Southside Quiz Bowl players intensely practice over the next few months as they prepare for the Springdale Invitational Feb. 16^th, the State tournament Apr. 13^th, and finals Apr. 27^th.

“Currently we’re trying to hunker down on those our specialties in each category and get confident in our answers and buzzer speed,” sophomore Anna Claire Tilley said.

Students practice five hours a week and come in during lunch to work on their specialty categories. Categories range from Art and Shakespeare to Math and Science. Outside of Quiz Bowl practice students memorize lists of facts based on their specialty, usually with the help of Quizlet.

“Quiz Bowl allows me to engage in a team dynamic, improving my communication skills while also improving my overall knowledge,” junior Mahdir Anower said.

During tournaments, Quiz Bowl officials place teams into pools of four. A team plays three games in each bracket and the officials use these results to place the teams in a single elimination tournaments. However, during conference tournaments Southside will play each team to determine a conference champion. Ten teams total go to state, with conference tournaments determining the contesters.

“As I always say, we’ll be competitive. I have a very deep team and they are working hard and pushing each other to do their best. If the questions and the bracket falls just right, anything is possible,” coach Josh Adams said.