The Rock Ridge Academic Team is a diverse club, featuring different topics ranging from music to math. This season, the team found success placing in districts and advancing on to regionals, checking off another milestone from their list. 

Academic competition for the team contained two types of rounds: toss-ups and directed rounds. In toss-up rounds, questions are rapidly given to the competitors, and whichever player buzzes their buzzer first will be able to answer. In directed rounds, teams work together to answer problems that are generally more difficult than those from the toss-up round.

First, the team competes in the regular season, then proceeds to the District Championship, where they compete with the other qualified teams. “We have five teams in our district,” English teacher and club sponsor Sean Heron said. “[The] seeding is based on how you do in the regular season.” Of the five teams who competed, only the top two teams advanced to the regional finals. The Phoenix team secured second place at Districts and hence qualified for the Regional Championship. 

However, this success wasn’t attained by just practicing at home. “Every week we have a meeting whether it’s during an activity block or after school,” senior Yug Kolla, one of the captains this year, said. “We give [ourselves] practice problems on [topics] we find are getting asked a lot.” By targeting areas that were more commonly asked, the team was able to develop a stronger foundation in general knowledge which aided them greatly in their journey. 

Of course, the Phoenix’s season wasn’t without its challenges. “We had lost all year to Tusarora– four times,” Heron said. However, rather than letting it discourage them, they used it as an opportunity and motivation to refine their strategies and skills. 

More rigorous practices as well as new approaches helped bounce the team back stronger than ever. “Normally, we wait until we have a really good grasp on what the answer is, but we’re gonna change our strategy because other teams [may] outscore us,” Kolla said. “We’re changing our strategy to buzz in earlier with answers we are less sure about to try to steal the question from [other teams].” That shift in strategy paid off when the Phoenix went up against Tuscarora again in the championship.

“It was probably the best round we had played all year,” Heron said. “And [we] finally beat them.”

Although participating in the academic quiz bowl may seem a daunting task, the experiences and friendships that members build along the way pave the path to stronger camaraderie. From the late-night practices to the inside jokes before the competitions, the bond shared between the team made this season truly special. “My favorite experience with the team was probably when we went to districts and in the break between matches, we all went and got chipotle,” sophomore Sishira Tumala, a rookie on the academic team, said. “I got to really bond with my team and know more about them.” 

Looking forward, the team has goals focused on growth.“I [personally] want to get more people to join because I think it’s a really underrated club,” Tumala said. “If you have a passion for a certain subject or even multiple subjects, you can make a significant impact on the team.”

While the team’s season is finished, their journey is far from over. With strategies refined and passions ignited, the next year brings the promise of further growth and new achievements.