How to prepare for the state bowl

#1 Build teamwork

Put aside personal differences. This is a partnership. You don't even have to like your teammates, but you must learn to work together or your team will surely lose. Identify interpersonal weak spots and address those problems directly — now.

#2 Research the topic

Knowing what you're talking about is always a good idea. The only thing you know for sure about the state bowl future scene is that it will deal with the topic. So, learn everything you can possibly learn about the state bowl topic now. Evaluators can spot ignorance a mile away.

#3 Learn to control time

Two hours may sound like plenty of time when you have two hours ahead. It looks like a whole lot less in the rear view mirror. Set benchmarks and hold yourself to them. If you haven't finished step two at the one-hour mark, understand that you are behind and need to speed up.

#4 Use categories to improve flexibility

Since the state bowl topics usually fall under the general headings, it might be easy to fall into the trap of seeing challenges and solutions in only one or two categories. This would be a mistake, both from the perspective of the competition and good problem solving. Memorize the category list and explore the future scene with as many categories as possible.

#5 Deal directly with the topic in your underlying problem

Don't educate people about the problem. Don't raise money to help with the problem. Don't encourage or persuade. These are all generic approaches that can be used to solve any topical problem. Your task is not to educate or raise money; it is to solve a situation presented in the future