Most students are aware of sports competitions Independence Tigers participate in, but one “sport” that is lesser known is the Academic Team that is kicking off. The Academic Team consists of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors whose main goal is to prepare themselves for general knowledge trivia challenges against schools in surrounding areas. 

On Dec. 10, four students from the Independence team participated in an academic competition which was held at Independence High School. Junior Ankith Madhavaram was one of the four students who competed and was voted spokesperson for the team. 

The competition is similar to Jeopardy and consists of three rounds. The first and third round are called toss-up rounds where the reader will read a question and students must buzz in to answer. The student who buzzes in first will answer, and if they are correct they will earn ten points. If one answers incorrectly before the reader has fully read the question, then they lose five points. However, the second round consists of team-wide skills where students work together to answer the questions directed at their team within ten seconds. 

Dr. Brian Miller is the club sponsor who helps the team to prepare. He is proud of what the students have done so far and looks forward to seeing them improve. “Every member we have gone up against has been a senior, so we have been improving point wise,” explained Miller. “We look forward to gaining more experience at this point in time. I think the kids have been having fun, and it’s fun to see other schools and what their students can do. Moving forward, we hope to have a more consistent schedule because the kids here have the ability to do really well.” 

Overall, the goal of the club is to expand by attaining more team members and doing even better next time. “Having [the competition] at Independence, our home turf, made us want to win more. There’s a stigma that only nerds do it, but it’s actually, surprisingly, super fun. I think everyone should join whether they’re smart or not,” Madhavaram said.

The Independence team looks forward to their future competitions in neighboring areas such as Richmond.