By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Be calm and confident. Forget about being nervous. Practice and study hard. And have fun. That, in their words, is the key to success for members of Eatonville High School's state champion Knowledge Bowl team. In the competition March 14 in Arlington that tested contestants' minds and teamwork with rapid-fire questions, the six-person contingent from Eatonville outsmarted 17 other schools from across Washington to come out on top in the 1A division. It was a dominating performance. Eatonville led through the morning round and the semifinals, then finished well ahead of runnerup Cashmere and third-place Medical Lake. Similar to the television quiz show "Jeopardy, but for teams instead of individuals, Knowledge Bowl GÇô organized by educational service districts statewide GÇô involves fast-paced thinking as a unit. Questions come from subjects the students study in school GÇô math, science, history, language skills, literature, music and geography GÇô plus current events.-á Eatonville is now a two-time state champ, the first time in 2002. There was also a second-place finish in 2013. These guys and gals GÇô senior (and team captain) Emily Hastings, junior David Bacher, sophomore Aria Beaupre, senior Colby Myers, junior Chayton Quaranto, and junior Eli Loftis GÇô are good. They talked to The Dispatch about how they got that way.
Dispatch: So how's it feel to be Knowledge Bowl champions? Now that a little time has passed, is there a stronger appreciation for what you accomplished? Emily Hastings: It was extremely exciting to win, but now we're all back to focusing on school.
Dispatch: Were there any nerves during the state competition, especially in the championship round? Or were you so focused that there wasn't time to be nervous? Hastings: We were nervous, but we've been in this position before and knew that we had to stay calm. David Bacher: By that point we were confident in each other's abilities and we were ready to do our best.
Dispatch: Obviously, your team must have been well-rounded in all the topics in order to come out on top. But are there any topics that you're especially good in or like best?-á Adria Beaupre: I really love math questions. It's the only category where it's not just a question of whether you know the fact or not, but whether you can actually use your problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities to get an answer in under 15 seconds. Chayton Quaranto: Geography, history and science are my strengths. Hastings: I'm good at random questions that don't really have a category. Bacher: I enjoy all different subjects in school, but my favorites are math and science. Those are the questions i excel at in Knowledge Bowl.
Dispatch: How did you prepare for the competition, and how much practice time or work did you put into it?-á Hastings: We had lunchtime practices two times a week. We had a competition with teachers. Also, we had a string of invitational meets leading up to state. Beaupre: Whenever I hear anything random and out there that I think might come up in a question some time, I try to remember it. I'm always looking for knowledge.
Dispatch: What's the best advice you can give someone who wants to compete and win in Knowledge Bowl? Colby Myers: Have fun. If you think you would enjoy it, go for it. Nobody is judged on not knowing an answer. Everybody has something to add to the team. Eli Loftis: Stay calm, don't be afraid to be wrong, and remember it's not all about who rings in first. It's about who's right. Beaupre: You're going to be wrong a lot, so only focus on the questions you do get right.
Dispatch: Two of you are seniors, so this was your last year to compete. But the rest of you are either a-ájunior or sophomore. Are you hoping to win the championship again next year? Quaranto and Beaupre: Yes. Loftis: I believe Eatonville will have a strong showing at state, even the strongest.
Dispatch:-áThe Knowledge Bowl format has been compared to the TV quiz show "Jeopardy." Do any of you watch the show or wish you could be on it? Loftis: I watch the show on a semi-regular basis. If the opportunity ever arose, I'd like to compete. Quaranto: I've watched it before. It doesn't seem like very useful or common knowledge.
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