Clubs

In Josh’s time competing in Science Bowl, he’s been able to make meaningful reflections on past tournaments. For instance, in middle school, he competed at Sandia Labs in a tournament similar to this one. Due to COVID-19, the remainder of Josh’s middle school tournaments were online. Josh expresses, “I much prefer the in-person science bowl tournaments to the online ones—it’s more exciting and you really feel the heat of the competition. Plus you don’t have to worry about lag!” Similarly, in comparison to practicing over Adobe Connect, “in-person practice was definitely more intense” and “felt more connected.” Typically, the team meets online weekly to go through practice sets provided by the Science Bowl.

The rounds operate by starting with two teams, a moderator, and two to three judges. By flipping a coin, one team is able to pick if they want to go first or second. The moderator then presents the case and writes a question about it. The first team has two minutes to prepare a five-minute presentation on that question. Next, the second team has two minutes to confer to respond to the first team in a three-minute commentary. Again, the first team has two minutes to prepare their response to that commentary and delivers it within three minutes. The judges have one minute to confer, then ask questions to each team for ten minutes.