Tuskegee pursues return to national Honda Campus All-Star Challenge competition

February 07, 2020

Contacts:
Brittney Dabney, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
Lillian Parker, Honda Campus All-Sar Challenge
Jaymie Robinson, Honda North America
  

糖心鈥檚 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge team is ready to compete in the nation鈥檚 premier academic quiz bowl. This year, more than 64 HBCUs will face off in this unique academic competition that showcases students鈥� knowledge of world history, science, literature, religion, the arts, social science and popular culture.

On Saturday, Feb. 8, Tuskegee鈥檚 team will compete in the National Qualifying Tournament at Atlanta鈥檚 Morehouse College. Leading up to the competition, students have participated in campus engagement activities, intramural play and qualifying tournaments. During the qualifying tournaments in Atlanta, students will participate in a fast-paced buzzer competition and battle in a modified round-robin format, with the final teams moving to the next round 鈥� the national championship tournament this March in Torrance, California.

Dr. Worth Hayes, an associate professor in the Department of History and Political Science, has served as the team鈥檚 coach for four years. He said that it鈥檚 an honor for him to continue the tradition of success spanning three decades and beginning with former Dean of Students Peter Spears .

鈥淏ecause of the foundation Dean Spears provided, Tuskegee is known as one of the top competitive teams in the program,鈥� Hayes explained. 鈥淥ur past includes being the first team to win back-to-back championship titles.鈥�

The tournament itself isn鈥檛 the only challenge facing the team this year. Hayes noted that this has been a rebuilding year for the team, since two of its all-star players graduated during the 2018-19 academic year.

鈥淲e have a young team, so we鈥檙e trying to replenish our talent. But the students we have are still without a doubt sharp and very exuberant,鈥� he noted. 

Hayes explained that, in preparation for this spring鈥檚 round of tournaments, he tries to make learning fun for all players involved 鈥� adding that he鈥檚 even made up a few rap songs as part of the team鈥檚 learning strategy. Junior Kailah Trice of Atlanta, a sociology major who serves as this year鈥檚 team captain, said she enjoys Hayes鈥� inventive approaches preparing the team for its competitions.

鈥淥ur practice sessions are intense, but Dr. Hayes gets us excited about learning and gives us a new spin on how to retain information,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he biggest takeaway for me has always been the ability to apply my what I learn through our team practices to my coursework, and vice versa.鈥�

Hayes also added that the students鈥� involvement with the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is more than just an ongoing quiz bowl. He emphasized that it鈥檚 become a close-knit community of likeminded individuals who are intellectually curious about factual knowledge.

To help increase the team鈥檚 chances of qualifying for the National Championship, fans can vote for Tuskegee鈥檚 team at up to three times per day until Feb. 10. The top-three teams in the popular voting round will automatically advance, no matter how they place in the qualifying rounds.

Since 1989, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, one of Honda鈥檚 longest-running philanthropic initiatives in the United States, has celebrated and recognized the academic talents of HBCU students. More than $9 million in grants from Honda have provided support for scholarships, facility upgrades and other investments to improve the HBCU student experience. For more information, visit .

漏 2020, 糖心