JEFFERSON — They may not need helmets, jerseys or any ball for their meets, but there is another group of fierce competitors at Jefferson High School.
Instead of training their bodies to perform at their peak, these competitors, members of the Jefferson High School Academic Bowl Team, are busy training their brains to recall events, classic literature and math equations.
“We start practicing around three weeks into the school year by having mock competitions,” said Jacline Griffeth, a 12th-grader and member of the varsity team.
“We all have our strengths and weaknesses, we know who the math people are, who the trivia people are and who the history people are, so we sort of play off that.”
During the fall the group competes against other high schools. Competition topics include math, science, language arts, social studies and also general trivia.
Although they don’t get as much attention as the school’s big athletic teams, participants say that they are gaining ground — and respect.
“Being on the football team and participating in other athletics, I know that a lot of the coaches really support the academic bowl team, whereas years ago I don’t think they would have done that,” said Donnie Malone, Jefferson High sophomore and a member of the junior varsity bowl team. “Also our appearance on IQ last year has gotten us noticed a lot more.”
To prepare for a bowl, the students meet at least once a week to compete against each other in teams of four.
“We use the buzzers and ask practice questions in the same format that they would be asked in the actual competition. It’s very important that people either have specialized skills in a subject area or broad experience in all the (bowl subject) areas because the bowl not only focuses on separate areas but there is also general trivia,” said Josh Whitfield, Jefferson High senior and member of the varsity bowl team.
“During competition we basically have our starting line-up and we rotate players out based on how they perform, except with the worksheets everyone participates.”
Currently, there are around 20 to 25 students total on the varsity and junior varsity bowl teams. Although the number of members may pale in comparison to the roster of some athletic teams, the group’s participation rate is blossoming thanks in part to the middle school bowl team that funnels new members up to the high school, Malone said.
“It has grown exponentially. I remember freshman year we had a few set players and really didn’t have people to rotate out,” said Griffeth.
“Now, we have to be sure to rotate people so that everyone gets an opportunity to compete. It’s a really great program and we continue to get more attention around school.”
Instead of training their bodies to perform at their peak, these competitors, members of the Jefferson High School Academic Bowl Team, are busy training their brains to recall events, classic literature and math equations.
“We start practicing around three weeks into the school year by having mock competitions,” said Jacline Griffeth, a 12th-grader and member of the varsity team.
“We all have our strengths and weaknesses, we know who the math people are, who the trivia people are and who the history people are, so we sort of play off that.”
During the fall the group competes against other high schools. Competition topics include math, science, language arts, social studies and also general trivia.
Although they don’t get as much attention as the school’s big athletic teams, participants say that they are gaining ground — and respect.
“Being on the football team and participating in other athletics, I know that a lot of the coaches really support the academic bowl team, whereas years ago I don’t think they would have done that,” said Donnie Malone, Jefferson High sophomore and a member of the junior varsity bowl team. “Also our appearance on IQ last year has gotten us noticed a lot more.”
To prepare for a bowl, the students meet at least once a week to compete against each other in teams of four.
“We use the buzzers and ask practice questions in the same format that they would be asked in the actual competition. It’s very important that people either have specialized skills in a subject area or broad experience in all the (bowl subject) areas because the bowl not only focuses on separate areas but there is also general trivia,” said Josh Whitfield, Jefferson High senior and member of the varsity bowl team.
“During competition we basically have our starting line-up and we rotate players out based on how they perform, except with the worksheets everyone participates.”
Currently, there are around 20 to 25 students total on the varsity and junior varsity bowl teams. Although the number of members may pale in comparison to the roster of some athletic teams, the group’s participation rate is blossoming thanks in part to the middle school bowl team that funnels new members up to the high school, Malone said.
“It has grown exponentially. I remember freshman year we had a few set players and really didn’t have people to rotate out,” said Griffeth.
“Now, we have to be sure to rotate people so that everyone gets an opportunity to compete. It’s a really great program and we continue to get more attention around school.”