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Bible Bowl 2008

Dexter O'Neal
10925 W. Sieno Place
Avondale, AZ 85323
(623) 877-2237

PURPOSE: To challenge players and all other participants to achieve an in-depth knowledge of God's Word!

BOOK: The book of 1 Samuel (1984 New International Version) will be the book covered in this year's Bible Bowl.

PROCESS:

Each congregation will:

• All players and other participants must read and understand rules for current year.
• Enroll teams of four (4) members, using Official Team Form(s) only, in Grade Category of highest grade participant on each team. See "TEAMS" for further information on incomplete teams.
• Enroll one adult "COACH" for each team registered. See "OFFICIALS" (scorekeepers) for further information on scorekeeping changes occurring this year.

Team registration must be completed by the Final Registration Deadline. Online registration coming soon.

If registering by mail, send to:
Leadership Training for Christ
c/o Vivia Simmons
534 El Camino
Phoenix, AZ 85021.

STUDY BOOK:

A Study Book is available from Bible Learn, P.O. Box 38372, Dallas, TX 75238. The cost of this Study Book is approximately $7.00 (contact publisher for more information). Copyright law prohibits copying of this Study Book. This Study Book comes in question-and-answer form and can be very helpful, but it is only intended to be used as a study aid. It is not a requirement that this Study Book be obtained. ALL ACTUAL QUESTIONS WILL BE DEVELOPED BY THE EVENT DIRECTOR FROM THE 1984 NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION OF THE BIBLE.

STUDY GUIDE: NEW!

A two page Study Guide is also available here.

TEAMS:

1. Teams are composed of four (4) participants in grades 3-12. You may enter as many teams of four as desired.
2. LTC-SW will help in filling incomplete teams ("pickup teams") for those congregations who have an uneven number of participants to make up complete teams, but it is ultimately the Church Coordinator(s)' responsibility to see that their participants are part of a complete team.
3. The Grade Categories are: Grades 3-6, Grades 7-9 and Grades 9-12.
   Note that 9th graders may participate in either the 7-9 or 9-12 Grade Category.
4. A participant may be a member of only one team during the event. A participant may participate in a Grade Category above his/her own, but may not participate in a lower Grade Category, with the exception of 9th graders as previously explained.
5. Participants on incomplete (pick-up) teams will participate for individual awards only.
   Any team which loses one or more players after the event begins will no longer be eligible to receive a team award, but each remaining player on any such incomplete team may continue to participate for an individual award.
6. No "phantoms" will be used to score incomplete teams. See also "SCORING/POINTS."
7. No alternates are permitted.
8. All team changes must be reported to the Event Director no later than 8:30 PM Friday. The Bible Bowl Event Director will be available in the area where the Bible Bowl Event will be held at the hotel in order to facilitate any last minute changes (see also, "COACHES MEETING").

ROUNDS:

1. Bible Bowl, for all Grade Categories, will consist of four (4) rounds, all of which will be conducted in one session and in two (2) separate rooms. Grade Category 3-6 will be conducted in one of the rooms and Grade Categories 7-9 and 9-12 will be conducted simultaneously in the other room. Due to time constraints, it will be very important for all players, participants, and spectators to be promptly in their appropriate places for the beginning of each round. Teams must sit at the same table.
2. Each of the four (4) rounds will be approximately thirty-five (35) minutes in length, with approximately a ten (10)-minute break between each round. Also due to time constraints, there will be NO one (1)-minute break at the end of the first ten (10) questions of each round.
3. Each of the four (4) rounds will consist of twenty (20) questions with three (3) possible multiple choice answers (i.e., A, B or C) per question. See also "QUESTIONS" and "ANSWER SYSTEM."

QUESTIONS:

1. Questions will be developed by the Bible Bowl Event Director from the 1984 New International Version of the Bible. All questions will cover only textual facts. There will be no questions on interpretation. Participants should be prepared to answer questions in each round from any chapter.
2. All questions, followed by the three (3) possible multiple choice answers, will be read aloud two (2) times only. NO REQUESTS FOR A THIRD READING OF THE QUESTION, MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWERS OR SCRIPTURE REFERENCE MAY BE MADE. COME PREPARED FOR ONLY TWO READINGS! NO ANSWERS WILL BE SPELLED!
3. Questions for Grade Category 3-6 will be different and easier than those asked at Grade Categories 7-9 and 9-12. Grade Categories 7-9 and 9-12 will be asked the same questions; however, their point spreads for Individual and Team Ratings will be different for awards purposes. See also "EXPLANATION OF AWARDS."
4. Questions are planned to be displayed on PowerPoint slides with a projector. This is an expensive and complicated process, but one that is helpful to everyone and especially valuable to those with impaired hearing and various other types of disabilities such as in the areas of reading, spelling, information-processing capabilities, etc.

ANSWER SYSTEM:

1. An "answer box" will be provided to each individual participant. Each participant must keep their eyes forward, their writing hand and their score sheet inside this answer box, and their remaining hand on the table while each round is being conducted.
2. The letters A, B, and C (the three (3) possible multiple choice answer per question) for each of the twenty (20) questions will appear on prepared score sheets which will be passed out to each individual participant at the beginning of each round.
3. Each participant must privately mark his/her answer (with the pencil provided) IMMEDIATELY AND AT THE SAME TIME on his/her score sheet when "answers please" is called. At no time is a participant to look over to attempt to see the answer marked by another participant.
4. If a team member marks his/her answer BEFORE "answers please" is called, NO SCORE WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM ON THAT QUESTION.
5. If a team member is not ready or fails to mark his/her answer on their score sheet when "answers please" is called, NO SCORE FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL WILL BE GIVEN FOR THAT QUESTION.
6. THERE WILL BE NO REQUESTS FOR A THIRD READING OF THE QUESTION, MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWER, OR SCRIPTURE REFERENCE.
   COME PREPARED FOR ONLY TWO READINGS!

SCORING/POINTS::

1. Each team member will have the opportunity to score points for their team on each question.
2. There will be no "phantom" scores or any type of averaging for incomplete teams. Participants on incomplete teams will participate for individual awards only.
3. Each individual correct answer will be worth ten (10) points, with a total possible of 200 points per round per team member, resulting in 800 total possible points per team for the four (4) rounds of the event.
4. Awards will be based on the most cumulative points earned in all rounds, both for each team (3200 total points possible) and each individual (800 total points possible). Participants in Pick-up teams are not eligible for team awards.
5. Both team and individual scores will be supplied to the individual congregations in their take-home envelopes. To the extent possible, scores will also be provided to the players and participants at the conclusion of the Bible Bowl event.

OFFICIALS:

Reader:

The Reader will read the questions and three (3) possible multiple choice answers aloud, keep track of time and have the final ruling over any disputed questions. NO QUESTION MAY BE ASKED ABOUT THE VALIDITY OF ANY QUESTION DURING THE ROUND. If a question is deemed to be invalid after the round, that question will be thrown out and all will receive credit. Due to our computer scoring, a question can only be challenged immediately at the end of the round in which the question was asked. The ruling of the Reader on any disputed question will be final, with no further discussion.

Scorekeeper:

Reminder: Each congregation is to enroll one (1) ADULT COACH per team or partial team registered.

1. Has the responsibility for monitoring the participants on one or more teams with respect to assuring that answers are marked when "answers please" is called and that those participants adhere to these Bible Bowl Rules.
2. May be responsible for tabulating the progressive score of one (1) team. An attempt is going to be made at the 2008 Bible Bowl to have score sheets read and scored by an automatic reader (such as those used in the public schools) to ensure scoring accuracy and expedite the scoring process. If this is not possible or becomes impractical, then the COACH will be supplied with an answer template from which to score each participant's score sheet (See also "COACHES AND SCORESHEETS").

COACHES AND SCORESHEETS:

Coaches will be asked to initial each participant's score sheet after it has been scored, if an answer template is used to manually score the score sheets. After the Coach initials the score sheet, it becomes "sacred writ" and will not be checked again. So . . . this behooves all Coaches to observe and/or check the scoring of each score sheet carefully before it is initialed by that Coach.

EXPLANATION OF AWARDS:

1. Scoring for awards FOR ALL GRADE CATEGORIES (3-6, 7-9 and 9-12) is based upon a point-spread method. The separate point spreads for each Grade Category for Individual and Team Ratings are developed after determining the total points accumulated for all four (4) rounds by each individual participant and each team (cumulative total of the four (4) participants' individual scores) within each Grade Category. There are three (3) Individual and Team Ratings (Gold, Silver and Bronze) which can be received by each individual participant and each team within each Grade Category.
2. A Gold Individual Rating will be awarded to those individual players achieving the upper point spread, a Silver Individual Rating will be awarded to those individual players achieving the middle point spread and a Bronze Individual Rating will be awarded to those individual players achieving the lower point spread.

   Similarly, a Gold Team Rating will be awarded to those teams achieving the upper point spread, a Silver Team Rating will be awarded to those teams achieving the middle point spread and a Bronze Team Rating will be awarded to those teams achieving the lower point spread.

3. Individual Awards: Each individual in each Grade Category qualifying for a Gold, Silver or Bronze Rating will receive an appropriately colored plate for their individual plaque.
4. Team Awards: Individual participants whose team receives a Gold, Silver or Bronze Team Rating will receive the corresponding appropriately colored plate. Participants on pick-up or incomplete teams are not eligible for the Team Award, but will still receive the individual.

GENERAL:

SHHHHHH!!!

1. Doors will be closed at the scheduled start of any round. Teams or team members not inside will forfeit that round. Coaches need to make sure no team member is late.
2. No one is allowed to enter or leave the event room while questions are being asked. Please enter or leave the event room during the allotted break times.
3. No talking while the event is in progress is permitted. Everyone is to be as quiet as possible so as to avoid any distraction or disruption of the event. No outbursts after an answer is given is permitted.
4. No physical contact between individual team members and/or their Coaches or spectators is permitted.
5. Players are not to eat (candy, etc.) and/or drink during the rounds. This is distracting.

COACHES MEETING:

There will be a Coaches Meeting Friday evening at 8:30 PM. This will be held in the location where Bible Bowl will be conducted. It is REQUIRED that all coaches attend this meeting to review rules, pick up team folders and make any applicable team changes.

AS IN EVERYTHING WE DO, PLEASE UPHOLD THE ATTITUDES AND DECORUM WHICH REFLECT THE NATURE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

WHILE BIBLE BOWL IS A "COMPETITION," AND EACH PARTICIPANT IS CHALLENGED TO DO HIS OR HER VERY BEST, OUR DESIRE IS TO PROMOTE CHRIST OVER COMPETITION!

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