Alex Dzurick

Alex Dzurick
Noted subjects	social sciences, trash
Current college	None
Past colleges	University of Missouri-Columbia (2008-2012)
High school	South Callaway (2004-2008, 2012-present [MS coach])
Stats	HDWhite • NAQT

Alex Dzurick is currently a coach for the South Callaway Middle School quiz bowl team in Mokane, MO. He is a former player from the University of Missouri-Columbia and South Callaway High School, the current secretary of the Missouri Quizbowl Alliance, and formerly the Academic Quizbowl Coordinator for ACUI Region 11. Alex has also played at the middle school level.

High School Career

A four-year varsity player, he posted impressive scores throughout his high school career, including the third highest points-per-game in the entire state for the 2008 MSHSAA district series (as a senior) and the fourth highest points-per-game in the 2006 MSHSAA Class 3 state championships (as a sophomore).

Alex began playing as a member of the junior varsity squad, but began playing full-time varsity his freshman year. Alex began captaining the squad as an upperclassman He began to learn of many tournaments as he became more involved, and was able to convince South Callaway to attend the William Woods Academic Tournament (which he helped to found) and the Warrenton Warrior Classic his senior year.

Outside of MSHSAA competition, Alex competed in the 2006 Missouri Scholars Academy Scholar Bowl, and lost only to a team of scholars led by fellow quizbowler Terin Budine of Savannah. Along with Taylor Smith and Kelson Rosbach of Hallsville and Ravi Fernando of Kirksville, Alex attended the Truman State mirror of Zot Bowl in August 2008.

Team Accomplishments

Dzurick and team compete in the 2006 MSHSAA state championships at Rock Bridge High School.

In 2005, South Callaway lost the championship game of the C3D4 tournament to School of the Osage. However, in 2006, a stronger South Callaway contingent came back to topple Osage and take the championship. The team advanced to MSHSAA state playoffs, where they placed 4th behind Savannah, Westminster Christian Academy and New Madrid County Central. 2007 and 2008 saw a different foe emerge for the team - conference rival Hallsville. In both years, South Callaway failed to top the strength of Hallsville in the C3D4 championships. In 2007, Alex and South Callaway were able to squeeze out a victory over the same Hallsville team to become the inaugural Mid-Missouri conference champions, while Hallsville would edge out the team Alex's senior year. At the Warrenton Warrior Classic, South Callaway earned a 4th place finish, while the team would also earn 2nd to Centralia at the William Woods Academic Tournament.

Individual Accomplishments

Alex earned places on the MSHSAA C3D4 All-District team in 2005, 2006 (11.40 tpg), 2007 (13.75 tpg) and 2008. His impressive 20.2 tossups per game in 2008 was the third-highest reported individual score in the state during that year's district tournament. In 2006, he also earned 4th place on the Class 3 All-State team. In 2007 and 2008, Alex earned places on the Mid-Missouri Conference Tournament team. Finally, Alex earned a 2nd place individual medal at the 2008 Warrenton Warrior Classic.

University of Missouri

Alex double-majored in Linguistics and Sociology with minors in Philosophy and Geography. His interest areas are in logic, dialects, and education. He was involved in planning the structure of the University of Missouri Quizbowl Club along with Charlie Dees. He served as president of the club for two years and treasurer for three years. Alex also returned to South Callaway when possible in order to moderate home matches for the team, in addition to helping out other teams in the mid-Missouri area, such as Hallsville, Southern Boone and Centralia.

2008-2009

Alex served as co-tournament director for the first annual Missouri Fall Academic Tournament on November 1, 2008, and the first annual Tiger Bowl on January 24, 2009. During his first year at Mizzou, he attended the ACF Winter tournament at Missouri S&T, NAQT Sectionals Midwest at WUSTL, Cardinal Classic XVIII at Stanford, ACF Regionals at Chicago, and ACF Nationals at WUSTL. Though still far behind Charlie in terms of skill and scoring, Alex did have the second-highest total number of points of any member of a Missouri team during his freshman year.

2009-2010

Alex was elected president and treasurer of the 2009-10 Mizzou club, acting to secure funding for the team and communicate on behalf of the club. He served as co-TD for the 2009 incarnation of the MFAT and the inaugural Mort Walker Invitational, and served as a moderator at Tiger Bowl II. A tight college schedule prevented him from playing until the 2010 NAQT SCT, where he and Charlie brought home the Division I undergraduate trophy. Alex attended ACF Regionals where he helped to bring home the championship trophy. He also attended the NAQT ICT where he earned a personal record number of questions answered. He staffed the 2010 HSNCT to cap off the season, moderating, scorekeeping and assembling question packets on the final day.

2010-2011

Alex was elected treasurer for the 2010-11 year, and also served as interim president since no one was elected for the position. He co-directed the 2010 MFAT and Tiger Bowl III, and staffed WUHSAC, Mort Walker Invitational, and the Tuscumbia middle school tournament. Alex joined MACA as member in 2010 as well. The only tournament that Alex was able to play during this year was a mirror of the Minnesota Undergraduate Tournament at Rock Bridge High School in April.

2011-2012

Alex continued to serve as treasurer of the club while training incoming president Jacob Billingsley. In addition, he continued to serve as a tournament director and staffer for Mizzou and MOQBA tournaments around the state and as an advocate for small schools in the mid-Missouri area to attend more events. He attended the Early Autumn Collegiate Novice event at WUSTL as well as Missiles of October at Rock Bridge and the Region 9 SCT at Illinois State. Alex staffed ACF Fall at Truman State, the playoffs of the 2011 MFAT, the Kewpie Invitational, Mizzou's BARGE mirror, WIT at Rock Bridge, WUHSAC, and the NAQT Missouri Qualifier, and directed Tiger Bowl IV and the 2011 Mort Walker Invitational. In May 2012, Alex graduated from Mizzou.

Missouri Quizbowl Alliance

Alex was chosen as the inaugural secretary for MOQBA in the fall of 2008 and is still serving in that position. MOQBA as a group received the Benjamin Cooper Young Ambassador Award from PACE in 2011 for mentoring and improving the growth of the circuit in Missouri. Alex has staffed and helped prepare for many MOQBA-certified events and helps to promote events statewide.

ACUI

In March 2010, Alex was appointed Academic Quizbowl Coordinator for ACUI Region 11, on the merits of his knowledge of NAQT and college quizbowl in general. As ACUI Region 11 coordinator, Alex was also responsible for organizing and TDing the 2011 SCT for the region at Missouri State. He recruited teams and staff, secured space and coordinated with the ACUI regional treasurer.

Coaching Career

Alex is currently a science teacher at South Callaway Middle School. He co-coaches the middle school quiz bowl team there as well and is a member of the Missouri Academic Coaches Association (MACA). In addition to quiz bowl, Alex also coaches middle school track and sponsors the middle school science club.