Intense competition - without a bat or a ball

Warwick vies for Orange County Academic League title, By Nancy Kriz Central Valley - They gathered just like athletes would prior to a big competition, going over last-minute strategies and getting additional energy devouring massive quantities of sandwiches, chips and soft drinks. But instead of sports, the students from six area school districts were academic athletes — perhaps the scholastic cream of the crop — and they were ready for tournament play. The prize: Capturing a trophy and the bragging rights as being the “best of the best” in the Orange County Academic League (OCAL). Last week, OCAL teams from the Monroe-Woodbury, Goshen, Warwick Valley, Cornwall, Valley Central and Highland Falls school districts competed at Monroe-Woodbury High School, looking to raise their standings for next month’s finals. The league, which has been in existence for more than 20 years, offers students an opportunity to meet and test their knowledge on a wide range of topics. It’s not just trivia, as these questions are the combination of the knowledge learned in their young lives thus far as well as in the school environment. Think of it as a local, untelevised version of the old “General Electric College Quiz Bowl” (airing first on CBS, then NBC from 1959 to 1970) blending with the syndicated TV game show “Jeopardy!” (that has run in various incarnations since 1964) only without Quiz Bowl’s Robert Earle or Jeopardy’s Alex Trebeck as hosts. Then, throw in a bit of the board game “Trivial Pursuit” for good measure. The game is played with a buzzer system between two teams, each with five players who can rotate with substitutes. A moderator reads questions to the teams, whose players seek to buzz in first with the correct answer, scoring points for their team. The team with the highest number of points wins. “It’s amazing what these kids know,” said Ray Mark, OCAL’s league organizer and Warwick Valley High School’s team advisor. “It (the league) gives kids who may not excel in sports or drama a chance to compete as a team and meet with kids from other school districts. Only, it’s in academics.” The students sometimes outshine their advisors in their knowledge. Brenda Megello, co-advisor for the Goshen High School team, said while she could handle most of the math and science questions, there are other categories she couldn’t. “It’s gives them a chance to see other kids who are up to their caliber, and participate at a high caliber,” said Megello. “However, you don’t have to be gifted. You just have to excel in certain categories.” Take this test The questions are tough. Consider these three questions from last week’s match: • Which word for “a border” or “a limiting line” names Nevada’s highest point at 13,140 feet? • When nuclear fusion takes place in a star, into which gaseous element is the star’s hydrogen changed? • In basketball, hitting 40 percent of 20 three-point field goal attempts yields the same number of points as hitting what percent of 20 two-point attempts? (Answers can be found at the end of the story.) Natural abilities And the competition is intense. During last week’s match, teams sat opposite of each other in three rooms, with buzzers in hand ready as soon as an answer was known. Only the moderator’s voice and student answering the question could be heard. Each student was allowed a pencil and paper to be used primarily to solve math questions. “There really isn’t much preparation you can do for this,” said Scott Barenfeld, vice president of Monroe-Woodbury OCAL team and Monroe resident. “I like anything that involves trivia. You have to be ready for anything. But you do have to be naturally good. Natural abilities are important.” Warwick resident Brendan Henne, a member of Warwick’s OCAL team, felt similarly. “It’s hard to prepare for OCAL meets since the areas of questioning are so diverse,” he said. “To be a part of OCAL, you really have to know your stuff. You have to be a pretty good student.” OCAL team advisors appreciate that students understand the importance of team playing, knowing the value of working in a unified effort with the goal of winning the match. “It’s wonderful to work with them,” said Joan Roach, Monroe-Woodbury’s OCAL advisor. “They are fabulous kids.” Teams prepare for competition by reviewing old questions from past meets, similar to how high school students prepare for their SAT exams. ““We train to have quick thinking and a quick response,” said Billy Rooney, a Goshen resident and member of Goshen’s OCAL team. Teams also look to individual members for their areas of expertise and rely on those players to handle that subject matter. Ceallaigh DiMurro, a Monroe-Woodbury OCAL member and Highland Mills resident, said her area of expertise was religion and Shakespeare. Others who are proficient in math, science, sports or politics may handle those categories. History is Michael Wares’ strength, so he focuses on those types of questions. The Goshen resident and Goshen OCAL member added that preparation also includes remembering what is taught in school. “You have to have general knowledge but you also have to know what you learn in school,” he said. “We are athletes. We use our brains and not our physical abilities.” Academic sport Henne agreed. “This is as close to a sports team,” he added. “There’s competition. There’s a playoff-type atmosphere. These kids are my teammates. We travel to other schools to compete. This is an academic sport.” These academic competitors also enjoy the camaraderie and meeting new people with similar interests. “It’s not just playing, it’s learning at the same time,” said Warwick resident Rachel Krieger, a Warwick OCAL member who is strong in math and music. “It’s not just a fun form of studying, it’s educational and it’s a chance to meet people from other parts of the county. I have been making friends from other schools.” As the finals approach in February, the each team is determined to bring additional recognition, honor and pride to its school. Current standings put Warwick in first place with Monroe-Woodbury and Goshen tied for second place. Along with a potential win is the possibility for that school’s OCAL team to grow and become even more competitive for the following season of play. And, oh yes, don’t forget there’s the gleaming trophy that will be housed in the winning school’s showcase for the next year, a constant reminder of victory. “We’d be proud of ourselves,” said Barenfeld, summing up everyone’s thoughts. “We’d be pretty happy about it, representing our school and bringing back a win.” The answers are: boundary, helium and 60 percent.