Customs, Culture, and Protocols

Christian Bible Quizzing promotes and sustains various customs, culture, and protocols that we consider supportive of our shared mission to encourage the most people to memorize the most verses of Scripture.

Customs

At CBQ meets, teams not in the current quiz cheer for their competitors, often ridiculously loudly. It’s common to see quizzers high-fiving quizzers from others teams after a correct response or providing an encouraging word after an incorrect response. While teams earnestly try to do their best in competition, quizzers want every team to do well.

In addition to generally cheering for other teams, quiz teams also sometimes develop their own specific team cheers, or team chants. These are sometimes inspired by the Scripture they’re memorizing. These cheers or chants are usually short slogans or rhymes, sometimes combining clapping or stomping.

When responding to a query, a quizzer is encouraged to stand, walk to the center of the stage, platform, or space, and face the official(s) before responding. This helps ensure the official(s) hear quizzer’s full response clearly, but it’s also a sign of professionalism. When speaking, quizzers are encouraged to speak clearly and loudly enough for the audience to hear.

Culture

An integral part of our culture is our compulsion to aid rookies and others who may need help navigating the complexities of a meet or of Bible Quizzing in general. Rookie quizzers and teams, first-time meet attendees, and visitors can ask anyone anywhere for help, and it’ll be gladly given.

We also encourage our culture of respect for hosts and their facilities, both meet locations and, when in use, housing accommodations. This means learning and abiding by use requests, respecting off-limit areas, complying with host requests, and generally treating the property of others better than we would treat our own.

Quizzers when quizzing should sit up reasonably straight in their chairs if able. Quizzers should be respectful at all times. Quizzers should always demonstrate good behavior, good preparation, good sportsmanship.

Litigious attitudes are counter-missional. If you raise an appeal that's declined, accept the outcome graciously; don't re-litigate the issue later in the quiz or meet.

Protocols

While fellowship at meets is encouraged, youth fellowship just outside quiz rooms at a meet can often lead to a disruptive environment. So out of respect for the teams actively engaged in quizzing, teams and spectators outside of quiz rooms are asked to keep the noise level down.

Quiz teams are expected to arrive to their assigned quiz room locations a bit early, before their next quiz will begin, so they can find their assigned seats in a prompt manner. This is a sign of professionalism and respect for the other teams and the officials, since failure to follow this protocol can delay the start of the quiz and put the whole of the meet behind schedule. If a team does not arrive on time and is otherwise not engaged in another quiz or in direct transit from a preceding quiz, the quiz will begin without them.

Roster changes after the registration deadline will only be adopted if due to unforeseeable circumstances. And even for unforeseeable circumstances, no roster changes will be adopted after the start of the meet.

Meets will begin on time unless canceled or delayed due to at least half the participants not being in attendance at the scheduled start time.

A meet needs a director or set of directors such that any appeal that requires a director's judgement can be overseen by a director who has no standing or conflict of interest in the decision. (It's theoretically possible to handle this by appointing 2 QMs as meet directors, each acting as meet director to the other for appeals that are not resolved without a meet director.)