that because we come from a rural area (although Harrisonburg and Rockingham County are now designated as a metropolis with over 100,000 population), we must not be any good. Any team that is willing to work hard can become a good team, and you don't necessarily have to come from a magnet school environment to do that. Certainly native intelligence is important, but working to become even more knowledgeable is just as important, in my mind.

Howard · Post by **Howard** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 1:59 pm

msuter wrote:Any team that is willing to work hard can become a good team, and you don't necessarily have to come from a magnet school environment to do that. Certainly native intelligence is important, but working to become even more knowledgeable is just as important, in my mind.

Ditto. There are smart students in every school. They may not be in the proportion of TJHSST or other magnet schools, but they're still there. The presumption that school x for reason y hasn't enough smart students to form a competitive 3 or 4 person team is preposterous.

alkrav112 · Post by **alkrav112** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 2:47 pm

Good teams sneak up on you and catch you by surprise (I know from experience).

DH TTHS · Post by **DH TTHS** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 4:44 pm

One thing I am seeing all the time now that doesn't make a good team happens right before the match. One team will walk in and the other team will immediatley ask who they are and what their record is. Upon hearing the other team's record they will say" Oh we are 1-7, you guys are going to kill us." The match is over before it even starts. Even if you are on the 4th string JV team and are playing the state champions, you still have to have confidence in your abilities.

Also good teams shouldn't mock our team with the phrase"Tippecanoe and Tyler to" Its not funny or original. Plus you will probably lose, because Zack's mom said it while she beat him as a little child, so you are just getting him fired up.( Just joking about the last part, but really it's annoying.)

zwtipp · Post by **zwtipp** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:26 pm

Even if you're down far enough you can't win, still get as many questions as you can.

steven-lamp · Post by **steven-lamp** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 11:28 pm

...Had to do it.

Deadweight_Cassius · Post by **Deadweight_Cassius** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 12:05 am

I think that teams are made better when their chemistry is better. For example, up at michigan state our team had a good time playing and basically having fun with each other, messing around and all that stuff. I think that when having fun like this carries over into the matches every team becomes better than their known ability level. Also, I think that teams that have fun with each other keep the pressure off of everyone. Teams that have players that aren't afraid to buzz in because they know that their teammates will not make fun of them or get angry at them are better teams all together.

dtaylor4 · Post by **dtaylor4** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:07 am

i think that if someone makes a really bad neg (like in illinois format, not waiting for the question to be finished before answering a rebound tossup), they should be castigated, but i as a captain try to include my teammates on PLEASE MAKE FUN OF ME BECAUSE I SPEAK NEITHER LATIN NOR ENGLISH as much as possible unless it's calculus, then they know to leave it to me (the highest level of math one of my teammates is in is pre-cal), but i usually defer to my teammates if they have more than i do on a bonus

Tegan · Post by **Tegan** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 8:35 am

From what I have seen, the best teams are just that.....teams....not one or two (wo)man wrecking crews....that can get you only so far.

If every team member has a role, and is comfortable in developing that role to the max, then you have something special...They don't necessarily have to hang out together and have fun together (never hurts), btu they have to respect each other for what they bring to the table, as long as they are all trying to do their job to the best of their ability.

In my ten years (not long by many standards), I've really only seen two or three teams that fit that bill....but they were all outstanding teams that did a lot of winning.

Captain Aardvark · Post by **Captain Aardvark** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 1:35 pm

All good teams must have a fairly balanced team, with a variety of knowledge. From my experience, one or two-man teams generally don't do as well.

superbunny · Post by **superbunny** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:20 pm

You shouldn't make rules for a good team. All teams are good, unless they are completely obnoxious and don't even care about the game.

It's insulting to be given rules about what a good team is. I believe our Team is a great team, although we may not be winning every game. We try our best and at the end of every game we all sit down and talk about the questions we knew. Wins and losses don't shake us. If we lose, we try again, if we win, we don't rub it in. There should be no rules to a good team.

Good teams are normal kids, kids who feel that they are getting some form of self worth by answering questions that many kids do not know. Teams are always improving and always striving to answer more and more questions.

A good team is a team that can laugh off a loss as well as a win. Don't look at what a team is doing wrong, look at what they're doing right and praise them for it

biggreen · Post by **biggreen** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:51 pm

The best teams, not to beat a dead horse, but rather to emphasize this to its proper extent, are TEAMS. They are balanced, they get along well, everyone contributes, and everyone can pick up the slack if someone's having a bad round. In my high school experience, the hardest teams to beat (and the ones we lost to most often) were the ones that weren't intimidated by anyone and didn't have a dominant player.

emactruman · Post by **emactruman** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:15 am

One word....

Dedication

Tegan · Post by **Tegan** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:11 am

I heard an interesting radio interview yesterday with the head coach of Northwestern University's basketball program.....the question was:
"Why do schools like Stanford and Duke, with high academic standards attract the top talent in the world, but Northwestern can't"

The coach answered something like: 'If you were a really smart guy, and you could go to Duke or Northwestern and get a degree and play basketball, you would pick Duke for one reason: tradition of excellence. Duke is a proven winner, and until the teams in America prove they aren't, the top talent that can get into top colleges will go there. As soon as Northwestern can build that kind of tradition, with consistent winning records and advancement, they will come here too.'

I don't want to start an "Evanston v. Durham" debate here....but it is true. If a really smart kid comes to your school, and there already exists an academic team with a proven track record, that's where they will go. That's why I think coaches need to build a team by also building a tradition. Keep records, make sure the kids know the history of your program.....not only the great players, but the great personalities. Since I started doing that both the quantity and quality of players on the team have improved dramatically. Among other things: a Hall-of-Fame for great players, honorary varsity letters to non players who really help the program (teachers, administrators, parents, etc). I track the top 10 in over 30 categories of statistics, so that kids who are specialists and generalists know that they have a shot of getting their name on the list. It not only acts as a hook to get kids in the door, but as a carrot to motivate kids to work even harder.

dtaylor4 · Post by **dtaylor4** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:03 am

Here, there has been a tradition of excellence up until the varsity person, I mean team, immediately preceding my freshman year. In the past, former players would give advice, come help out, and even run the annual tournaments here. Right now we do have Marty who comes and helps out, but that's it.

vcuEvan · Post by **vcuEvan** » Mon Apr 25, 2005 11:24 am

A whole lot of practice and being comfortable with the people on your team.