Successful finish to Knowledge Bowl season

The Lind-Ritzville High School (LRHS) varsity Knowledge Bowl team competed in the regional tournament on Friday, Feb. 23, at Whitworth University, falling just short of qualifying for the state tournament.

Teams from around the area competed in brackets with schools of similar sizes, with the top four teams from each bracket advancing to state.

The LRHS team did earn several victories at the tournament. Rounds one, two, four, and five were all 50 question oral rounds, held between three teams.

In oral competitions, teams press a buzzer to answer a random trivia question; each team has only one opportunity to answer the question, and the first team to “buzz in” correctly wins the point.

In round one, LRHS was victorious over Liberty and Kettle Falls. Round two saw a second place finish over Northwest Christian, behind St. George’s.

Round four was a “non-league” match against 1B schools, with LRHS beating Odessa and St. John-Endicott. LRHS lost their final match with Chewelah and Reardan.

Round three was a written test, in which teammates collaborated to answer a 60 question multiple-choice test.

While not qualifying for state, the team’s finish, determined by their accumulative points from all five rounds, was the highest in LRHS’s recent history.

Each member of the team, including Jack Anderson, Nathan Naught, Emma Aldrich, Laurel Hayes, Abby Gering and Emily Rosen, earned their spot to represent LRHS by accumulating the most points throughout the regular season matches.

Of the experience, team captain Anderson explained, “It’s competition that doesn’t really feel like competition. It’s like being on a game show with, and against, your friends.”

Each student participates in Knowledge Bowl for different reasons. Rosen is motivated by the opportunity to contribute a specific role to her team.

“I think some people believe they have to be good at everything, but in reality, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses,” she explained, adding, “You just have to be willing to learn.”

“My favorite part of Knowledge Bowl is the lack of predictability,” reflected Anderson. “The questions can be about almost anything, and that makes it really hard to prepare for.”

Cinthia Guizar, a junior varsity member who will help carry next year’s team in the absence of six seniors, said, “My favorite part about knowledge bowl was meeting new people and making new friends.”

Given the successful conclusion of the 2017-2018 season, this year’s members are driven to recruit new participants. Senior heavy, their efforts are being directed toward students coming up the ranks.

Rosen, who joined Knowledge Bowl as a junior, said, “I think Knowledge Bowl gives underclassmen confidence and helps them grow.”

Having joined as a sophomore, Guizar added, “More underclassmen should join Knowledge Bowl because it is tons of fun and it is a good foundation for getting involved.”

Similarly, Anderson believes, “Underclassmen should join Knowledge Bowl because it is a different experience… I wish that I would have joined earlier in my high school career.”

Part of recruiting new members is overcoming the stigma that being smart is “nerdy” or not worth the effort.

“I think that the negativity toward smart people is slowly going away, but it is still present,” explained Anderson. “The problem is not that it is looked down upon to be smart, but that it takes too much effort for today’s generation to become smart.”

In a self-perpetuating feedback loop, Rosen explained, “I think kids don’t have the self-esteem or confidence to try because they don’t believe they know anything.”

Students feeling uncertain in their own abilities fear failure, which prevents them from testing themselves or expanding their capabilities.

A culture of student leadership, like that from the Knowledge Bowl team, is required to help students overcome this hesitancy and the stigma against being smart.

The true success of the LRHS Knowledge Bowl team will not be their fifth place regional finish, but rather, their inspiration of other students.