The IHS Brain Team attended Nittany Lion Novice, its first tournament of the year, earlier this month. Four members of the team offered us their insights and impressions on their experience.
Heewon Ahn ‘21: You went to this tournament as a moderator; did anything surprise you about the experience?
Aidan Uckun ‘20: This was the first time I’d staffed for a college-run tournament, and I was really surprised by the lack of problems that we encountered. Everything was really streamlined and went smoothly.
HA: Do you have any tips for people who might be interested in joining the team?
AU: Put simply, if you want to get better at Quiz Bowl, pay attention in class. If you want to learn more about history, AP Euro is a great place to start. Read the textbook. If you’re not the best at science, pay attention in your chemistry, physics, and biology classes. Pay attention in your APUSH classes, your AP World classes. And if you’re interested in joining, don’t be afraid to try it. Don’t be afraid to go to tournaments, to screw up. You will learn by going to tournaments, taking notes, and studying those notes. You’ll definitely find a subject you want to specialize in, and you’ll eventually improve a great deal.
HA: What’s your favorite thing about Brain Team?
AU: My favorite thing is that it turns a passion of mine into a valuable skill. For example, my specialty is history, which I wouldn’t have many opportunities to express in a high school setting. I also just enjoy going to competitions and doing well.
HA: Can you tell us about your favorite moment on the team so far?
AU: I’d say it was when I went to History Bowl for the first time. We went to nationals, it was amazing. It was like regular Quiz Bowl, except without all those pesky literature questions.
HA: What’s changed from when you first joined the team until now?
AU: When I first joined, I didn’t have much interest in it. To be honest, I just showed up because some people pressured me to. Now I really enjoy it! I enjoy going to tournaments and kicking ass.
HA: Quiz Bowl covers a lot of subjects; what do you specialize in?
Raymond Wang ‘20: I specialize in literature, fine arts, mythology, and history.
HA: What are your favorite moments in Quiz Bowl tournaments?
RW: My favorite moment is when a question starts, you expect it to be challenging . . . but you realize that all your preparation and hard work has put you in a place where you can get the answer on the first hint.
HA: Do you have any tips for people who might be interested in joining the team?
RW: To get better, you have to be willing to put work in outside of class. Paying attention in class is excellent, but Quiz Bowl requires extra commitment outside of class. Studying scientific concepts and historical figures makes for excellent practice, especially for topics not covered in high school—religion, economics, anthropology, and so on.
HA: What were your first impressions of Brain Team?
RW: At first, I was kind of excited because I thought it would be based on trivia. I already had a lot of success with apps like Trivia Crack. But when I got there, I realized it was more advanced and required “actual” knowledge. I’ve found that when you get to answer a tossup during a competition, it’s actually more gratifying than those trivia apps.
HA: This was your first time at Quiz Bowl; what did you think of it?
Louisa Miller-Out ‘22: I loved it. It was so fun. I had four caffeinated drinks, which could have led to my downfall. I had a ton of energy and had trouble controlling my emotional reactions to successes and failures.
Raia Gutman ‘22: It was great! There was so much adrenaline in my system, and I found it interesting to develop my strategy after each game.
HA: Do you have any advice for other first-timers?
RG: Just go for it. Don’t be afraid to go to tournaments and pay attention to practice problems during club. Follow your instincts, because most of the time, you’re on the right track.
LM: Write stuff down during competitions, and don’t let your nerves stop you from answering the questions.
HA: What was your favorite moment of the tournament?
LM: I liked getting that Louisa May Alcott question on power*; it felt great. Also, beating a team that had previously beaten us was really gratifying. There was also a bonus question about Hercules and his twelve labors. I read Percy Jackson when I was like ten, so I enjoyed being able to use that knowledge.
*QB Terms: When a contestant answers a question before a certain time threshold, it’s referred to getting a question “on power” for more points (fifteen points for power versus ten points regularly).
RG: I liked powering that Communist Manifesto question, since I had learned about it in AP World. It was really satisfying to get questions right because of what we had learned that week in AP Euro, to see that our work had paid off. Shout-out to Mr. Prokosch and Mr. Lesser for teaching us well.
HA: Did anything surprise you about the tournament?
LM: There were so many girls! I thought the gender imbalance would be really skewed, and that it would be completely male-dominated, but I was completely wrong.
RG: I was surprised that Connor was a leftist and a prep.
HA: Care to explain that last one?
RG: No.