West Rowan has the right Quiz Bowl answers

Officials weren’t sure what the final answer would be Tuesday night after running out of questions for the Rowan Public Library’s annual Quiz Bowl.

After six matches, East and West Rowan High schools faced off in the final two matches. East took the first one by 15 points, but that was West’s first loss in the double-elimination contest.

And in the final, shortened match, the West team triumphed.

“It’s all about the competition,” said West Rowan student Clif Kerr. “It’s nerve wracking at first, but you get used to it.”

As they began the eighth and final match, moderator Wayne Ashworth, director of Rowan County Emergency Services, realized there was a problem. They did not have enough questions for an eighth match.

Officials scurried around trying to figure out what to do.

After talking with both teams’ coaches, officials decided to shorten the final match with fewer questions directed only to the teams, not individuals.

Each initial match featured three rounds. First, each of the four team members got a question. If they answered correctly, the team got 10 points. If they did not, a member of the other team could answer for half credit.

The second and third rounds — containing four questions each — are team rounds worth 20 and 30 points per question, respectively.

If a team answered incorrectly, the other team got a chance for half credit.

School officials, parents and friends filled the Seth Murdoch Auditorium of the Rowan County Agriculture Center, 2727 Old Concord Road. They listened quietly while, one by one, the teams answered questions about science, math, literature, art, social studies and current events.

Much like watching a game show, those in attendance whispered answers along with the question. Several times throughout the night Ashworth reminded the audience to keep their voices down, to avoid giving the answers away.

During the seventh match, East Rowan student Chris Kessler playfully put his hand to his ear after Ashworth warned that he could hear the answers from the audience.

The evening began with teams from the five traditional high schools.

During match one, East Rowan beat North Rowan 125 to 75. Then West and Salisbury went head to head, West finishing with 170 and Salisbury 115.

West went on to beat South, who had a bye in the first round, and East, leaving West alone in the winner’s bracket.

Salisbury beat North, eliminating them from the competition, and went up against East, which had handed South its second loss.

East then beat Salisbury by 25 points and went on to challenge West in for the finals.

The Quiz Bowl questions are provided by the state library, but for the final two questions, officials had to pull current events questions from www.CNN.com.

West Principal Henry Kluttz and East Principal Dr. Harry Starr sat side by side in the back row.

East gave West its first loss, 110 to 95, forcing the final shortened match.

West ended round one ahead 30 to 20. East lost more ground in the second round ending 20 points below East. And in the end West won 125 to 105.

West Coach Keith Townsend said the team meets twice a week to prepare for the Quiz Bowl. In recent weeks, they have targeted current events.

West student Alicia Wilson said one of the biggest parts is practicing thinking under pressure.

Students participate in the Quiz Bowl team for different reasons.

Kate Hill, a West student, said it is simply something to fill her time with after school.

West student Jamie Moore noted that it is a good extra curricular activity, especially on a college application.

Rowan Public Library sponsors the Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ participation in the 2002 Public Library Quiz Bowl, a statewide academic competition for high school students. The Public Library Quiz Bowl is coordinated in cooperation with the State Library and the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

West will now advance to District Public Library Quiz Bowl March 23 in Salisbury. If they win the district competition, they will advance to the State Public Library Quiz Bowl finals on April 27 at UNC-TV in Research Triangle Park.

Contact Jillian McCartney at 704-797-4253 or jmccartney@salisburypost.com .