Texas Sputum Bowl Frequently Asked Questions

OK, so what the heck is Sputum Bowl?
Sputum Bowl is a competition somewhat like the old College Bowl on television. Two teams of 2-3 contestants sit behind tables on a stage and answer questions fielded by one of our two moderators. Games are ten minutes long, except for the final championship game, which is twenty minutes. The Texas Sputum Bowl is held in conjunction with the TSRC Annual Meeting, usually in June or July. The AARC National Sputum Bowl is held during the AARC Convention.

It's that simple?
Well, yeah, in a nutshell. For a complete set of rules, click here.

Who is eligible to compete in the Texas Sputum Bowl?
A team can consist of 2-4 TSRC members in two categories, student and practitioner. A student team must made up of students only. Practitioner teams may have both students and practitioners. Any team with at least one non-student must compete as a practitioner team.

How does a team register for the Texas Sputum Bowl?
Registration information is usually posted in late March or early April on the main Sputum Bowl web page.

Is there a registration fee?
No.

Can a team just show up at the Annual Meeting and register?
Maybe, but early registration is encouraged. Because we only have one day to conduct preliminaries and finals, we limit the number of participating teams to 10, although the last two years we have experimented with allowing 12 teams to compete. If the maximum number of teams has not been reached at the start of the competition, we may be able to accept on-site registrations. If you have a team ready to go and want to be sure you can compete, register early.

Do Sputum Bowl teams receive free registration to the TSRC Annual Meeting?
No. All team members must register for at least one day of the TSRC Annual Meeting.

Do the teams have to submit questions?
No. The questions are written by the Texas Sputum Bowl committee using approved references.

Do Sputum Bowl teams receive continuing education credit for participating?
Unfortunately no.

What do the winners receive?
The overall winner receives a plaque and the team name engraved on the Sputum Bowl trophy. The first place practitioner team receives a plaque and the right to represent Texas in the AARC National Sputum Bowl. The first place student team receives the Woody V. Kageler, MD plaque and the right to represent Texas in the AARC National Student Sputum Bowl. Plaques are also awarded for third and fourth place.

While no one can deny that winning is important to the teams, the TSRC and the Sputum Bowl committee consider all the teams that compete to be winners. Our hope is that everyone learns a little something and most importantly, has a great time.

Is there someone I can talk to if I have questions?
Yes, you can contact the Texas Sputum Bowl committee chair, Valerie Hansen at 806-354-6073 or by .