The smart ones

Stretching the mind, flexing the brain

The+smart+ones

Promptly following the final bell of the day (or when a bell used to ring), a great migration unfolds. Athletes, with a duffel bag in one hand and a last minute snack in the other, move as one to the far reaches of the building, bringing life to the courts and fields. Others travel to the stage and dance floor, bringing their life through performance and the arts. Within this routine Exodus, one group remains, choosing the silent, empty academic corridors as their practice field, their stage.

Carmel’s Scholastic Bowl teams meet and practice rigorously every month said senior Grant Blume.

“Practices are every first A day of the month and can get competitive,” Blume said.

Flexing their brains and putting their vast libraries of knowledge to the test, this group of students competes in tournaments with individual matches more akin to Jeopardy than a soccer game. In a match, two teams of five compete against each other, “racing” to answer questions first.

Varsity Scholastic Bowl Team member senior Thomas Trzupek explained that there are two types of questions. The first is called a toss-up. These questions start very detailed in their wording, so only an expert would recognize the answer, then become more general. If a toss-up is answered correctly, the team then can work together to answer bonus questions.

In their recent second place finish at the Auburn Tournament, Carmel’s Varsity squad battled their way through eight matches, answering questions with topics ranging from pop culture to computer programming. Trzupek describes the sport as “an outlet for all of the otherwise useless information found anywhere.”

The team takes to the competition circuit again January 23rd at Fremd, hoping to improve on their 20th place ranking in the State.