Tidewater Challenge
Tidewater Challenge was a televised quizbowl-like competition for high schools in the Hampton Roads area that aired on the Norfolk PBS station WHRO in the late 1980s. The first season was in 1982-1983. In the 1990-1991 season the program affiliated with It's Academic and changed its name accordingly for its final two seasons, going off the air due to lack of sponsorship after spring 1992. The final sponsor, Virginia-based Sovran Bank, pulled funding after the first of a series of mergers that ultimately led to it becoming part of Bank of America. The program was hosted by Jim Newsom.
The name "Tidewater Challenge" was then used for a non-televised competition run on Academic Hallmarks questions that replaced the TV show in the Hampton Roads area from 1993 to 1997, prior to the start of the VHSL Scholastic Bowl program in 1998.
Known finalists
| Year | Champion | Second |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Poquoson | Gloucester |
| 1984 | ||
| 1985 | Poquoson | |
| 1986 | ||
| 1987 | ||
| 1988 | Western Branch | Denbigh |
| 1989 | Poquoson | John Yeates |
| 1990 | Poquoson | Salem (Virginia Beach) |
| 1991][1] | Denbigh | Salem (Virginia Beach) |
| 1992 | ||
| 1993 (not televised) | ||
| 1994 (not televised) | ||
| 1995 (not televised) | ||
| 1996 (not televised) | Poquoson | |
| 1997 (not televised) |
An article about Poquoson in 1990 claims they won nine total championships. If this is accurate then Poquoson won every season to that point except 1988. No other information on the pre-1988 finalists has yet been found.
Video
Several games are on Youtube:
- Granby vs. Booker T. Washington (1986)
- Granby vs. Hampton (1986)
- Granby vs. First Colonial (1986)
- Granby vs. Norfolk Collegiate (1988?)