Bowling for Trivia
“A car driven by Bubba left Hooverville’s at 2 am…” the question begins, as students in desks rush for their calculators and pencils. They sense a math question. Buzzers are lighting up. This is Scholastic Bowl.
Scholastic Bowl, or Quiz Bowl at it is commonly called, competes with other area schools in trivia-based questions ranging from math, to history; science to pop culture. While “Scholastic” may invoke a sense of schoolwork and dread in some students, many in the group see it simply as a way to improve their trivial knowledge.
Unlike many other clubs here at Urbana, Scholastic Bowl has a state-recognized, IHSA-led coalition, meaning that there are certain guidelines in running the club and how to compete.
Matthew Buckles, a history teacher at Urbana, is the adviser for the club. He says he wanted to start the club because he wished to see something different at the school. “When I started teaching here, I discovered that there wasn’t a trivia-based club, so I looked into it,” he said. Buckles also remarked on student interest as a factor in starting the club. “The members pretty much know what to do.”
The club’s status as a relatively new club, however, comes as a disadvantage. To actually be an official, active Scholastic Bowl, the group must compete against local schools that possess a similar group, leaving some in the group a little nervous.
“This is our first year, while other schools have had the club for many years,” said Senior Fumi Takezawa, who is on the Varsity team. “If we are going to do really well in the future, we will need more practice.”
The group is facing a tough competitor this weekend when they will compete against Centennial’s group. Yet, despite the possibility of losing, Urbana has been involved in a rigorous, “mock” quiz bowl, between Junior Varsity (lower classmen) and Varsity (upper classmen).
Says Senior Jordyn Harriger: “You feel good when you answer a question correctly. You actually know something!”
Scholastic Bowl meets directly after school in Mr. Buckles’ classroom, Room 2231, every Tuesday and Thursday. Currently, around 20 students attend each meeting, which consists of quizzing, snacks and discussion. Anyone can join.
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Yay! Scholastic Bowl!