Owensboro Middle School’s Academic Quick Recall Team won district and regionals, and they were ready to begin competing at the Governor’s Cup state finals.
But Gov. Andy Beshear began issuing guidance to halt gatherings on March 13 — the day before the tournament was set to start in Louisville — and the young students lost hope of potential success.
That’s why Joshua Sullivan, a 6th-grade social studies teacher and head coach of the OMS academic team, began searching for alternative competitions.
“They work so hard all year long; they were heartbroken when the state competition got cancelled,” Sullivan said.
He ultimately found the Questions Unlimited National Academic Championships, for which the team just qualified for finals.
Last weekend during the prelims, the students won one of three rounds on Sunday and all three rounds on Monday against teams from Florida, Guam, Louisiana and Pennsylvania, among others, to advance to the finals.
“I still feel amazing when I think of our team winning three consecutive games to take us to the playoffs,” said Landon Block, a 7th-grade student who loves math and science. He has been thrilled to prepare for the competition with his friends.
The competition occurred on Google Meet. But that was not the most unusual aspect for the students — it’s a completely different competition format than the children practiced all year.
Sullivan likened it to a football team switching to rugby.
After the last match Monday, the team reunited on Google Meet. The children were “jumping up and down and throwing their hands in the air,” Sullivan said.
Each year, the OMS academic team begins practicing twice a week in late August. By fall break, they are practicing three times per week. Prior to competition season, they up their practices to four or five times weekly.
They’ve continued this momentum since entering the national competition in late April. As a coach, Sullivan enjoys seeing students dive deeper into specific subject matters than they otherwise would during the normal school day.
Sam Busse, a 6th-grade student, utilizes the team experience to further explore social studies.
“I like learning about the mistakes people have made in the past and what people have done to fix them. Or make them worse,” Busse said.
For 8th-grader Olivia Wilkins, this competition has served as a great distraction and motivation to keep herself intellectually stimulated in math and science.
“Having a competition to look forward to during this pandemic motivates me to keep challenging myself every day when I most likely otherwise wouldn’t,” Wilkins said.
Her twin sister Emma, who favors math, appreciates the opportunity for closure on her middle school academic career.
“There are definitely many things any average teen would rather do than spend several hours on their break studying, practicing and competing, but for us competing has become the routine,” she said. “Several of us have been competing since the 4th grade and it never gets old.”
Beckett Gilmore, an 8th-grade student who loves sports, said having a competition to look forward to has kept him busy during the lockdown.
“It’s a blessing to have an opportunity of this sort, given that many other competitions have [been canceled], like the NCAA or Wimbledon,” Gilmore said.
In both the virtual practices and competitions, the students have faced internet disconnections, choppy phone calls and abnormal question formats. But the students’ spirits haven’t been dampened.
David Daniel, an 8th-grade student who enjoys social studies, is grateful for the time spent with friends.
“We have a pretty tight bond between us and quarantine has been really separating everyone,” Daniel said.
The final competition will occur on June 6 on Google Meet. The OMS academic team also includes students Georgia Calhoun and Khoa Ta.
“No matter what they do, I’m going to be proud of them,” Sullivan said.
