MACSA Bible Quizzing

MACSA (Mid-Atlantic Christian School Association) is one of the many organizations that sponsor Bible Quizzing (also known as Bible Bowl). Unlike most organized forms of quizzing however, MACSA Quizzing does not have any one denominational church as its organizing and supporting foundation. MACSA BQ is instead composed of teams representing various Christian Schools and Homeschool organizations from Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and all of which are members of MACSA.

MACSA also uses weight-sensitive pads on chairs (unlike many who use hand-buzzers) and a quizzer must "jump" in order to win the right to answer each question.

Format and Divisions
MACSA Bible Quizzing is primarily divided into three divisions: Junior High Division Two, Junior High Division One, and Senior High. Teams are placed in their divisions based on the academic grade-levels of the quizzers who participate on those teams. Most competition during the bulk of the initial season takes place within a team's division. However at the second event (Regionals), the two Junior High divisions merge giving them the opportunity to go head-to-head against each other. Senior High only will ever compete against itself, as the two compete in different styles.

At both levels, teams participate in round robin competition during the majority of each day's quizzing. Following the conclusion of the round robin portion, teams can qualify for playoffs based on their results that day.

Junior High Divisions One and Two
Junior High Division Two (JH2) comprises teams that are made up almost exclusively of 6th and 7th graders, while Junior High Division One (JH1) features 8th and 9th graders. (On rare occasions, an 8th grader can be found in JH2 when a school has no JH1 team. MACSA permits a school to "quiz-down" up to two 8th graders.)

Both Junior High levels compete in a "highest-score-wins" format, and teams will participate in four quizzes during the course of the main portion of each event. Each quiz is always contested amongst three teams, with the teams competing for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. Teams are made up of up to five starters and up to two substitutes, and quizzes are 20 questions long, with a single "sudden-death" question used in the event of a tie score after Question 20. At the end of the quiz, a team's results will consist of their (1)total score, (2)game points, (3)total errors, and (4)total fouls. All four of these results go toward determining a team's standing during each event.

The total score is based on points accumulated for answering questions correctly. Initially all three teams are given an "everyone-in" question, and a quizzer answering one of these questions correctly earns 20 points. If this question is errored by a team, a "toss-up" is given to quizzers from the other two teams. A correct answer to a toss-up is also worth 20 points. If the toss-up question is missed, a "free" question is given to the remaining team. Because the team has no competition in answering this question, a "free" question is worth only 10 points.

Game points, which are the first criteria used in determining a team's placement on the day, are accrued based on a team's finish in a quiz. First place earns a team 3 points, second earns 2 points, and third earns 1 point. Errors accumulate throughout each quiz, and beginning with the 4th error by a team cost a team -10 points each. Additionally, any error starting at Question 16, regardless of if it is the first or fourth, is -10 points each. Fouls, though rare, are called for "violations of protocol", including inappropriate hand signals that may provide clues to answers or talking while a quizzer is answering, will cost a team -10 points for every second occurrence.

Senior High Division
Senior High (SH) comprises teams made up of 9th through 12th graders. The division overlaps Junior High Division One, and for 9th graders there is the choice of whether to compete in JH1 or SH.

Unlike the two Junior High divisions, Senior High competes in a "king-of-the-mountain" format in each of their 5 quizzes. Teams compete three at a time (like JH), but are composed of only 3 quizzers each (plus up to 2 subs). While Junior High teams all sit together throughout the entire quiz, Senior High Teams start in an ABC-ABC-ABC format, and correct answers to "everyone-in" and "toss-up" questions earn a quizzer the right to go to the top seat while all others move down. Senior High quizzes are only 15 questions long, but also feature a unique style of winning. A Position win, one where a team captures the top 3 seats after Question 5, can earn a team a valuable 4 points, unlike a regular 1st place finish based on score which earns 3 points. Position wins are unique to Senior High.

As in Junior High, Senior High teams accrue game points, score points, errors, and fouls over the course of the day. Errors begin to cost -10 points beginning with the 4th, but since the quiz is only 15 questions, only on Question 15 (and any subsequent sudden-death questions) is a -10 point deduction mandatory for any error.

Competitions
Competition takes place during the time period from late January until mid-March, roughly equivalent to the start of the second half of the academic year. Currently the MACSA format consists of a pre-season warm-up event known as an Invitational, an initial Quiz-a-thon to kick off the season, two Regionals (both held the same day and where teams attend one of two locations based on geographic location), a third Quiz-a-thon, and finally a Quiz Retreat. With the exception of the Invitational, all events are held at locations in south-central and south-eastern Pennsylvania.

Invitational
The Invitational event, hosted by Cumberland Christian School, was created to provide an opportunity for new schools and new quizzers to experience quizzing before the teams begin acruing points toward the final event, the Quiz Retreat. Three divisions are represented in Junior High-Novice, Junior High-Experienced, and Senior High. This can often be a valuable event for these new arrivals, as evidenced during the 2007 season, when two new schools (Fairview and SMS) both qualified for the playoffs at the next event, the first Quiz-a-thon of the season.

Quiz-a-thons
Quiz-a-thons are the backbone of the MACSA BQ schedule. They make up 2 of the 3 main events leading up to the season-ending Quiz Retreat, and are the largest of the single-day events. Teams compete solely within their divisions (JH2, JH1, SH) during the course of the day.

The first Quiz-a-thon signals the official start of MACSA Quiz season and this is the first event where teams begin accruing points toward the season-ending Quiz Retreat. Throughout the 1990's and the early start of the new millennium, this event was held at the Christian School of York in York, PA. However in 2005 the event outgrew the CSY facilities when attendance began surpassing 1,000 people--a testament to the growth of MACSA Quizzing. Three different hosts have stepped forward over the last four year to welcome teams for this kick-off event, and in 2008 the event will be held in the same location for consecutive years for the first time since departing CSY in 2004 when Lititz Area Mennonite School hosts the MACSA Lititz Quiz-a-thon.

The third Quiz-a-thon signals the end of the "regular season" for MACSA Quizzing. This event is in many ways the climax of the season, as some of the fiercest competition takes place at this event. Teams enter the third event knowing what is required of them if they are to qualify for the upper divisions at the season-ending Quiz Retreat. This is also typically the event where the top teams begin to establish their presence, often distancing themselves early in the round-robin portion of the event. The third Quiz-a-thon has varied in location, but most often has been hosted by the Black Rock Retreat Center in Quarryville, Pennsylvania where it will be held in 2008.

Regionals
Sandwiched between the two main Quiz-a-thons are the two smaller "Regionals" events. The participating schools are split into East and West Regionals and teams are assigned to these locations based on geographic proximity and available space. The eastern location, which has been hosted since its inception by Woodlyn Christian School in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania on the outskirts of Philadelphia. The western location has had several locations of which the afore-mentioned Black Rock Retreat Center leads the list, however the 2008 event in the west will be hosted by Calvary Bible Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

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