Scholars qualify for TV show

After several years of near misses, Iola High School’s scholars bowl squad earned a slot in one of the toughest academic competitions around.
The IHS squad of Sarah Gonzalez, Jonathan Tidd, Andrew Waldman and Clara Wicoff has qualified to appear and compete in KTWU’s “Quest Academic Competition.”
The competition is a slightly modified version of a traditional scholars bowl. Teams of four compete against other teams on everything from language arts, science, social studies and math to such things as current events, sports and television shows.
Iola was one of 51 high schools competing in Saturday’s qualifier at Washburn University in Topeka.
The qualifying process involved answering rapid-fire questions for more than an hour.
The top 16 scores advanced to the televised portion.
Iola’s score was the second best among Class 4A teams, noted advisor Vince Coons.
The competition is open to schools of all sizes, from Class 1A through Class 6A.
“I thought if there was going to be a year for us to qualify, this was it,” Coons said.
Teams will travel to KTWU’s studios on a Saturday in late January or early February. Winners of each head-to-head matchup will advance to compete in a second game. Playoffs air on KTWU (channel 11 for Cox Communications subscribers) at 11 a.m. Sundays and at various times on Cox’s, cable channel 22, throughout the state.
The format is slightly different from typical scholars bowl competitions in that additional follow-up questions are asked, Coons explained.
The competition is sanctioned by the Kansas State High School Activities Association, which means Iola must reschedule some of its other scholars bowl competitions in January and February, Coons said. Students are limited in the number of events in which they can compete.
“But that’s a good problem to have,” he quickly added.
The squad also has had to contend with other schedule conflicts. The qualifying event traditionally falls on the same weekend as district choir and orchestra events, Coons noted.
“A couple of these kids had to make some sacrifices to do this,” he said.
Schoolmates Garrett Prall and Clarie Moran will serve as alternates.
Coons noted Iola’s squad is well-versed in several academic disciplines, making it a tough foe in such formats.
One notable exception is TV trivia.
“None of these kids watch a lot of TV,” Coons said with a laugh.