RICHARDSON: Dare to be great
It’s that time of year again. Some of the greatest competitors have been going at it all season. The pressure is intense because all the marbles are at stake. No, I’m not talking about the upcoming Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. This event eclipses the Super Bowl. It’s the Academic Bowl for Middle Grades. Teams from all over the state, 24 in all, met in Milledgeville at Georgia College & State University for the state finals (there is also the Academic Decathlon for high school students).
In full disclosure, I sit on the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation’s board that coordinates the events that start at the school level and progress through regional competitions to the state finals. This Academic Bowl has been held for 32 years. In last year’s competition, 61 public schools and 23 independent schools and more than 1,200 students participated. This year, by the look of the auditorium in the Arts and Sciences Building, packed and standing room only, this year’s number of participants is sure to be higher.
The competition doesn’t include helmets and shoulder pads. No one barks commands, but there is strategy. It’s not enough to know the answers. You really have to know how to play the game. There’s no cheering, except before and after competitions. But there is excitement -- before game jitters -- and sweaty palms.
These students train their brains just as athletes train their bodies. The competition requires a nimble mind and speed, as two teams of five players, with alternates, try to out-buzzer each other “Jeopardy” style. And, just like “Jeopardy,” you have to answer the question immediately. If you don’t, the opposing team gets a shot at it.
In this game, every question (a Tossup) has at least one bonus question that’s worth 20 points. Sometimes the bonus questions have four parts worth five points each. The team’s coaches keep score. For example you would have 10 seconds to answer this question: What is the length of the diagonal of a rectangle whose sides are of lengths 3 and 5. That is an actual question. What’s your answer in 10 seconds or less. (Answer at the bottom of the column).
One thing I’ve noticed at each competition is the level of parental support. Parents are everywhere, but unlike Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, there’s no cheating. If a parent or coach has a problem with a question or an answer or even which team buzzed in first, the game is stopped until the issue is resolved. Parents also know that if they raise a fuss, they will be firmly asked to leave the competition. State coordinator Michelle Crawford is an educator and she takes no mess. But back to the parents.
These kids in the competition spend hours each week studying. Coaches know all of the questions and answers, but there are hundreds of questions and they don’t know which ones will be asked. Each member of a team is pretty smart, but many teams have students that specialize. Some are great on geography questions, others math and science -- and there are even questions about pop media and technology. And guess who has to pick these kids up and take them around, many times on weekends? Parents. Who spends time quizzing the competitors? Parents.
Every now and again I challenge myself to figure out some of the answers. It takes me awhile. These children rattle off answers in a snap, many times before the reader (I was a reader this year) finishes the question. Yes, strategy is important. If you buzz in too soon and give the wrong answer, the other team gets the full question and a chance to get 10 points.
There’s something else I’ve noticed. The majority of the children come from two-parent families. A mom and a dad, inwardly cheering their offspring on to greater academic achievement. I’ve talked to many parents about why they push their children toward academics rather than sports. While playing sports, they say, is OK, playing on the Academic Bowl prepares them for a lifetime of high achievement. And the one thing that stands out -- they know what their children are capable of and they’ve set the bar high.
That’s really the point of this column. I would like to see parents set the bar high for their children and demand that they reach for it. So who won? North Gwinnett Middle School bested Hull Middle School (Duluth) 140 to 135. Great final match.
(The square root of 34)
Charles E. Richardson is The Telegraph’s editorial page editor. He can be reached at 478-744-4342 or via email at crichardson@macon.com. Tweet @crichard1020.
This story was originally published January 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "RICHARDSON: Dare to be great ."