加拿大Reach For The Top

http://www.reachforthetop.com

The History of Reach For The Top

"Reach for the Top" began life as a television quiz game for high school students, modeled on the British television series "Top of the Form". First played on the local CBC outlet in Vancouver in 1961, it was produced by Dick St. John and hosted by Terry Garner. The first National Finals of Reach For The Top were played in 1965, and it became a national T.V. show in 1966, with separate local productions across the country and national finals series played by the regional winners. Teams from Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnepeg, and Toronto played that year, with the finals taped in Montreal and hosted by Bill Guest. For over four decades, thousands of students have played "Reach for the Top".

In 1968, an experimental and international series of the game called "Trans-World Top Team", was developed as a joint production of the BBC and CBC. Twelve Canadian students from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal went to the UK for five games, and then five games were played in Canada. Geoffrey Wheeler and Alex Trebek were the quizmasters and Sandy Stewart was the producer for the CBC. In 1969, Paul Russell became writer and editor for Reach For The Top and he has continued as National Editor to this day.

A French language version of the show was developed by Radio Canada in the 1970's as "Genies en Herbe". In the early 1980's, the top "Genie" team was invited to the Reach National Finals, for a bilingual competition against french-speaking students on "Reach" teams. "Genies en Herbe" has been discontinued by the CBC. There is a francophone "Genie" still being played in Belgium!

In 1984 "Reach" became a private show under the aegis of producer Sandy Stewart and was syndicated to independent broadcasters, a practice that continues today across the nation. Broadcasters have included Bragg Communications, Winnipeg Videon, Rogers Cable, TVO, and CFPL London. Our current national broadcaster is Canadian Learning Television (CLT) with studios in Edmonton, Alberta.

Also in 1984, Sandy and Patricia Stewart joined with Paul Russell and Robert Jeffrey of Paulus Productions to produce the "Schoolreach" subscription program played out in schools. Without the glare of television lights, the "Schoolreach" version of "Reach for the Top" has been played by thousands of students for over two decades, with its top teams invited to play "Reach for the Top" on television. The National Championship trophy, designed by sculptor Dora de Pedery Hunt, is the eagerly-sought prize, the pinnacle of "Reach" achievement.

For over four decades, "Reach for the Top" has been a significant part of Canadian culture, even the subject of the CBC T.V. movie "Pray for me, Paul Henderson"... a coming-of-age movie that linked "Reach for the Top" and Paul Henderson's winning goal in the eighth game of the 1972 Canada-Soviet hockey series.

In 1995, Sandy and Pat Stewart retired from Reach For The Top. Reach For The Top and Schoolreach are owned by Reach For The Top Inc. under the direction of Paul Russell.

Joining REACH FOR THE TOP and the SCHOOLREACH programme

ELIGIBILITY

Any student who is 19 or under at the beginning of the school year and has been continuously enrolled in a Secondary School is eligible to play both SCHOOLREACH and REACH FOR THE TOP.

During actual play, the team consists of four players from the same school. During league competitions, a team may have as many members as the league agrees to allow. During the National Finals, a team may register a maximum of 8 players and 2 teacher-coaches. Open substitution is permitted between games. (More players and teachers are welcome as observers).

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

SNAPPERS: The snapper is open to any player on either team. If a player interrupts and is wrong, the question will be continued for the opposing team who will have the sole right to answer it.

TEAM QUESTIONS: These are two-part questions consisting of an open "Scramble" question and a second part, which may have a number of questions in it. The team that answers the Scramble question correctly is granted exclusive right to answer the second part of the question. Team questions are built around a theme either by subject or some other common element. Some of these questions are designed to find out how much a team knows about a subject. If a team is really knowledgeable, it will get all of the points available.

ASSIGNED QUESTIONS: These questions are directed to individual players. The player whom the question is directed to is the only one eligible to answer. If an answer is not given, the question will be passed on to the player's counterpart on the opposing team for a possible answer at the same point value of the original question. Prompting or consultation is absolutely forbidden.

WHO or WHAT AM I QUESTIONS: These questions are open to any player of either team. Each team is allowed one answer for each clue given. Point value diminishes by 10 points with each additional clue.

RELAY QUESTIONS: These questions are directed to a team. Consultation is permitted. A first question is posed. Should the team respond correctly to this first question, a second question is presented, and so forth. If at any time the team responds incorrectly to any given question, the Relay ends and no additional questions are read. The first three questions in the Relay are worth 10 points each. The fourth question is worth 20 points, for a grand total of 50 points for the Relay.

SHOOTOUT QUESTIONS: These questions are open both teams. Prompting or consultation is absolutely forbidden. Once a player answers a question correctly, they must sit out of the remaining questions in the Shootout. As soon as all four players of a team have answered a question correctly, that team scores 40 points and ends the Shootout. The opposing team receives ZERO points. Note: a maximum of 12 questions will be asked during the Shootout. If neither team answers 4 questions correctly, the Shootout ends and ZERO points are awarded to both sides.

LOCAL QUESTIONS: These are written by local staff to challenge players on local history, geography, art or current events.

RULES OF PLAY

In reply to questions from the quizmaster, the player who first pushes his button, which activates either a light of a buzzer sound or both, is the only player allowed to answer. If the answer given is incorrect or no answer is given, the player and team are eliminated from the play and the question is automatically offered to the opposing team. (If one player on a team activates the light or buzzer and another player on the team answers the question, the answer will not be accepted and the question will be passed over to the opposition.)

Players may interrupt the quizmaster at any time during the reading of any type of question. They do, however, interrupt at their own and their team's peril. If the player's answer is incorrect or no answer is supplied after activating the system, that question is turned over to the opposition. If it is the second part of a team question, the opposition is not given the question and the eligible team merely loses the opportunity to earn points for that part of the question.

Except in the case of assigned questions, players may consult each other prior to the activation of the light and buzzer. The instant the light and buzzer are activated, all consultation must cease on the team activating the system. (Players on the opposite team, while allowed to consult are cautioned to stop their consultation for fear of passing an answer verbally to the opposition). If the question is answered incorrectly and passed to the other team, they may consult until a team member buzzes.

Players must answer all questions as directed. If a question requires an answer in particular terms (e.g. miles, metres, etc) then the answer must be so phrased. (Players would do well to listen to all questions with care so that they understand completely what is required.) Mathematical answers must be expressed in their simplest form.

In the event of a tie at the official end of the game, the quizmaster will caution both teams to be alert to the next question. The first correctly answered tie-breaking question will decide the game.

The first audible answer from a player is the only one acceptable and must come from the player designated by the quizmaster.

Challenges to answers may only be made by those present on the field of play (i.e. the 8 players in the game). Challenges originating from outside the field of play are to be immediately rejected.

All teams and players are expected to conform with any additional rules which may be required in the case of special circumstances.

As we have two levels for the Schoolreach program, (Schoolreach & Intermediate Schoolreach).

Schoolreach (Reach for the Top), grades 10-12. Average is grade 12.

Intermediate Schoolreach; grades 7-9. Average is grade 9.