Fossil Ridge High School’s Science Bowl Team has been competing in academically challenging tournaments for years, but none have looked quite like this one. 

The team has historically been eliminated just before quarterfinals, but for the first time in Fossil history, the team surpassed this level. Through the various challenging rounds testing them on all things science, the Fossil team scored the most points in every single round and won the state title.

This year, the tournament was in a different format which highlighted the Fossil team’s strengths. Although time was still limited, the team was able to discuss to find the most accurate answer. “The virtual format valued knowledge and teamwork rather than speed and reflex, so it was all the more important to communicate,” said Sophie Wang, a member of the team. 

The pandemic caused so many cancelations for competitions like this one, which makes their success that much more meaningful. “It felt as if an entire year was stripped away from us,” stated Wang. This motivated the team to outstudy and ultimately outperform the competition.

“Our synergy and teamwork kept us moving forward,” said Wang.

The team coach and one of Fossil’s STEM educators, Jesse Oswald, cited the team’s devotion to practice for their incredible win. Science Bowl practices have been primarily virtual, making it easier to log more hours. Wang thanked Oswald for his commitment to the team as well, “he put in nearly two hours a week to read for both teams, and he always kept us on track until competition day.”

Although the team was not able to celebrate their win together in a conventional way, when she heard the announcement Wang finally felt like all of their hard work had paid off. 

“It is a major accomplishment. These are really, really smart kids and to come out on top, even in the state competition, is huge,” said Oswald.

The National Competition will be held virtually in late April. For now, the team will continue to celebrate their win and look forward to another opportunity to prove their knowledge.

If you are interested in joining Science Bowl, reach out to Jesse Oswald.