Valerie trained for months with Jennifer, especially after the holidays, and the schedule intensified after the AIME. Imélie, on the other hand, appeared to have eschewed any hope of competing at the USAMO, instead focusing on quiz bowl.
In past years, the results of the AIME were not made publicly available to the local community until the USAMO qualifiers were known. As with last year, the parish newspaper continued to play the comparison games, albeit with the mathletes being so compared being replaced by Cristiano, Imélie, Jennifer and Valerie. At least early on; later comparison games seemed to only include Imélie and Jennifer, and compare them to girls susceptible to qualify for the IMO.
The first week of March, when the AIME results are announced to the public, so many in school are on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting who among their favorites would end up advancing to the USAMO just a few weeks before it takes place.
"Good morning everyone, the list of USAMO qualifiers has been released and only one Venomous Agenda made it. Jennifer Gagnon, scoring a twelve on the AIME, and Imélie narrowly missed it despite scoring a ten on it" Glen announces at the start of the school day.
He then goes on to list the results of the other AIME participants, and Valerie scored a 9, the same as Cristiano. What will daddy think of me, now that my season is basically over? Now, I wouldn't say the time I spent training with Jennifer after the AIME has been a waste, but I'm nervous, Valerie shakes on her seat. As much as I would like to say "there's always next year", I don't think daddy will be very happy...
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After returning from a half-hearted math team practice, once again, Valerie feels her heart racing when she faces her father again. Especially since she can feel his disappointment regarding the AIME.
"Valerie, how can you do this to us? How can you fail so spectacularly on the AIME?" Glen screams at his daughter.
"Imélie was twenty and a half index points higher than I, and she didn't qualify either! What makes you think that I could have gotten the same twelve as Jennifer?" Valerie, ulcerated by her father's remarks, questions him while looking at the grade and gender distributions. Which are released at the same time as the USAMO qualifiers.
"Imélie had quiz bowl to deal with. She will go on to the HSNCT. You, on the other hand, didn't! You only had the USAMO to aim for and you failed!" Glen keeps screaming.
"I am still in ninth grade! Jennifer is two years older than me!" Valerie shouts back to her father, still ulcerated.
"Jennifer is also competing at the VMC. But it's too early to write you off as a failure. As much as I would love to say that where you go to college will not define who you will be, if you don't make it to the USAMO by junior year, I will not pay for your tuition!"
I am not worried about Imélie at the VMC. It's actually Phil I am most worried about regarding that contest, Glen reflects on the school's roster at the VMC. He is also looking for an alternate venue for the USAMO. Knowing that he cannot use any of the detention rooms for it.
"Just getting anyone at the USAMO is a lot for any Louisiana school; last year, not even Caddo, Bâton-Rouge Magnets or Benjamin-Franklin can even get someone there" Selena arrives at Valerie's bedroom, seeing her cry.
"Speaking of college, attending a math camp will help. Indirectly perhaps but it's better than nothing. We're a little late in the math camp game, but we can always try to get you into a math camp. Trent will, without question, write you a letter of recommendation for math camp" Glen adds fuel to the fire.
"Just because I know who to ask for a letter of recommendation on hand for math camps doesn't mean much those camps! And while they ask for a transcript, the focus will be on math and science grades! Everyone will have straight As in these subjects!" Valerie keeps complaining about the whole ordeal.
"Actually, the math camp I have in mind does not require a transcript. It is as you said: it would be useless when everyone has straight As in math and science subjects!" Glen then opens the application page for Duke's SWiM (Summer Workshop in Mathematics) right in front of her.
"The Summer Workshop in Mathematics? How much does that cost?" Valerie asks her father, pretending to care about the camp. "Attending a camp seem to be a bit much, especially since I think I already have my hands full with the WOOT system!" she keeps complaining about why even attend the camp in the first place.
"The only reason why I picked it was because it's free, except for transportation from and to Durham. If you get in, consider the trip to Durham my delayed Christmas gift to you"
"Why did you wait until now to give it?" a furious Valerie asks his father, her face turning red.
"I was struggling to think of something you would like, or would be beneficial to you. This place not being materialistic is a double-edged sword so that you couldn't be swayed by clothing or cosmetics"
"More than ever, I feel like I'm being used!" Valerie resumes her bursts of tears, while filling out the space dedicated to the applicant's experiences in mathletics.
I didn't feel like Valerie earned her Christmas gift back then, because I had the impression she was falling behind benchmarks of what I believed was expected of someone aiming for the IMO. Whereas Gen only really put in 2 years of work and still managed to get the gold medal at the EGMO, I feel like Valerie needs to work hard for all 4 years to get to the IMO, he secretly reflects on why he withheld Valerie's Christmas gift and then there are 2 remaining components of the application Valerie needs to fill out. The qualifying test, which is a proof test structured more or less like the COMC (Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge), with questions ranging from AMC12 to late AIME. And then the personal statement. But, due to complaints made by past participants at SWiM, the camp is more mathletics-oriented nowadays.
This reminds me that I ought to ask the middle school mathletics coach for who the coach feels is the best 8th grader girl on the mathletics team: if push comes to shove, and that neither Jennifer nor Valerie... he then leaves his daughter alone to write to the middle school's mathletics coach, inquiring specifically about eighth-grader female mathletes.
The middle school's mathletics coach is a little surprised to receive an email about the high school principal inquiring specifically about girls and how they stack up to, say, Valerie's eighth-grader self. He says he wants to plan for the graduation of Imélie; however, he asks me to compare Faith Kingsford to past mathletes' middle school selves. Sorry to break it to him, but if he thinks Faith can, in the long run, replace Imélie, I have no faith in her. Faith might be good, but she's only marginally better than Daisy has been. Hardly someone you would push for the IMO; Glen is perhaps a better scout than he is a coach.
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The following day, he tries to let the assessment from the middle school's mathletics coach sink in and he is forced to acknowledge that he can't rely on the incoming freshman class of next season to take pressure off his daughter, who spent much of the night writing both the personal statement and the qualifying test for SWiM. I will be stuck with my daughter at least through her sophomore year; I'm willing to delay the goal of getting a Venomous Agenda to the IMO for two additional years or more if it ensures that the Venomous Agendas will be adequately represented there, he muses while he continues to look for alternate rooms for Jennifer to take the USAMO in that isn't a detention room. He then asks the following of his secretary:
"Is the conference room free for the following two days?" he asks his secretary, referring to the USAMO days.
"Yes. The main reason why I had a detention room used last year was because the conference room was needed for another course"
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"Sometimes you seem to act like an European soccer general manager as it relates to mathletics" the secretary points out to him.
"How so?" a puzzled Glen asks his secretary.
"You seem to commodify students' math skills! This year it's Valerie, what do you hope for next year's incoming class?"
"I already asked the middle school math team coach and, unfortunately, next year's incoming class is much closer to a pre-pandemic class than to this one. You see, Louisiana's mathletic circuit is very volatile year-on-year. One year it can be us, another year it can be Benjamin-Franklin..."
I really, really hope that Jennifer will be up to the task. If so, she will successfully have taken the baton from Gen, should she make it to the MOP. If not, Valerie will be on the hook for the next 2 years, he ruminates while struggling to think about what Jennifer's performance would imply for how he would act towards his own daughter going forward.
This month, however, will be closely monitored by those people who resent the school's excessive focus on mathletics since both quiz bowl and debate have their own state championships to deal with. In mid-March, the Monday after quiz bowl-State, the traditional morning announcement is delivered...
"Good morning everyone: for the first time in school history, we won a state championship in quiz bowl! May the Venomous Agendas represent us well at the HSNCT during the Memorial Day weekend! On a side note, Imélie committed to play quiz bowl for the Tulane Green Wave!"
"Tulane has a quiz bowl team?" the secretary asks, bewildered by their lack of knowledge of collegiate quiz bowl.
"Last I heard from Warren about Tulane in quiz bowl, he said the Green Wave wasn't very good on the buzzer and Imélie was expected to be the star player from day one"
That ought to take some pressure off Jennifer and Valerie for a while, and also Chantal, too. On the other hand, I wonder if there's too much pressure on Sadie going into the HSNCT. However, it's the strongest quiz bowl team in school history. While we don't offer a whole lot of activities, it forces people to focus fully on what we do offer. Our opponents in all 3 are, for the most part, stretched thin, Glen ruminates on what the victory at quiz bowl-State implies for the other 2 teams.
While debate still flies under the radar, the few people who support the team are wondering if either Sadie or Chantal would qualify for Nats. Chantal was dominant in international topics this season and, as such, is widely considered one of the favorites at the district qualifier in international extemp. Sadie, on the other hand, ended up playing more or less at the same level as Florence did last year. But until then, substitutes must be scheduled for all courses Trent would normally teach while the USAMO is underway.
"The legacy that I am leaving as a principal will depend on how all 3 teams perform while I am in office! Pray for the quiz bowl team! May they share in the mathletes' successes, but also in their pressures! But our continued mathletics successes require two days of substitute duty for the USAMO" Glen explains to the chosen substitute teacher during recess.
"I am the only one who can sub for both days, right..."
"For this reason, I choose you to fill in for Trent while he proctors the USAMO for Jennifer" he then tells Faith's mother.
"Last year the quiz bowl team unexpectedly qualified for the HSNCT. It was... meteoric to say the least" Faith's mother, the substitute assigned to teach Trent's classes, reacts upon her assignment. "But I really hope we don't have a repeat of last year as it relates to the USAMO"
If she's referring to the overflow of detention rooms, that's not going to happen. In what other respects would she hope that it won't be a repeat of last year? Glen wonders what could possibly hope not to happen again at this year's USAMO and that can specifically be attributed to it. A panicked mathlete screaming across the halls? Or anything else altogether? Like failing to get someone to the MOP (Mathematical Olympiad Program)?
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That night, he feels like he is on thin ice but remains in his bedroom after dinner, not wanting to talk about the USAMO in front of the rest of his family. He feels like he needs to vent, especially with the USAMO soon starting. And the most fervent mathletics fans pinned all their hopes on Jennifer.
"What wouldn't I do, or give, for either my daughter to make it to the IMO or to get another girl who will do so for the VAs?" Glen then sobs. "How many girls will be necessary to get the Venomous Agendas one... ONE! girl at the IMO? I don't care what it takes, all I want is one girl at the IMO before I retire as a principal!" he keeps lamenting while he is down on the floor. "If it means I must remain in office for the rest of my life, so be it... For now, our closest opportunity lies in Jennifer, but if Jennifer fails, then it falls on Valerie – and she will need to work smarter as well as harder from here on out to make it!"
What so many don't realize is that getting anyone to the IMO, irrespective of gender or race, is really a school-wide effort. As much as I'd love to give Valerie a chance over the next three years to prove she's worthy of the IMO... my heart feels like the risk is too great with Valerie, Glen keeps ruminating, and believing that what is needed from school administration to get either Jennifer or Valerie to the IMO would ultimately benefit all students in the long run, at least in math.
After all, there is no getting to the IMO without a solid foundation in mathematics and said foundation must be given to all students to the extent feasible.
"Am I about to wager my entire career as a principal on how Jennifer performs over the next two days? And, if applicable, how she performs on the gauntlet of tournaments next year, should she make it past the TSTST at MOP?" he asks himself, while his wife is around.
"You're headed down a dangerous path with our daughter! What you're wagering is not your career as a principal, but our daughter's sanity! You're acting like a racehorse owner towards the school's mathletes!" Selena then scolds him. "Why girls specifically? Just because the parish elevated female mathletes to stardom..."
"The IMO is almost completely male-dominated. Remember the past two years, mathletics was a novelty to the parish back then. Girls were key to bringing mathletics into the limelight, and, as a result, mathletics, here, more than anywhere else in the country, is perceived as a feminine pursuit!"
"And the net result is that girls feel forced to excel in academic competitions to gain popularity, at school and in town, while boys could be somewhat recognized if they excel athletically" Selena then points out to him.
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Two days later, an exhausted Jennifer meets with Valerie shortly before the math team practice starts, but after the USAMO proper ends.
"Since your dad seems to see in you my successor once I graduate, I guess I should have done so earlier, but I will email you the practice problems I used to practice for this tournament. Of particular interest to you and your dad are the 2023 IMO and the 2024 EGMO" Jennifer tells her teammate.
"The 2024 EGMO I understand, because your predecessor won gold there. But why specifically the 2023 IMO?" a puzzled Valerie asks her. "What makes it more significant than other editions of the IMO to you?"
"It's the most recent one I did for practicing and it's representative of actual IMOs"
"I already feel used by my dad and you're still playing. What would it be like when you will have graduated? The spotlight will then be on me by then! I don't think I can handle being under the spotlight!" Valerie then spaces out.
In middle school, I was the star mathlete. However, even though Jennings Middle shares the same campus with what we colloquially call "Venomous Agendas High" by now even though it's not officially called as such, there is no popular attention in town for middle school activities. The middle school division uses the old team name and colors, Valerie has an image of before-after flashing in her mind.
In a sense, having both the middle school and high school under the same roof made it easy for strong middle schoolers to get access to accelerated coursework, in math and science, but less commonly social studies.
"Yet you already were under the very same spotlight you're talking about! Remember the role you played at the Math Madness! The captaincy will be officially be handed over to you if I don't make it to the MOP, or if I don't make it past the MOP!" Jennifer warns her teammate before returning home. "Remember, Val, I have only one shot at the IMO, I must make it count! You're still better than I myself was as a ninth-grader, and Imélie even!"
"Really, Jenn, it's like an apples-to-oranges comparison: so much has changed in our mathletics team since then!" Valerie retorts realizing that so much changed post-pandemic.
My dad is pressuring me, but I feel like I am pressuring Jennifer, albeit unintentionally. But from what I have seen, she has a chance to attend MOP. People around me send mixed messages: on the one hand my dad makes me feel used and inadequate, on the other hand, my teammates and coach tend to be more understanding, Valerie then reflects upon the pressure she is under.
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But Glen doesn't seem to be able to catch a break. As if his own feelings of inadequacy towards Valerie weren't enough, by Monday morning, his heart gets broken once again upon reviewing the results of the debate district qualifier. While he hoped the Venomous Agendas would get a Nats berth for the first time, he only really cared about Chantal and Sadie in IX and PF respectively. However, neither qualified for Nats.
"Good morning everyone, we had a strong showing at the district qualifier, with Sadie and Joe being in the public forum semifinals and Chantal placing third in international extemp!" Glen half-heartedly delivers the morning announcement.
Sadie losing in the PF semifinals I can understand, she's a novice in debate. But Chantal? Was she unlucky in the topic draw? Her being third in international extemp was not like her at all. Florence gave the VAs a fighting chance both years she played, hopefully fourth time will be the charm next year. But why am I so unforgiving towards my own daughter in mathletics? Is it the unforgiving nature of the end goal being pursued? Glen ruminates on he seems to be applying a double standard. Using role models drawn from kids means they must be regularly replaced.