When the USAMO results arrive in mid-April, most people at school are eagerly waiting for whether Jennifer will get to the MOP. For such a momentous occasion, Glen lets Jennifer deliver the morning announcement, along with Trent shortly before classes begin.
"Good morning everyone, this is Jennifer Gagnon, the results from the USAMO have arrived and I scored thirty-eight points! As such I finished eleventh overall!"
"She is not only the first Venomous Agenda to be at the MOP, but also the first USAMO winner in Louisiana history!" Trent continues praising his star mathlete.
That's even better than Gen, and Gen was hyped like crazy last year; Jennifer was subjected to the same amount of hype as Gen was. Which, by mathletic standards, is astronomical. Not even TJHSST would turn mathletes into rock stars. Gen and Krista both coached her over the summer. However, both Gen and Krista suffered from a faux pas I made at the very start of the USAMO. Krista was affected more than Gen was, but I would be lying if I said Gen was unaffected by this faux pas. Plus some years there are perfect scores, yet, last year, there wasn't, Trent reflects upon this announcement while he ponders what went wrong with Gen and Krista. These 3 girls' high school mathletics selves feel almost identical to his eyes.
Meanwhile, the special topics quiz bowl player slated to play at the HSNCT is in a very different state of mind. I know what this means; for yet another year, we will endlessly hear about mathletics and our spot under the spotlight will pretty much require either that we win the HSNCT or that Jennifer crumbles at the MOP. We'll have our work cut out for us... the special topics player sighs in his classroom, taking AP Biology with Warren. He could kind of feel the frustration of several kids...
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Back home on that day, Valerie starts doing her homework, which proves very fast. Then she starts solving the 2023 IMO problems as given to her by Jennifer several weeks before. Her father then arrives in her bedroom in the early stages of the resolution:
"Honey, what are you doing?" Glen asks his daughter.
"Solving problems from an old IMO..." an exasperated Valerie answers him.
"Now that you started solving problems from past IMOs, let's talk about the IMO. This morning, you learned about how Jennifer was going to MOP. You also have a better idea of what it takes to get to the MOP. Top-twenty-four at the USAMO usually"
"How much should I score at the USAMO next year?"
"Trent would probably talk more about that aspect of MOP, but suffice to say that if you make it past the MOP, it's a year-long gauntlet of five tournaments that awaits you. Speaking of MOP, you were initially waitlisted from SWiM but because one of the initial attendees attends MOP, she is withdrawing, and now her spot is yours at SWiM"
Let's face the facts. This year, there are only 34 girls nationwide who managed a 10 or better on the AIME, of which Louisiana has 2; both are VAs. An additional 16 have scored 9. In short, the best 3 girls in Louisiana at the AIME are VAs. There just weren't a whole lot of girls to go around between MOP and other premier math camps, Glen then reflects on how Valerie could even get to SWiM in the first place.
"Now it's mathletics taking up excessive space in town!" Valerie keeps whining while she already lost focus on solving the problem in front of her.
"You see, with the successes of our girls in the mathletic arena, it pushes everyone to work harder in math but for different reasons. When I started out as a principal in this place, mathletics just wasn't this powerhouse of a program, and math was our main area of weakness. Because our star mathletes are female, it inspires other girls, and at the same times, it triggers, in boys, their pride complex and hence work harder to avoid being inferior to girls in math. The net result is, in the classroom, a much better gender balance as well as stronger math results. But now that you made it in SWiM, I want you to keep solving IMO-level problems until the camp starts. As I said last month, if you don't make it to the USAMO by junior year, I won't pay for college!"
Then Valerie goes back to solving that IMO problem; she might have been on track to solve it, but her train of thought was derailed numerous times, so she seems a little lost now. What Valerie doesn't know is that it actually takes mid-to-high-20s on the USAMO to attend MOP as a junior, and a little less as a sophomore.
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Now, he feels due for another meeting with both the middle school principal and both math team coaches, so he tries to schedule one after school the next day, regarding the long-term direction of the city's mathletics infrastructure.
"Everyone, this meeting has been called because of my concerns over the long-term outlook for mathletics. I am a little concerned about our mathletic talent supply drying out. And most importantly, our supply of female mathletes" Glen makes his opening remarks.
"As we all know, ESSER money has run out this year and I feel we will no longer be able to maintain the math team at the same level as we did during the ESSER years" Jennings Middle's principal then adds what it implies for the middle school division's math team.
"Please excuse my lack of familiarity with the parish's middle school funding practices, but I wonder how much, if any, Title IX money is awarded to middle school math teams per girl" Trent asks the middle school's principal.
"One hundred bucks per female mathlete" she answers Trent.
"Do you have a solution?" the middle school math team's coach asks the other three.
"I'd say we pair up middle school female mathletes with female high school mathletes for mentors. Even though we share the same campus, until today, all interactions I had with the middle school division is about scouting for girls to play in future years, and there is next to no interaction between middle and high school mathletes" Glen suggests the others.
"It might solve the feelings of isolation some girls might have reported. However, this doesn't address our money woes. Meanwhile, you guys seem to be raking in money" the MS principal then responds.
"We must limit our mathletic schedule because of a lack of funding" the middle school math team coach continues to lament.
"We only entered one of the two seasons of the Math Madness. If we enter the Spring one, we should have enough money to bankroll the middle school math team, and also have the middle school enter both seasons of it" Trent explains to them, hoping that Cristiano, Jennifer, Phil and Valerie will be able to continue to go deep into the playoffs next season.
We never sold season tickets for the math team. Even if we sold only 150 of these at a contribution margin of $55 apiece, all it takes is selling 9 season tickets for our Math Madness season costs to be covered. The Title IX money covers the rest of the mathletic budget, Glen reviews the finances of the math team.
The rest of the mathletic money goes first to funding the quiz bowl and debate teams, to the tune of $700 (quiz bowl will receive $400 or $600 in Title IX money next year, depending on whether a third girl will be found to replace Imélie; Anna and Sadie will both keep playing) and $7000 respectively. So to cover the costs of both divisions' academic teams, the math team needs to sell about 160 season tickets next year.
"We were told by the city that we can no longer sell standing tickets for playoff math games, though, but that's only three hundred forty tickets each time" Glen announces the bad news. "And donation revenues only seem to come in for the USAMO and any post-USAMO tournaments so we cannot plan around those"
So we need to plan for 4260 playoff tickets for next season, as opposed to 4600 in past seasons. Yet if we raise the price by 50 cents for the first round, and one dollar for any subsequent round, we should not be losing too much money, Trent makes his financial planning for what it means for the next season.
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"I'd say that MOEMS does not provide much of an enrichment to our mathletes. AMC-eight might provide a bit more of it, but that's only an one-day tournament. Trent, do you have any objections to allow our middle school mathletes to enter the AMC-twelve?" the middle school math team coach then asks Trent.
"Do you remember last season? My own daughter complained that they haven't covered material that's necessary to compete at the AMC-twelve on the math team as a middle schooler and that she was forced to tack on two years of math in two months just to be able to compete at that tournament! As much as I am aware of this area's extracurricular paucity, and that mathletics tend to attract top-five-to-ten percent kids in math, I'm afraid this speed is unmanageable for most people" Glen then rants about what happened last year.
"This usually means the top quarter to third of the accelerated students, which themselves are in the top quarter of the entire student body" the middle school math team coach lays down the facts.
As much as the high school principal might be a little too hands-on in managing the high school's math team, at least he understands that not every kid in that range will be able to learn at such blistering speeds. For each Valerie, who seems able to do it, there are those kids who need a lot more effort to just remain in their positions in the accelerated classes, the middle school math team coach then muses while having Faith in mind, whom he doesn't expect to play nearly as big a role as a Venomous Agenda next season.
"But yes, I believe entering both Math Madness seasons would be beneficial, especially for those who aren't competing at the VMC" Trent then agrees to this portion of the plan. "We must ensure, however, that VMC contestants are properly supported; entering the spring Math Madness may risk eating into their preparation for the VMC" He starts to think about whether there even are non-senior girls in AP Calculus BC next year; the season has already started for people to enroll in classes for next year.
"We all agree that the high school team should then cover the operating costs for the middle school math team to the extent Title IX money can't, and, as a condition of doing so, it should then enter both seasons of the Math Madness, middle school division in Fall, high school division in Spring?"
"I guess I have no choice, it was either that or fold the math team, with the understanding that practice time must be expanded to meet these requirements" Jennings Middle's principal reluctantly accepts these terms to keep the middle school's math team afloat.
Historically, non-seniors in AP Calculus BC end up being in the top quarter of the class. In any given year, I get about a half-dozen of these tops. You're a top student in the accelerated classes in middle school, here Algebra I and Geometry, you will often excel mathematically all the way. But I can kind of sense like some people, and very certainly girls, might feel like they need to wait until they get to AP Calculus BC to join the math team, probably because they feel like non-VMC mathletes are second-rate mathletes, Trent then reviews the rising non-seniors confirmed in the course for next year after having left the meeting with the middle school mathletics powers-that-be to return to the math team practice. He also knows by now how intensely people will gossip about who will be the new players of the VAs math team at this time of the year, and of particular interest are female mathletes.
Meanwhile, Glen then writes an email asking the secretary to start selling season tickets for the math team's next season, while he must revise the math team budget for next year. And, of course, hold the money in escrow until the next season starts. He buys two mathletics season tickets as soon as the secretary makes such tickets available for sale: one for him, one for Selena. Are Jennifer and Phil going to be enough to sell season tickets? Or Valerie must step up to the plate? He muses upon receipt of the season tickets.
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By Memorial Day, it's clear that Valerie's near-relentless mathletic training regimen, with some homework, rehearsals and community service mixed in, has taken its toll on her. And she feels the need to catch a break, fast!
Anna then texts her: "Do you want to sleep over at my home? We'll watch our own Venomous Agendas at the HSNCT"
"Dad, can I sleep at Anna's home tomorrow night?" Valerie asks her father, feeling like she's about to crack.
"Why? Are Anna's parents there?" Glen grills his daughter. "I really hope Anna is not the kind of girl to drink alcohol"
"Of course not. She is on band with me, I helped her with math and science courses, she also takes her studies seriously, so she isn't unknown to me. She feels mature to me" Valerie pleads with him.
"From what I know about her, Anna is more artsy than you, but she's still a very smart girl. You must understand that people at her intellectual level mostly drink out of stress, and unfortunately she's no more immune to it than you are"
"Tomorrow is the HSNCT's first day. It's my only chance to calm down for months, my whole life since I started high school has been centered around stuff I did for college, such as community service, band, school work and especially mathletics! In particular, you made me stress out over mathletics! You made me study for the IMO, you made me learn two years of math in two months!" Valerie screams at her dad.
"Fine, it's obvious that you're stressed out. Promise me that you would not drink alcohol at her place, will you?"
"Of course not"
"I guess it has to do with the HSNCT. Remember: the advantage we have is that we don't spread ourselves too thin" Selena overheard her daughter talking about going to Anna's for the next 2 days. "Our opponents will often have to mix in quiz bowl with other things such as sports, clubs, and all that; we don't"
Valerie then starts packing her belongings that she intends to use for the sleepover at Anna's before responding to Anna. "Sure, I really need to slow down"
"I heard rumors at work that we'll get a new girl for the VMC next year" Selena keeps talking after her husband leaves Valerie's room.
"Who is she?" Glen asks her on his way to the kitchen.
"Nicole. She's going to be a junior"
"Nicole? I really wonder how would Nicole stack up against our daughter on stuff such as the AIME and the USAMO! If Nicole proves better than Valerie maybe I should ease up on our daughter! But the math team is filled with straight-A kids in math and science!"
Oh boy, I really need to check on the list of enrolled students for the AP Calculus BC to make sure that Nicole really is going to enter the VMC! If Nicole plays and Faith does, this means $800 in Title IX money, and the parish failed to effect cost of living adjustments to the rate paid for Title IX money! Glen ruminates while he checks the list of students enrolled in AP Calculus BC for next year. After that, he checks the list of mathletics season ticket holders.
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On Saturday morning, with Valerie at Anna's home, alongside a few other quiz bowlers and band kids, they are seated around the screen with the podcast from NAQT live from Atlanta, and Anna having the HSNCT companion app on her cell phone.
"Hey, Anna, how do you feel about being on the big team next year?" the B-team science player asks Anna, with whom he played all year, referring to William graduating.
"Pretty good. What about you, Valerie?" Anna asks her.
"Not too good. I'm nervous, and I don't want to wager my whole high school career on someone else's performance" Valerie shakes on her seat, referring to Jennifer at MOP.
Without Sadie, I had to step up to the plate. Despite the improvement I saw right until Dutchtown, I didn't make it to the team for quiz bowl-State. Granted William is a senior, having taken AP Literature whereas I'm a rising sophomore, so I have room to grow, Anna reflects on her quiz bowl season, while the first game of their beloved VAs is underway against Lisgar. The Lords (i.e. Lisgar's players) seem to have bitten too much of the proverbial venom during the game and the Venomous Agendas win that game 530-0.
After the morning session on Saturday, which ended 6-1 for the VAs, Valerie feels much more relaxed than she ever was all year, with the start of the off-season not bearing the same pressure as during the mathletic season.
"You don't have to wager your entire high school career on Jennifer's performance over the next season! You're smarter than this!" Anna attempts to get through to Valerie. "You can still amount to something in your time as a Venomous Agenda without having to be an elite mathlete!"
"Easy for you to say, your parents don't see you solely as a mathlete, no more than they see you solely as a quiz bowler!" Valerie then retorts, indirectly acknowledging that, to her eyes, her parents are part of the problem. "It's more than simply feel being used by my parents: my dad especially has obtained de facto control over the middle school's math team and is scrambling left and right to ensure that there will be girls on the high school's math team years into the future! Yet he can't be assured there will always be even one girl as smart as even you in any given middle school class, or that girl would be doing mathletics even if there was one!"
"You seemed to be implying that I am myself very smart. I may very well be, it's just that my brain isn't wired like yours!" Anna then makes her observations.
"For as long as I've known you, Valerie, you always appeared to operate on a very high intellectual level. Same goes for Anna, sure..." Anna's mother then comments on Valerie's lamentation.
"It seems like my only hope is that quiz bowl makes it far this year at the HSNCT and then it will take pressure off mathletics! Debate dashed theirs back in March" Valerie then sighs, her head up in the air.
"But then it means the pressure will be on us next year" Anna then quips.
By Sunday afternoon, the Venomous Agendas start the playoff phase with a first-round bye and follow that up with 3 wins against Beijing #2, Hoover A and East Chapel Hill A in that order.
"Look at this: the VAs now have a bye for round twenty-five, which means we'll finish at least seventh!" Anna then tells the other attendees, with the companion app open.
Come on, Imélie and Sadie! Everyone here in town count on you! Valerie muses while Anna's living room is now filled with her friends and family watching the VAs' game against Baker being livecast and it took one neg-five from William to ruin everything, and the VAs are fifth.