“Quiz Bowl competes in “interscholastic general knowledge competitions that test our thinking in all of the ‘traditional school subjects’ like Social Studies, English Grammar and Literature, Sciences, Art History, Math as well as general knowledge and trivia categories,” says Aditya Shekhar ‘18. Many students across different grades participate in the club due to the fun and competitive learning environment it creates.
There are currently nineteen people participating in Quiz Bowl at Blake. ”We would really like to see more people join, seeing as how its such a wonderful activity,” remarks Merrick Pierson-Smela ‘15. With current seniors leaving, Quiz Bowl’s numbers will fall dramatically in the future. Shekhar adds, “The commitment isn’t too steep but you also get the competitive experience that a lot of clubs don’t offer, which I absolutely love.”
A step above these informal practices are tournaments. These occur in the late fall and early winter at Eden Prairie High School. At these meets, teams that do well qualify for the National-Level competition. Blake A, the group that competed against the faculty on March 4th, qualified for nationals as they placed third in the state tournament.
Quiz Bowl meets on Wednesdays and Fridays to practice for larger competitions. Practices include a game between two teams and students can prepare with mock questions. During these sessions, students can enjoy playing informal “toss up” style questions where anyone who knows the answer can buzz in. In general, the practices are focused more on developing speed and knowledge content. “Those who wish to participate ‘recreationally’ are welcome, but should keep in mind that many come to quiz bowl with intentions of winning,” comments Cole Woerner ‘18.
