The following day, the Mathematical Association of America (MAA, which runs the AMC contests, the AIME and the USAMO) announces that Gen is starting at the EGMO due to one of the original competitors getting an overdose. Obviously, the whole parish is happy for her, for VA mathletics, so much so that a pep rally is held at night for both the EGMO and the VMC. After all, this achievement eclipsed anything they possibly did before.
Speaking of pep rally, it wouldn't be one but two competitions that would be the topic, even though both competitions are still weeks away. What is not his surprise when, at the pep rally, there are several trucks from the state's major news channels in the stadium's parking lot, which is packed! Undoubtedly to make a news report on how a girl of the state made her way through the highest echelons of international mathletics.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to this final math team pep rally of the Venomous Agendas for this season! I wish to underscore that this season has been exceptional in every respect, from the Math Madness quarterfinals last Fall, then the defense of the state title at the Vans Math Contest and finally several feminine state records that were broken at the AIME and the USAMO. But we must not forget about the exceptionality of the quiz bowl season that peaks with a silver medal at the state championship and a qualification to the national championship!" the school's principal announces in front of the crowd.
"This season has also clearly shown to so many in Louisiana that girls could excel mathematically. And, even though I must admit I would have loved to qualify to the EGMO under better circumstances, it's precisely because of these circumstances that I would also like to talk about a topic that's very delicate for so many among you. The only reason why I am qualified is because one of the original qualifiers overdosed on drugs. Then I believe it's good to have this discussion about drugs. What happened to the person I replace may very well happen to you also, Gen announces to the crowd.
Even though it is the crowning achievement of VA mathletics, I can tell not everyone is happy, and not just the teachers who ran the juniors' detention room when the USAMO happened. I must do something to placate the people in town who are angry because of the excessive amount of attention lavished on mathletes! Glen then reflects on this pep rally. But yes, let the town revel in mathletic glory while it lasts, which, unfortunately, won't last very long.
Of course, it is the culmination of years of hard work by all parties involved. But unlike previous pep rallies, at least quiz bowl got some attention, a little limited perhaps, but better than nothing.
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The following day, angry parents of prospective debaters and quiz bowlers (just not Marcia's parents) start sending emails and even making phone calls to him, demanding actions to be taken to ensure that mathletics doesn't, going forward, hog all the EC attention.
"Sir, Gen competing at the EGMO is fine and dandy, but the others feel neglected, be it debate or quiz bowl. They feel like the other two should be treated more equitably" the secretary relays the complaints made by the father of a debater.
"I hope that he understands that, was his child playing anywhere else, his child would also be flying under the radar. For the past two years now, it appears that academic teams have been in the spotlight. However, he has a point in that, while the parish might be happy about Gen at the EGMO for now, there is more to academic competitions than mathletics"
Then come other complaints from parents of soon-to-be Venomous Agendas, such as Chantal's. Speaking of Chantal, she appears poised to play international extemp for the Venomous Agendas next year.
"On the other hand, this is a major victory for Louisiana girls in math, so donations will come in nationwide. But mostly from the South. We need to save up some money for the next season of every academic team. And the rest will be spent on overdue repairs since I feel like it's going to be a one-time deal similar to ESSER money" Glen makes his assessment of the situation.
"Having an idea of how to spend the donated money is one thing, but it doesn't address the issue. How could the team make it to the semifinals at the district qualifier as well as the state championship in debate and you kept quiet about it?" the secretary scolds him.
"Debate flying under the radar is mostly because most people think of debate as quarreling about a topic. But I ought to give some space to debate, and more space to quiz bowl next year in school media. However, there is a problem: we cannot assume that Chantal and so on would actually perform at the level Florence did! Do you want me to announce systematically our results at every academic tournament we enter going forward?"
"We don't enter that many of these, so yes. Quiz bowl and debate both play, like, five tournaments per year each?"
Assuming that both Imélie and William keep playing quiz bowl, we'd have a pretty good foundation for the humanities and social studies faction to get their time under the spotlight, and therefore appease tensions in town. But what I am worried about is who will play among the underclassmen, debate or quiz bowl, Glen then realizes that the VAs' mathletic future is more secure than in the other two. So far Chantal is the only confirmed new debater.
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Of course, right until the end of the EGMO, that tournament is the talk of the parish. Here it appears that people as young as 4 started dreaming about donning the green and purple of the VAs in mathletic competitions. Like Trillian, the little sister of Catalena. Whom she overheard at the supermarket on the second day of the tournament itself.
"Un dia, voy a hacer matletismo para las Agendas Venenosas" (One day, I will do mathletics for the Venomous Agendas) Trillian then proceeds to count the loose change required to pay for the Coradines' groceries.
"Between now and the time your youngest daughter will actually become a VA, everything could change" Glen warns Trillian's mother. "Don't take early childhood dreams for long-term goals"
Yet, as with all other tournaments on the VAs' mathletic schedule, the EGMO is not a tournament where the results are known on short notice. So he abstains from commenting about the odds of their beloved Gen winning anything. Especially since the podium at the EGMO and IMO (it's somewhat similar at the VMC final, but the logic is applied to teams at the VMC, rather than the mathletes themselves this year) comprises approximately the top half of the field, divided into three bands.
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Speaking of which, there was no need for an announcement during school hours; the team's impresario organized a night where the local community could watch the closing ceremony. Then the most fanatic of the gang would know about it, and news of it would spread like wildfire among a euphoric population. Please enjoy this while it lasts... it's a once-in-a-lifetime moment to her, then again, the risk is very real that she will peak in college, Glen muses on the event the town talked about for weeks at this point.
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And Gen winning gold at the EGMO made this run even more exceptional, whose historic character cannot be understated by anyone in town. Never did anyone in the region compete at that high a mathletic level before.
But life goes on, and mathletics have one last contest remaining for the season: the VMC. For which they won't receive the results for weeks, and he knows better than to announce the results to the public until the exam season ends. At that point, he may as well announce the results from the HSNCT at the graduation ceremony, alongside the results of the VMC final.
The commencement ceremony is prepared, and for some, the receipt of their diplomas will be one of the highlights of their lives. For others, it's the end of 4 years of hell, either social or academic. Finally, for people like Randy or Zack (the strong safety), and even more so the highest-achieving students, the diploma receipt is a mere formality.
"I wish to underscore an absolutely magical season of our school about academic extracurricular activities. Really a season of all records for us. We excelled on the national and international stages of mathletics, and, to a lesser extent, in quiz bowl. And even more remarkable to us is that our extracurricular successes this year are primarily brought by girls! Today, more than ever, the Venomous Agendas culture is a place where we can live academic excellence, in class as well as in the extracurricular sphere, and fully assume it socially!" The school's principal makes his end-of-year speech. "And it's with joy that I announce that it's the strongest class in school history!"
The principal reviews the various highlights of the school year in video on the stadium's scoreboard, in chronological order of them happening. The video contains a montage of clips that are dominated by mathletics and quiz bowl, and musical concerts and theater plays. No trace of football games or other sporting events.
After the clips of the year's highlights, Glen then announces the results proper. As well as announce another measure that, to the eyes of so many, is motivated by the limitations of the school's extracurricular budget.
"Over the past weekend, our quiz bowl team finished twenty-fourth out of a field of two hundred seventy-two teams at the High School National Championship Tournament in Atlanta! And, of course, we won gold at the Vans Math Contest! One of the individual prizes of the VMC has been renamed to honor one of our own graduates, the Lasedri Prize, awarded to the best female non-senior at the VMC final. This year, one of the co-winners of the Lasedri Prize is a Venomous Agenda as well, Imélie Tremblay!" He then realizes Imélie is attending the graduation ceremony. "To save students from themselves, from the stress of overscheduling, we announce that starting next school year, students will be authorized to join a maximum of two varsity teams" Glen finishes speaking, and then the valedictory address begins.
Obviously, sports and academic teams are limited. But, for some reason, for the purposes of the "rule of 2 teams", band and theater are both categorized as varsity teams even though the VAs don't enter interscholastic contests in either one. Probably because of the dedication required to perform well in either one.
But unlike most valedictory addresses with an allusion to lifelong learning, here Gen knew that one cannot know everything and hence the main takeaway from this valedictory address is that being able to determine what to know and what not to know is very important, much more important than what proponents of lifelong learning typically imply.
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The coming days mean year-end time and all the administrative paperwork a year-end implies for him. Nevertheless, because big pieces on the math team graduated, he knows better than to expect the next mathletic season to be as good as this one has been. So much uncertainty, especially on the debate team: however, debate has been the poor child of VA academic teams, he reflects, while VA fans spend the summer speculating on who will make the teams next season. And not only sports, but academic teams as well. Which is a topic around the dinner table for them.
"I'm a little concerned. We know there is some discontent about how mathletics seem to be on a pedestal compared to the other two, but even with all three of Gen, Krista and Marcia having graduated, there is no guarantee the replacement players will be as good as those they replace. Imélie appears to be good only at curricular contests, Jennifer is, by and large, unproven, and so are you, Valerie. The only other known mathletic quantity is Vontae"
"This is doing nothing for the concerns of those who feel like mathletics take up too much room. However, there's no way either Jennifer or our own daughter makes it to the EGMO or IMO next year" Selena points out.
"Valerie, do you have any clue who, beyond Chantal, could play on the debate team next year? We made it work for two years and, unless we get new players soon, it might get the axe" Glen then exhorts his daughter to comb through her list of friends to know who could play on it. "We might be able to placate those people in town who feel, mostly secretly, that too much weight is placed on mathletics around here, but we mustn't pin all our hopes on Chantal"
"I think Daisy might be more inclined to debate than to do mathletics, I think I need to ask her" Valerie then proceeds to text Daisy about the debate team.
From what I heard about the debate team when my brother was playing, the debate team flies under the radar, with only the people closest to the players, the coach and my dad knowing anything about it. Maybe some people would be uncomfortable with being under the spotlight, Valerie gets memories from her brother playing extemp for the VAs, and texts both Chantal and Daisy for help finding potential new players for the debate team's next season.
At the same time, he wonders whether mathletics will remain the cash cow it has been this season, because he knew that, the more players there are on the debate team, the more expensive it will get to run the team. And that's only with sticking to tournaments within driving distance of Jefferson Davis Parish and, preferably within a 400 km distance from it.
"Recall also that the popular attention given to one activity will go up with its successes relative to other activities. That's how mathletics even got to where it is today in the minds of the town, and it's going to be fickle. So while Chantal might appear to be the debate team's best hope, don't expect the team to get under the spotlight until they start winning" Selena makes her analysis.
"I'm forced to acknowledge that quiz bowl is a safer bet to balance out the influence of mathletics. After all, Imélie proved herself on the grandest quiz bowl stage and is our best player" Glen sighs. "Maybe Imélie would be the person who could mend the tensions between the two factions; while she might be a mathlete, her quiz bowling prowess is undeniable"
"Joy... the debate team will still fly under the radar for a while, but quiz bowl will get the glory!" Valerie sighs while she collects potential takers for both teams. Anna for quiz bowl, Daisy and Gaston for debate.
"Valerie, thank you. Now, please go back to studying for next year's AMC-twelve and AIME!" her father orders her while she returns to her room after being given some names of potential new players.
For some reason, Daisy and Gaston feel riskier bets for the debate team the way Chantal isn't. It's not that they aren't smart enough to play, they might not have the drive. Maybe some rising sophomore or junior could round out the roster, he muses before he sends an email to the debate coach regarding Daisy, Gaston and the need to get the attention of the rising sophomores and juniors to replenish the depleted roster of the debate team.