(by Don Meador)
The Allen County-Scottsville High School Academic team has qualified to participate in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC, (NAQT) national championship tournament in May in Atlanta, Georgia. Academic team members Olivia Baird, Nathan Carmack, Logan Daniels, and James Fisher will lead the way with coach Adam Crabtree also looking at having alternates to join the four in Atlanta in the quick recall competition.
AC-SH’s squad earned the opportunity after a strong showing at a NAQT event in early February in Gallatin. At the Sumner County Invitational. AC-SH competed in round robin matches in the morning and went 4-1. The squad recorded wins over Clay County B (180-90), Portland B (225--5), Hendersonville A (260-155), and York Institute (245-210).
The results moved the Patriots to the 16-team bracket for the afternoon. AC-S went 2-2, with wins over Adair County (225-205) and Mt. Juliet (225-205). The three losses on the day were to Hume Fogg (210-105), Franklin Road Academy (500-95), and Portland (275-110).
Crabtree learned that day that his squad was in the running for national qualification. Last week, the news was confirmed that AC-SH’s A-Team had the opportunity to join the field for the May event. Currently, 243 teams have registered. States represented currently include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia. and Wisconsin. The field also includes a school from Singapore. AC-S is joined in the competition by Kentucky schools, Boyle County, Glasgow, Manuel (two teams) and Trinity.
According to their website, “NAQT was founded in 1996 by a group of former players. Those competitors — including several national champions — are now college professors, high school teachers, lawyers, engineers, software developers, physicians, and research scientists who make time to promote and improve the fast-paced question-and-answer game that was an important part of their lives. They are motivated by the chance to provide the next generation of students with more and better opportunities for competition than they themselves had. NAQT’s writers and editors consistently provide accurate, original, and interesting questions on academic subjects and general knowledge. The quality of those questions draws teams from across the nation and around the world to compete at our annual championships. We are proud to promote an activity that glorifies learning, expands horizons, and rewards teamwork.”
The tournament will take place May 22-24. According to coach Crabtree, the academic team will be fundraising in the weeks to come to help cover costs associated with the trip.