WHS Scholars Bowl Team Takes Fourth at State
On Saturday, February 10, the Wetmore High School Scholars Bowl team had an early start to a four-hour trip to Ransom, KS to compete at the 1A Division II State Scholars Bowl competition. Although many of the team members were up late at the King and Queen of Courts dance the night before, they were ready to begin the long car ride. Tagging along with the team were Coach Thelma Strathman and Athletic Director Anissa Bloom. Equipped with plenty of snacks and beverages, the travelers began their journey to Western Plains High School.
Accompanying Wetmore at State were Linn, Junction City-St. Xavier, Rexford-Golden Plains, Beloit-St. John's, Grainfield-Wheatland/Grinnell, Logan, Tescott, Hutchinson-Central Christian, Rolla, Kiowa-South Barber and Argonia. Junior competitor Joel Hutfles states, "The trip was tiring, but the experience was definitely worth it." After the teams were provided a nice meal, all of the teams and their supporters headed to the auditorium. Starting with RexfordGolden Plains, each team headed up to the stage for a brief introduction of the team members and their coach. Then all of the teams headed off to the preliminary rounds.
In the preliminary rounds, there were two pools of six. The top three of each pool advanced to the championship round. These teams were Wetmore, Junction City-St. Xavier, Rexford-Golden Plains, Beloit-St. John's, Rolla, and Linn. Once the teams completed the finals round, the results were analyzed. Linn took first with four wins and one loss. Tied for second with three wins and two losses were Rolla, Rexford-Golden Plains, and Wetmore. In the end, Rolla took second, Rexford-Golden Plains took third, and Wetmore took fourth "I was simply amazed by the amount of knowledge possessed by high schoolers across the state," Anissa Bloom commented.
The top three teams received plaques and medals, while fourth place won only medals. Wetmore was delighted to receive fourth place medals as it was a tough and close competition. This is the highest placing that Wetmore has ever received in a state scholars bowl competition. Scholar’s Bowl sponsor Thelma Strathman was enthused by the excellent finish of her team, “I am tremendously proud of the team’s effort and their success. They did a great job staying focused and they refused to give up.”