Knowledge Bowl to get bus moving
By Nick Smith
Published Feb. 16, 2017 Aitkin’s knowledge bowl team is currently made up of 30 students, who are then divided into six teams. The 30 students are coached by Mr. May, a seventh-grade science teacher who has coached for 13 years. Mr. Smith, an eighth-grade Geography teacher in the school, is also one of coaches for the team. Mr. May said, “Mr. Smith helps me in many ways and I’m just glad to have another person to help me coach.” The students all make up their own team names and the team that is currently undefeated and the best out of the six teams is the BB Mountaineers. The team consists of Eli Provost, Lucas Wickstrom, Levi Wickstrom, Caleb Curtiss, and Jacob Hagestuen. On average the team scores roughly 40 points out of 60 on the written round and about 12-17 points in the four oral rounds. The BB Mountaineers have competed in two matches so far this year but showed up halfway through the first match when their bus got stuck on a rock while pulling into the Victory gas station in Brainerd. The rock was lodged in the center of the bus and the bus driver could not get the bus free from the rock. “My trail mix went flying in the air and all over the bus” said May. Josh Carlberg also said when they were pulling into the gas station that they were going to crash. They then managed to get ahold of a towing company to get the bus off the rock, but it took an hour for them to wiggle the bus off it. Once they got to the competition they still participated, but their scores didn’t place since they were late. The BB Mountaineers will compete next week along with two other teams that coach May and Smith decide to bring. They will be back in Staples at the college on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Rush City on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The BB Mountaineers hope to win state this year because they think they have the right team put together and their coaches also think that they can do it. Their biggest rival that they will have at trying to get to state will be the Brainerd knowledge bowl team and if they can beat them, then they have a good chance at bringing the trophy to Aitkin. |