Norman North
| Norman North
| |
| |
|---|---|
| Location: Norman, Oklahoma | |
| Coaches | Twyla Hart |
| State Championships | NAQT: 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021 |
| National Appearances | HSNCT: 2012-2019 NSC: 2015 |
| Program Status | Active |
| School Size | ~2100 |
| NAQT Page | link |
Norman North is a public high school located in Norman, Oklahoma, which has had a quiz bowl team since the late 2000's. They are a consistent powerhouse at the local level, having won four NAQT Oklahoma State Championships and placed second a further four times.
History
Norman North was coached by NAQT founding member Eric Bell from 2009 to 2011, during which time they made their first appearance at a pyramidal tournament at the 2009 iteration of Bulldog Invitational.
Under the leadership of new coaches Alan Winters and Twyla Hart, and with then-freshman leading scorer Caleb Kendrick, Norman North placed second at the 2012 NAQT State Championship, and attended their first HSNCT, placing 183rd with a 4-6 record. With Kendrick as their star player, Norman North would go on to win back-to-back NAQT State titles in 2014 and 2015. During this run, they also achieved a moderate degree of national success, placing fourth at the 2015 Texas Invitational, T-34th at the 2015 HSNCT, and 21st at the 2015 NSC. In addition to team success, Kendrick was named an honorable mention for the HSQBRank 2015 All-World Team.
Following Kendrick's departure, Norman North remained a strong contender at the local level. At the 2016 State Championship, they finished runner-up to Thatcher Chonka's solo Jenks team. During the 2018-2019 season, Norman North became the first (and to date only) Oklahoma school to qualify three teams for HSNCT. They would go on to claim another round of back-to-back NAQT State titles in 2020 and 2021, though did not compete in any national championships in either year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. They continued their success following the post-COVID return to in-person quizbowl, finishing as State runners-up in both 2022 and 2023.
Hosting
From 2009 to 2014, Norman North hosted the Timberwolf Invitational, and revived the tournament for a single iteration in 2019. They also regularly serve as the host of the Oklahoma regional site of the National History Bee and Bowl.