Quiz bowl team gears up for first national competition
Jagienka Timek ’18 shares her excitement about the upcoming competition in May
For the first time in the school’s history, the Quiz Bowl team at East Grand Rapids has qualified to participate in the national tournament. The participants’ hard work has finally paid off.
For those that don’t know what it is, “Quiz Bowl is basically team Jeopardy against another team,” Jagienka Timek ‘18 explained. “The questions can ask about anything from science, to literature, to TV shows, to classical music, to world religions.”
To test their knowledge, the team travels throughout West Michigan to participate in various competitions. Some competitions are at big schools or colleges, where others are at more local schools. “We usually compete in tournaments against other schools, so the rounds and questions can get really intense,” Timek said.
The intensity of the tournaments has not phased them, as their knowledge, preparation, and hard work has qualified them to compete in nationals this upcoming spring.
“We won our bracket at our first tournament this year in White Cloud, Michigan,” Timek said. “It’s one of two tournaments that can qualify us for nationals, so we were really happy about it.”
Nationals takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, where the students from East Grand Rapids will compete against schools from all over the United States. The tournament starts on May 25, so the team has a few months to prepare for this big event. Until then, they have more tournaments to participate in, which will help get them ready for nationals. They are continuing to work hard and study so they make the most of their run to nationals.
“Each of us has an area or subject that we specialize in, so we have specific things to study,” Timek said. “We practice every week and study outside of school to prepare.”
The team is definitely looking forward to compete in nationals, but they are not forgetting about the competitions until then. Their invitation to nationals is serving as extra motivation for the team to keep working hard and preparing. Keep an eye out for the Quiz Bowl team during their search for the first national title in EGRHS history.
