This discussion on conditioning opens up a whole range of discussions on the effects of non-knowledge related strategy in quizbowl. The power of a nice pair of (usually female) legs has long been known in quizbowl. This, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. For example: McBealing can work both ways. My three teammates in high school, besides contributing 25-30, 10-15 and 5-10 ppg to my 60-70, were damn good-looking guys (and I am not afraid to say this!) I remember trouncing one school's team by 200+ points because their usually-effective female captain was drooling over my #2 player. MUAHAHAHA. Also, during-question behavior is important. I am told that at TRASH regionals, during one match, my tap-tap-tapping on the buzzer led one player to buzz in and receive a neg on the question. I try to stress to my players to KEEP THEIR HANDS ON THE BUZZER AT ALL TIMES because at any point, the question could turn into "get 10 points for buzzing in now." Effective communication during boni is important as well. I try to sit at the end of my team during matches, so I can effectively confer with my teammates during a bonus without having to keep track of teammates on both sides. Confidence is most important, though. The ability to bounce back from a 455-0 shellacking and give out similar punishing is important -- and the ability to apply oneself and improve one's level of play is important as well. Shawn
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