Buzzings, questions, and competition. These are the three things you’re gonna hear and see at this month’s upcoming Quiz Bowl tournament, on October 21 at Ralston High School, where our own Quiz Bowl team headed by Mrs. Haligan will take on teams from schools like Creigton prep and more.
“We are a young and passionate team, so we are looking forward to the experience and the fun,” Mrs Dianne Haligan, head of the Quiz bowl team, said.
The school’s Quiz Bowl team will take on their first tournament this school year and for many members on the team, it’s their first tournament they’ve participated in.
“I like to see the kids showing their knowledge rather than seeing them win as it shows that they have a real passion for quiz bowl and having fun rather than taking home a trophy,” Mrs Haligan said.
Mrs Haligan herself is going to be seeing her sixth year hosting Quiz Bowl with this year being her sixth one in a row.
“I honestly still can’t believe it’s been six years since I started hosting quiz bowl, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” Mrs Haligan said.
While most of the team is feeling good about the upcoming tournament, there is definitely some high stakes, as this is the first tournament ever for newer members of the club.
“Our newer members are definitely more on the nervous side while our more experienced members are much more excited and relaxed,” Mrs Haligan Said.
The team is also going up against some more experienced teams at the Ralston tournament, including schools like Creighton Prep, Papillon South, and Central and North High Schools.
“We’re a pretty young and more inexperienced team, so going up against schools like Creighton Prep is definitely going to be more difficult,” Sophomore Connor Bradson said.
Despite there being strong competition this year the team is feeling good about their overall odds of winning the tournament.
“I honestly do think we can do really well at this tournament and I think we have good odds at winning,” Bradson said.
Aside from the tournament this month the team is expected to take part in numerous other ones this year, whether they win or lose their first one.
“We’re going to one in Bellevue in November, another in March at Bellevue university, and some others coming up in the spring,” Mrs Halign said.
The tournament’s importance can be debated depending on who you ask but the overall consensus is that the most important part is having some fun.
“Personally, the tournament is not all too important to me, But I know it’s important to the team, so I’m gonna try my hardest,” Bradson said.
In the end, whether the quiz bowl team wins or loses, the excitement and thrill of the experience is surely enough to drive all the team members to greatness. With more tournaments coming in the future and quizbowl most likely continuing for years to come, it’s safe to say that the art of being a smarty pants is here to stay for a long time.