The Science Olympiad Regional Competition was hosted at Fossil Ridge High School on Saturday March 5. The four teams at Fossil Ridge were able to receive meddles in all but two out of 23 events—41 awards in total.

The teams have undergone extensive preparation since the fall semester of 2015 which has allowed them to take the first place title at Regionals, besting their top competitors from Poudre High School. Members of Science Olympiad were dispirited and unsatisfied when they lost to Poudre by one point during last year’s competition. Sabercats have their sights on winning State this year.

“We are not going to let our guard down just because we won Regionals,” stated Andy Meger, a senior member of Science Olympiad, “We are going to continue to work as hard as we can for State.” Despite the surpassed expectations in their performance at Regionals, the Cats refuse to be overconfident, always leaving room for improvement. Nolan Sherrill, a Sophomore Olympian, said “We set higher expectations so we are preparing best we can.”

Science Olympiad coaches and adviser, Melissa Vigil, and Daniel Dannahower, contribute the team’s success to the committed work ethic of their Olympians, in each of their studies. The team has many experienced seniors who will have their last competition in April. “It will be a great send off for our seniors and they know I’m going to cry,” said Coach Vigil. The last stretch into State Finals will be emotional as Seniors take the last bow. “We really are a very special group of students and I am proud of each one of them,” continued Vigil.

Fossil’s team gives a big thanks to all those who support the school’s Science Olympiad through volunteering and the opportunities that allow the group to learn and grow. “We really appreciate the effort from volunteered coaches from CSU and the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], including all the parents,” stated Coach Dannahower. All activities are greatly supported and allow the team to prosper.

Sabercat Olympians look forward to the competition with challenging goals. “Our biggest competition is ourselves, so we just need to keep pushing,” stated Vigil. They will be competing at the State Competition on Saturday April 16 at the University of Colorado School of Mines in Colorado Springs. “We expect our teams to place within the top ten,” claimed Dannahower.