BIBLE QUIZ TEAM RANKS THIRD IN NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

When there's a question about the Bible, a good person to call would likely be a member of one of the Bible quiz teams from the Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Jackson. Because that member would most likely have the answer.

The teams, a junior squad made up of children under 13 and a senior team made up of those 13 to 18, recently met with unprecedented success when each gained a top-three finish at the national and state tournaments.

After receiving an automatic bid to the national finals by placing second at the state meet in Moberly on June 16, the junior team headed to the North American Jr. Bible Quiz finals in St. Louis during the second week in August. The team, which consisted of 12-year-old Katie Fink, 10-year-old Lindsey Chubboy and 7-year-old Jeremy Rockhill, was more successful than anyone thought it would be.

Out of 57 teams from throughout the United States and Canada, Jackson's team junior squad finished in third place, bested only by the winning team from Mississippi and the second-place team from Ontario, Canada.

Even more astounding than the team's finish was the composition of the team itself. Calvary sent an all-rookie team to the meet, no members had any previous experience with the quiz team.

Junior team coach Marilyn Brown said that long hours of practice and teamwork paid off for the Jackson team.

"All the pieces came together," Brown said. "All three kids are sharp. I have a teaching background, and I was able to teach them what they were supposed to do to win.

"I talked to the other coaches, and no other team came close to practicing as long as they did. By the time they went to the state finals, they had heard over 1,000 questions.

"It was a total ministry. They've learned verses they never would have learned otherwise. It was fun for them to be with the o;ther kids who have the same values as they do."

The senior team also enjoyed a major success recently, placing third in their state finals and also winning an automatic bid to the national finals to be held in Des Moines, Iowa.

The three-member team is made of 17-year-old Rachelle Brown, 16-year-old Laura Chubboy and 13-year-old Jessica Newberry. The team is coached by Cindy and seven-year-coach Matthew Chubboy, who will be making their first appearance in the national tournament.

In the tournaments, the group completes with other United Pentecostal Church groups form other locations. Preparation for the tournaments, which include monthly local and Midwestern tournaments as well as the state and national events, is exhaustive, Brown said. She said that each team is assigned a group of Bible verses (300 for the junior teams, 500 to 550 for the senior teams) to memorize. Team members memorize every verse and engage in practice sessions twice a week.

"They all have their strengths and weaknesses," Brown said. "The questions get harder as the tournaments progress, so we try to have the less experienced quizzers take the easier questions.

"Some are better at quotation questions. Some are faster on the buzzer than others, and some are better at answering questions before the reader finishes asking them."

One junior quizzer from the Calvary team seems to have a bright future ahead of her with the quiz group. Fink, a rookie, scored the second-highest individual point total at the national tournament in St.. Louis. It was only the second time in history of the tournament that a rookie finished as high as second place.

Despite the excitement and elation that comes along with defeating scores of national competitors, Brown said there are more important lessons to be learned in quizzing than competition and victory.

"It teaches them a lot of different values," she said. "It teaches them self-discipline, study habits, teamwork, and to follow rules."

Brown hopes the team's success will encourage more participation in related activities.

"We're going to try to involve more kids in the church, because they now see that it can be done," she said. "It seemed like an impossible task until now. Anyone who wants to be successful at it can be."