After months of persistent fact-studying and Jeopardy-watching, Stone Bridge’s academic team is traveling to Washington D.C. on Sunday, Nov. 12, to compete in the “It’s Academic” quiz show. After a district Quiz Bowl win and regionals placement, seniors Saoirse O’Hair, Connor Lockett, and Betsy Arozqueta are ready to outsmart their opponents and take home the gold.
Airing since 1961, “It’s Academic” is the longest-running televised academic competition, with influential figures such as Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer having participated in the past. The contest consists of several rounds that include picture identification, grab-bag-style tests, and basic trivia, which is a different structure than what they’re used to.
“…’It’s Academic’ is much more complicated,” Lockett said. “There’s like five or six different rounds all with different rules.”
Despite the academic team’s prowess, this is Stone Bridge’s second attempt to air on television. Last year, they had a spot booked that was unexpectedly canceled, encouraging them to make the most of what experience they had.
“This year it’s very cool to be in person and to tape it live,” O’Hair said. “It should be very exciting.”
Heightening any anxiety felt towards the competition, the team is facing issues with budget. Often, Stone Bridge Quiz Bowl finds themselves overshadowed by other sports teams, despite their indisputable success.
“I understand that we are not what you would consider an athletic sport,” O’Hair said. “We don’t quite get the same kind of funding or the same recognition as other teams do even though we do very well.”
Even being on the show in the first place, the Quiz Bowl has achieved incredible success, yet is still lacking school-wide recognition. Lockett and O’Hair discuss books and practice buzzers that would have improved their chances of winning, but were unaffordable due to the team’s undersized budget. The team feels as though the school only pays attention to their successes, rather than their hard work and preparation.
“Curiously enough, when we won the district championships last year, all of a sudden there was all this interest in Quiz Bowl,” Lockett said.
Despite these obstacles, the academics feel confident in their chances to succeed, although apprehensive about facing their rivals from Independence High School, who they’ve been neck-and-neck with for the last couple years. The show is set to air March 16, 2024 on PBS; tune in and watch the team make Stone Bridge proud.
“I have a good feeling about our team this year,” Arozqueta said. “We’re going to crush it for sure!”
