Quiz Bowl set to take on Nationals (twice)

According to coach Kate Lockwood, there is “a core group of four or five that come to most of the tournaments.”

The members study packets from past tournaments of questions spanning an array of topics.

“There’s history, literature, there’s popular culture, sports, math, and there’s science,” Lockwood said.

This practice helps them prepare to answer questions, strategize for buzzing in and helps familiarize them with the rules of the game.

On Dec. 10 at the “RAT RACE” Quiz Bowl Tournament, SPA finished in third place out of 39 teams, qualifying them for nationals.

“Normally we don’t qualify this early in the season. I’m super excited,” junior Bridget Keel said.

“We sort of know who has authority on certain topics. Like for history questions, everyone is going to look towards Colin,” Keel said.

Senior Colin Will is the second highest scoring individual in the division.

Keel enjoys the team’s “obscure sense of humor.” However on a lower note, the Quiz Bowl team is senior dominant, worrying members about the stability of the team going forward.

“Making sure that [...] there’ll be people to continue on the team [...] is something that’s on my mind,” Lockwood said.

The lower stakes but high pressure Student vs. Teacher quiz bowl tournament took place Jan. 26 during X-block. When asked how she plans to prepare, senior Cassandra Zirps, an SPA Quiz Bowl member since ninth grade, said, “I think we’re so good, we don’t need to prepare.”

GEORGIA ROSS

Question: What exactly is SPA Quiz Bowl? Answer: A team that meets after school and competes at monthly tournaments. A club. A community.

Because tournaments are never on campus, the Quiz Bowl team action is less accessible to watch than many other extracurriculars.

Because of the small number of participants, the team qualified for the small school nationals tournament as well. The team is excited to travel to Chicago in April for the smaller tournament and Atlanta in May for the bigger tournament.

“A highlight is just watching the team play and working really well together,” Lockwood said.

The team has a shared understanding of who has expertise in topics. On bonus questions where they are allowed to collaborate, they work together smartly.

Similarly for Keel, she felt confident that there’s no need for studying; her memory is good enough. “I am feeling psyched. If everything goes well. Students will come out on top. But teachers are tricky like that…”

Quiz Bowl finished division competition Jan. 20 with an 11-1 record. They advance to league playoffs on Feb. 9.