Why do you play Quiz Bowl?--Poll!

[Charbroil]

So, why do you play Quiz Bowl?

Clarification: One reason obviously doesn't exclude the other. I mean to ask whether your primary reason for playing Quiz Bowl is because it's fun, or whether it's because you mean to get something out of it. Obviously, you can enjoy the learning aspect of QB without playing it for the purpose of doing well in class.

[Kouign Amann]

The answer is, of course, both.

[kayli]

The answer is, of course, both.

Very true.

However, from my experience, quizbowl people tend to be a smidgen less sociable than others. But, that's just from my experience.

[rylltraka]

The answer is, of course, neither.

[Charbroil]

The answer is, of course, both.

I'm somewhat curious--have you been able to learn things from Quiz Bowl which have helped you with school? I've never been able to do so, though I've only had the chance to play bad questions up to this year and I only really started trying to learn the canon in the last few months.

However, from my experience, quizbowl people tend to be a smidgen less sociable than others. But, that's just from my experience.

True, but we do (hopefully) have friends, and in my experience, our friends have often been fellow Quiz Bowl players, and thus I've always enjoyed the roadtrip aspect of going to tournaments and doing something which we all enjoy.

[Kouign Amann]

The answer is, of course, both.

I'm somewhat curious--have you been able to learn things from Quiz Bowl which have helped you with school? I've never been able to do so, though I've only had the chance to play bad questions up to this year and I only really started trying to learn the canon in the last few months.

Seriously? Your quizbowl-acquired knowledge has never added to or reinforced your helpful-in-school knowledge? I find that hard to believe.

Edit: I spel gud.

[Down and out in Quintana Roo]

I'm telling you, one of the biggest side-effects of coaching (and therefore remembering a lot of answers) was a huge amount of help on my Jeopardy qualification test and tryout a couple months ago. We'll see how helpful it was if they call me back.

[Quantum Mushroom Billiard Hat]

The answer is, of course, both.

I'm somewhat curious--have you been able to learn things from Quiz Bowl which have helped you with school? I've never been able to do so, though I've only had the chance to play bad questions up to this year and I only really started trying to learn the canon in the last few months.

I have often heard names of things through QB that help me learn faster in my classes. I'm not sure about actually learning material in detail from QB before it came up in a class. For example, I knew that there was some experiment conducted by Michelson and Morley that somehow disproved the luminiferous aether theory. When I encountered the experiment in a class last year, I was able to understand and learn the material much faster than if it were completely blind to me.

[Cheynem]

Quizbowl really helped me as an undergrad, specifically in classes where I needed to learn historical facts and names or authors.

As a grad student, it helps me a bit to retain knowledge. I mean, the point of grad school (in the humanities) is to do your own research and make connections, so quizbowl doesn't really help there per se, but it helps me to retain theoretical foundations. For example, I studied the Frankfurt school quite a bit last year, and quizbowl has helped me to be able to quickly explain just what that's about.

But I don't play quizbowl to help me in school. In fact, it might not help me, because it takes time away I could better spend studying or researching. I play it because I find it fun and it helps me to relax.

[theMoMA]

The answer is, of course, both.

Very true.

However, from my experience, quizbowl people tend to be a smidgen less sociable than others. But, that's just from my experience.

This gets falser the less in high school you are. I don't mean this as an insult in any way, but the type of people who associate with quizbowl in high school shade much shier than those who take it seriously in college.

[Adventure Temple Trail]

five points for one, ten for two, twenty for three, thirty for all four, are these activities done for fun, to get something out of them, both, or neither

...er...

My original reason for playing quizbowl was that I found it a fun thing to do after school. When I realized that I was acceptably good at an interscholastic competition that didn't involve throwing or catching, early last school year, I started to enjoy pushing myself to get better and play as well as I could against other good teams, while still not sweating it too much if we lost. Regardless, it's all about the fun of the game for me - though quizbowl has its side effects (i.e. forcing you to realize how little you've read in the vast expanse that is literature, helping you understand pretentious references in the New Yorker), and though hearing canonical phrases can help with some classwork, I personally don't have an ulterior motive for playing.

[Habitat_Against_Humanity]

I can cite quiz bowl as one of the main factors that helped me in my required social science class. I was able to just name-drop works of Durkheim and Marcuse without much more than a cursory understanding and occasionally repeating a clue I had heard in some question somewhere.

[dtaylor4]

I initially got involved way back when because it sounded like fun, and it was. I had good coaches who exposed me to boatloads of material I initially hated but learned to appreciate.

As an undergrad, I followed a similar vein to that of Nolan. There were a number of classes I took that were required (and some that weren't) in which knowing stuff through quizbowl gave me a leg up while also exposing me to more material I could use in quizbowl.

[Charbroil]

The answer is, of course, both.

I'm somewhat curious--have you been able to learn things from Quiz Bowl which have helped you with school? I've never been able to do so, though I've only had the chance to play bad questions up to this year and I only really started trying to learn the canon in the last few months.

Seriously? Your quizbowl-acquired knowledge has never added to or reinforced your helpful-in-school knowledge? I find that hard to believe.

Edit: I spel gud.

Literally never? That's probably going too far--but I can realistically say that I haven't been significantly aided by Quiz Bowl.

Of course, I've spent most of my career playing speedchecks & QG, so that's to be expected. :)

[naturalistic phallacy]

The answer is, of course, both.

Very true.

However, from my experience, quizbowl people tend to be a smidgen less sociable than others. But, that's just from my experience.

This gets falser the less in high school you are. I don't mean this as an insult in any way, but the type of people who associate with quizbowl in high school shade much shier than those who take it seriously in college.

Andrew's correct here. Most people I've met in college quizbowl are relatively normal and sociable.

[Sir Thopas]

The answer is, of course, both.

Very true.

However, from my experience, quizbowl people tend to be a smidgen less sociable than others. But, that's just from my experience.

This gets falser the less in high school you are. I don't mean this as an insult in any way, but the type of people who associate with quizbowl in high school shade much shier than those who take it seriously in college.

Andrew's correct here. Most people I've met in college quizbowl are relatively normal and sociable.

Yeah, I've had great conversations and tons of fun with many quizbowlers. Most of them are perfectly willing to talk, and entertaining to talk to.

[The King's Flight to the Scots]

The answer is, of course, both.

Very true.

However, from my experience, quizbowl people tend to be a smidgen less sociable than others. But, that's just from my experience.

This gets falser the less in high school you are. I don't mean this as an insult in any way, but the type of people who associate with quizbowl in high school shade much shier than those who take it seriously in college.

Andrew's correct here. Most people I've met in college quizbowl are relatively normal and sociable.

In a way, Kay has a point. There are plenty of cool people involved in quizbowl, but there aren't too many of the wild fratboy types with 6421 facebook friends\; in that sense, you could say that quizbowlers are less social on average. Then again, that's not what I would call "sociable", so Andrew's still right.

EDIT: As for helping with classes...studying for quizbowl lets me drop names and titles in English, but I can't say I got a significantly better grade in any class due to qb. That whole "getting an education" thing gets in the way.

[The Time Keeper]

It's fun.

[Auroni]

It's probably the one activity I was ever involved in that involves the most mutual social support (from fellow teammates, from other quizbowl friends, etc) and because I have broadened my own academic interests via involvement with it.

[TheKingInYellow]

[ but there aren't too many of the wild fratboy types with 6421 facebook friends\

I know I frequently judge my acquaintances based on the number of facebook friends they have

[Angry Babies in Love]

[(Extreme competitiveness - athletic ability) + void left by Geo Bee] - math ability = No choice but playing quizbowl. It's in my blood.

[The King's Flight to the Scots]

but there aren't too many of the wild fratboy types with 6421 facebook friends

I know I frequently judge my acquaintances based on the number of facebook friends they have

I'm not calling them "fratboy types" because of the number of people they've friended on fb. I'm calling them "fratboy types" because I know that they get wasted every night and I frequently hear them say things like "Oh, that dude! I partied with him once!" Oftentimes (but you're right, not invariably), the number of people they sorta-kinda know is reflected in their number of fb friends. I meant it as an illustration of the kind of people I was talking about, not a judgment call. In retrospect, "fratboy types" sounds too harsh: I'd consider myself friends with most of them.

Back on-topic:
Like most people, I play so that I can satisfy my competitive drive in an academic environment. Oh, and here's an interesting link.

[JackGlerum]

Like most people, I play so that I can satisfy my competitive drive in an academic environment.

This is my reason--and seemingly most people's. I actually joined the quizbowl team when I got cut from the sophomore basketball team and needed something to do in the winter months. Working on my jumper became studying literature, and that was cool. Like basketball, or any other physical activity/sport, quizbowl is an outlet for my competitive side. I'm in it to win it. That said, I fully enjoyed myself at CO weekend without any intention of quizbowl glory.

[The King's Flight to the Scots]

Another thing: As much as I love xc, you run for less than 20 minutes and you're done. You can spend a whole day playing qb tournaments.

[kayli]

Another thing: As much as I love xc, you run for less than 20 minutes and you're done. You can spend a whole day playing qb tournaments.

BUT, exercise gives you endorphins! Endorphins make you happy! Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. They just don't.

[scquizbowl]

I play quiz bowl because of the excitement of the competition. You learn so many things while playing: how to be a good teammate, how to make friends, how to be a good sport, and you learn lots of stuff that you don't learn anywhere else.

I've played it since the 5th grade because of that. In the last 2 years, I learned even more about it, as I grew from a boy who basically only knew US Geography, History, and Sports, to one who could help on all levels of the canon.

Some of the great matches I've played in the last few years (Southside at NAQT state, Jesuit, the time we beat Dorman at state), are just as exciting as the football games we play at our school. It is a lot of fun, and that also helps me in life. I have also gained many friendships from playing, with coaches from other schools (like Mr. Barry, Mr. Huff, Mr. Drake at Robinson, and dozens of others that I've seen along the way), and with the great players.

[Rufous-capped Thornbill]

Quizbowl is the most..rewarding activity I have ever participated in. Quizbowl, for me, combines my extreme competitiveness and love of learning. Through Quizbowl I have met some of the best people I know.

Ever since I have become greatly interested in Quizbowl, it has opened up a whole new world of education. I can honestly say that because of Quizbowl, I go above and beyond everything I've been taught in school to learn more. Nothing before has ever motivated me like that.

To me, Quizbowl is a perfect combination of competition and academics, both fun and serious in nature.

[master15625]

I joined qb in freshman year because someone told me that it was like trivia (though it clearly isn't) and I would be good at it. I wasn't even good. Then, I liked the spirit of competition as well as gaining knowledge to help in school and vice versa.

I do play it for fun, and I don't really get worked up about it because I know that there is always another tournament to do.

[jdeliverer]

While I think if you take quiz bowl seriously it is very helpful to your academic endeavors, everyone I know that participates does it for either the social or competitive aspect. We do it because we enjoy the games, and for some of us it's a lot easier to be good at quiz bowl than sports :)