Southwest Virginia Academic Team Alliance

An All-SWATA historical legacy post
This particular post is long overdue. One of the announcements that was timed around Sic Semper Trashis before COVID was the release of the All-SWATA teams, the best of the region for the given year. That announcement hasn’t been made over the course of the past TWO seasons. There has been work done on the […]
Malachi Ledford for Virginia B at NASAT
There is one more high school quiz bowl event in the season – the National All-Star Academic Tournament (NASAT), presented by International Quiz Bowl Tournaments, which took place June 15 and 16 online. Central’s Malachi Ledford is one of ten players selected to represent Virginia in the NASAT field. Malachi played for Virginia B. Malachi […]
SWATA HSNCT results
This post is going to be set aside for the results updates from SWATA teams Central and Gate City during the 2024 High School National Championship Tournament. There will be commentary to come later on. Team links take you to the team’s NAQT results page (which will be live-updated); match links take you to scoresheets. […]

Tournaments

1345

Matches

208

Packets

State Championships

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

“SWATA is not a mere quizbowl circuit, it’s a community. We are better together, and we support one another as we become better quiz players and better citizens of the region. I have read quizbowl matches all over the country. I will always be most grateful for the players and coaches who take part in Southwest Virginia quizbowl.”

Chuck Pearson

SWATA Coordinator

"As someone who played in the first SWATA matches, I have been able to witness the steady growth of this community. The diligent work and heartfelt dedication of the people who call this beautiful region our home will continue to provide exciting opportunities for players, coaches, family, friends, and alumni for years to come"

Dylan Cox

2016-17 SWATA Player of the Year, alum, and volunteer

“SWATA has been a uniting force for quizbowl in Southwest Virginia. I’ve enjoyed being a part of growing the game here, and SWATA has been instrumental in keeping current players, coaches, alumni and supporters connected and working together to support local teams and competition.”

Jacob Mitchell

UVA Law '23, Yale '18, Honaker '14, SWATA Founder

Our Community

COMMON QUESTIONS

What schools are in the SWATA footprint?

The SWATA footprint is limited to the following Virginia counties/independent cities:
Bland County, city of Bristol, Buchanan County, Carroll County, Dickenson County, city of Galax, Giles County, Grayson County, Lee County, city of Norton, Russell County, Scott County, Smyth County, Tazewell County, Washington County, Wise County, Wythe County.

How can I get tournament information?

We do our best to maintain consistent outreach to academic team coaches (both in the VHSL and MACC formats) in the SWATA footprint. Tournament information is communicated by mailing list to those coaches. If you feel like you're not getting information about SWATA tournaments, the SWATA coordinators want to know; contact Chuck Pearson (cpearson@tusculum.edu) to start that communication.

How can I play in SWATA tournaments?

SWATA is all about the enjoyment of the players, and if you want enjoyment look no further than tournaments.

Talk to the academic team coaches on your high school campus about SWATA tournaments on the schedule. We do ask high schools to register for SWATA competition; the support of your coaches is critical to the success of the SWATA effort. We do contest an individual player tournament each year that is open to players independent of their high schools.

I am graduated and out of school, can I still help support SWATA?

You can not only help support SWATA, we want your support. SWATA was itself founded by a Honaker alum who wanted to see the results of the matches in the region and support the growth of the game in the region. Much of the success of SWATA is because of the alumni and friends of the circuit who return to the region to staff tournaments and support their teams. Even after your high school playing days are done, you are part of the community of SWATA, and we want you to feel welcomed.

How do I register to staff a tourament?

Calls for tournament staff are typically made at the start of the tournament season and are renewed within a month of each tournament. Watch this site for news of tournament announcements and contact Chuck Pearson (cpearson@tusculum.edu) if you want further information.