The rest of the quiz bowl season proceeded with marked improvement on the B-team's part. And, apparently, Hathaway, too. This season, fans of VA quiz bowl feel like, more than Kinder, more than DCC, which, by now, is relegated to a debate-only rivalry, and the only VA inter-state rivalry remaining, Hathaway could become the primary quiz bowl rival of VA.
In mid-March, just a few days after the state-sponsored ACT date, the quiz bowl team meets in one last meeting to finalize the roster for quiz bowl-State. And the HSNCT as well. Which is attended not only by the players, but by some of their parents, too. And other townsfolk as well, including but not limited to booster club members.
"I didn't believe quiz bowl practices would attract anyone other than maybe friends and family of the players, not even before State begins. For this reason, I don't think this room is large enough anymore" Flo tells the audience wanting one last glimpse of who their favorites will be going into quiz bowl-State.
I knew people around here could want to see their local favorites one last time before major tournaments, but I believed that, for quiz bowl, this kind of display of fanaticism was reserved for the HSNCT. It was understandable if one was talking about the HSNCT, though. For debates, only a handful of people wanted to see their favorites like this before the district qualifier, which was treated the same way as a state championship here, Flo, crying, moves the buzzer system into the auditorium, which is the only room on campus she deems it to be large enough to house the crowd. However, the auditorium is still mostly empty.
"Dear Venomous Agenda community, today difficult choices must be made. I understand you all came here with the expectation that you would get to see the quiz bowl team that will carry our hopes going into quiz bowl-State as well as the HSNCT. It appears our science player on what was the A team at Leesville was underperforming and Cindy, you're going to play at State. Other than that, the other players on the A team will get to remain together at State and at the HSNCT" Flo harangues the VA supporters.
"If that's how I'm going to finish my tenure as a quiz bowler for the Venomous Agendas, for which I spent six long years... I quit!" the ex-science player leaves the stage, slamming the backstage door in the process.
The roster for both quiz bowl-State and the HSNCT then steps forward, and in alphabetical order of last names. Which the attendees then cheer when all four of them are front and center. Several of these attendees take a group photo of the team, with Flo behind the players.
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And yet, while the VA supporters didn't seem to come out in that much force when the roster for quiz bowl-State was announced, in Hathaway, fifteen kilometers north of VA, on the other hand, because quiz bowl was foreign to them, and it's seemingly the first time, or at least one of those rare times where Hathaway accomplishes anything that isn't sports or FFA-related, the local community comes out in force to the school's pep rally regarding the local quiz bowl team in the school's parking lot.
"Today is the last day before our beloved Hornets go to State. This season, we played against some of the best teams in Louisiana, and we rightfully earned our berth at the quiz bowl state championship! However, more than anyone else, our Hornets are out to sting the Venomous Agendas! We shall show the rest of the state that rural schools care about more than just sports and FFA!" Marianne harangues the attendees before a member of the audience points out that VA is also a rural school.
"We worked so hard for our berth at State. At every tournament we played this season, we faced the Venomous Agendas at least once. When you consider that some wildcards for State were given to teams who didn't play all season, we have a good chance to do well at State. Our coach makes us work hard, but I believe it's going to be worth it" Eddie, the Hornets' quiz bowl captain, harangues before his turn ends. "Go Hornets!"
"Down with the Venomous Agendas!" Donalia, the Hornets' quiz bowl mascot, and also a player, follows up, before singing the school's fight song, wearing the Hornets' cross-country jersey because she also competes in that sport.
The crowd goes wild; however, they have a lot of questions about quiz bowl. Which the principal and the team all attempt to answer in earnest before they return home. And, of course, this means that both teams must leave early in the morning to get to the competition site of quiz bowl-State at Southside. Although VA and we aren't in the same division at quiz bowl-State, if we place in the top two in our division at State, we might face off again at the HSNCT, Marianne is sent into a tailspin because of Donalia. However, the local public doesn't make the distinction between the SSNCT and the HSNCT; State matters more to them than placing at the national championship, at least for the time being.
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Speaking of Southside, it's the first time they host quiz bowl-State. But because it's not a four-hour drive like Tal Atkins, or even two-hour as for LQBA Fall Invitational South in Dutchtown, both teams have more wiggle room to sleep and eat, VA or Hornet.
Upon arriving at Southside, the VAs have arrived earlier than the Hornets, but it gets ugly when said Hornets arrive, especially when the other VA players try not to look at them in the face, but for some reason, Donalia tries to provoke Cindy:
"We shall take out the Venomous Agendas, here and now!" Donalia shouts in Cindy's face.
"But we aren't even playing in the same division! We're in the large schools division, you're in the small schools division!" Cindy lashes out at Donalia, despite having played each other several times this season. "How can you take us out here?"
"We shall win State and qualify for the HSNCT!" Donalia then manically laughs at Cindy, still thinking Cindy plays for the VAs' B-team.
But then the VAs' middle school team arrives a little later, and its chaperone (and driver) realizes a catfight is happening between Cindy and Donalia. Flo couldn't get out of the line because it was the VAs' high school team to check in and receive their schedule of games. This year there are eighteen large schools playing, twelve small schools and the same number of middle schools.
"Stop it, you two! It's almost time for the games to start, middle or high school!" the middle school VA team's chaperone is lined up for check-in and then picks up the VAs' middle school team schedule of games.
"All right, I get it..." Donalia returns to the rest of the team, and at the door of the game room assigned to Hathaway's first game.
"Time to roll..." Flo then takes the VAs' high school team to their game room, which is two rooms away from Hathaway's in the hallway. "For this morning, what you need to do is get to the top two positions in the prelim pool. Where things get serious are in the playoffs! Or top half for the middle school team"
It's only now that I realize there's middle school quiz bowl? a surprised Marianne tries hard to conceal her surprise at the existence of middle school quiz bowl. And of how natural that would be, given that Hathaway covers the entirety of K-12 on a single campus.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
This year, at quiz bowl-State, everyone plays five prelim and five playoff games. Everyone at State seems to have their eyes on VA at both levels, even though everyone on either VA team knew that middle school quiz bowl flies under the public's radar. As the tournament begins:
"This is round one of the 2039 LQBA State Championship, large high school division. From Jefferson Davis Parish, we have Venomous Agendas, from Lafourche Parish, we have South Lafourche" the moderator starts the game.
South Lafourche. We went there for LQBA Winter Invitational South, and it's also one of the good teams this season. The state title will probably play out between us and them, Flo wonders how Cindy gels with the A team, since getting Cindy on the A team might throw off their coordination some. And also because her knowledge base isn't going to be the same as the player she replaces.
As the game progresses, it gets tighter, Sonny and Cindy are both sweating with one tossup to go, with a twenty-point lead to defend. Flo is then sweating because she feels like any game can keep them on their toes.
"Final tossup: This French painter's early work, while inspired by Spanish artists..." the moderator starts reading, while both teams don't seem willing to buzz in just yet.
As each clue progresses, both teams seem equally lost, and neither is willing to hazard any kind of guess going well past the power mark. Everyone seems a little nervous around the FTP:
"For ten points, name this French realist painter who's considered a pioneer of modern painting" the moderator finishes reading the question, while the VAs buzz in first.
"Manet!" Sonny shouts after buzzing in.
"Ten. For ten points each..."
The bonus is no longer relevant to the VAs, but they answer it nonetheless. Here Cindy manages to answer the first two parts on her own, bringing the total lead to fifty points.
Three games later, the VAs go into the final preliminary game with a 3-1 record, having just lost to Benjamin-Franklin by a thirty-point margin. Flo briefs the team on their final prelim opponent:
"Negs happen, don't let these affect you going into the next game. What matters, for now, is that you stay focused on one question at a time. However, the opponent you face next is an opponent you beat several times this season, and they are vulnerable in math and science, so there's no excuse!" Flo harangues them.
Meanwhile, Hathaway is not surprised that the small schools division's field is weaker than the field in the large schools division. Especially not considering that two teams in Hathaway's pool obtained wildcards without playing in a single tournament: Anacoco and Bolton. And, of course, Hathaway coming within 40 points of beating VA A at Leesville, and beating VA B by the same margin at that tournament... of course, in the minds of everyone in the Hornets quiz bowl program, they are among the favorites to win at State!
When the preliminary results are announced to the participants, Flo keeps tabs on VA's middle school team, but ignores Hathaway entirely. I was so busy chaperoning the high school team that I am completely oblivious to how the middle school team performs here. However, the VAs won their MSNCT ticket at TQBA Winter Roundup, an online tournament, by defeating... Voronezh #12's Unpaid Bills? So I'm not worried about missing out on a MSNCT berth, she sighs upon seeing the VAs in the top middle school playoff pool.
"Now that we are in the top pool for the playoffs, try to imagine playing against four more teams like either South Lafourche or Benjamin-Franklin. You will need to fight tooth and nail at every step" Flo then turns to the middle school team after looking at the middle school playoff pool. "Same goes for you. Watch out for Golden Meadow, Episcopal-Acadiana and Catholic-New Iberia"
The VAs' players grab a quick lunch among what's available around the venue for eating, along with the adults chaperoning them. Once that is done, they come back to pick up new game room assignments for the playoffs at the control room.
And, of course, both teams play their best, and fight tooth and nail for their shots at state titles. So, while, two and a half hours later, the playoff pools end for the large high schools division and the middle school division, for the small high schools division, it appears a tiebreaker game, and thus a title game, is required.
"Welcome to the final of the small high schools division of the 2039 LQBA State Championship. From East Bâton-Rouge Parish we have Bâton-Rouge Episcopal and from Jefferson Davis Parish, we have Hathaway" the moderator announces the game.
Although Flo keeps quiet about it, not only the VAs fail to win either state title (they won second place, though), but she secretly hopes that Hathaway won't win the final against Bâton-Rouge Episcopal. However, she knows both teams must fight tooth-and-nail to win the state title.
When the final tossup arrives, so many in the crowd, mostly made up of competitors and their coaches, start praying for whichever side they seem to like more. Like Flo: If Hathaway wins this game, and they're trailing by 40 points, they will be hating us for months! So, go Bâton-Rouge Episcopal! Yet I can't shake the feeling that Marianne used quiz bowl to avenge these disputes over foreign exchange students and Last Chance that chased her out of VA!
"The trade-off model is based on the idea that a pathogen cannot increase this property without paying the price" the moderator reads the first clue.
"Immunization" the Knights' (i.e. Bâton-Rouge Episcopal) science player answers.
"Neg five"
At the same time, Marianne considers fielding calls to the greater Hornets community on Hathaway's social media accounts to obtain prospective players for the next season of middle school quiz bowl. Already that the Hornets' fan base seemed to believe, until now, that a berth at quiz bowl-State was worth celebrating, at least the first time.
Let's hope the Hornets won't answer this tossup, or at least not answer enough bonuses correctly if they do, Cindy starts praying for the failure of the Hornets going into the cycle.
"For ten points, name this property describing the ability of a pathogen to cause damage to a host"
Eddie then buzzes in. "Virulence"
"Ten" the moderator rules, and then starts reading the bonus Hathaway earned.
The VAs' prayers appear to go unanswered as the Hornets answer the first two bonus parts correctly. But they still hold on to the notion that Bâton-Rouge Episcopal can still win. Yet, the Knights' lead is reduced to a mere five points at this stage. Because of the size of the lead, the atmosphere is far more tense than a lot of players even experienced. When the Hornets finally answer their last bonus question:
"Walt Whitman!" Donalia answers.
"Thirty for the bonus, and that's the game. Score?" the moderator asks.
"Three hundred five to three hundred!" the scorekeeper announces.
"Our new small high school state champions, the Hathaway Hornets!"
As soon as both teams get out of the auditorium, the team-supplied buzzers are returned to their owners, and the rest of the furniture is returned to the custodial. But then Donalia seems bent into making the lives of the VAs miserable.
"We won a state title, and you didn't!" Donalia shouts in the faces of the VA players, in an attempt to provoke them. "This state title will allow us to push our case to the administration to expand the quiz bowl team into middle school!"
"Speaking of administration, it seems like quiz bowl is your principal's pet project! Did your principal choose quiz bowl because Hathaway couldn't afford anything else?" Cindy asks her Hornet counterpart.
When you attend a place like Hathaway, your course offerings are much more limited. People usually don't think much of coursework at Hathaway, so quiz bowl was a golden opportunity for us, we learned so, soooo much we wouldn't have the chance to learn in class, Donalia muses about her experience playing quiz bowl for the Hornets, as she keeps quarreling with Cindy about the origins and future of Hornets quiz bowl.
"We spent around twelve hundred dollars on this team this year!" Donalia finally reveals the costs incurred by Hathaway for quiz bowl, after having Cindy beat around the bush on other aspects of the program.
"Tabarnak! Hold it right there!" Flo shouts to the two ninth-graders. "The awards ceremony is about to begin!"
The trophies and medals are brought on the auditorium's stage for the awards ceremony. And, after the medals, and other prizes, are given out, such as the power prizes and top scorer awards, the various LQBA awards are then distributed, starting with the officials (TD, mods and scorekeepers). Then comes the turn of the coach of the year:
"And the coach of the year award goes to..." the president of the LQBA, Vance, lets a tournament staffer roll the drum, before handing Marianne the trophy associated with it. "Marianne Kwyjibo, from Hathaway High School!"
"I would like to thank my players, especially Donalia Elizabeth and Eddie Fruge, whose tireless devotion to Hornets quiz bowl made it possible" Marianne briefly speaks about the coach of the year award, while not mentioning anything about the VAs or the HSNCT.
I guess, bringing a brand new quiz bowl program from scratch to a state title in a single season is a worthy accolade for the Hornets, Eddie starts thinking of what the coach of the year award means for them. Which, along with the trophy for the state title, is going to be in the school's trophy case.