In most high school activities, whether intellectual or athletic, the youngest competitors have to wait for their time in the sun. Learning curves generally remain steep enough to ensure that upperclassmen appear on top of the standings. The St. Paul Academy and Summit School Quiz Bowl team is a clear exception.

Freshmen Jack Indritz and Cole Staples, along with sophomores Patrick Commers and Netta Kaplan, posted an undefeated 12-0 record at division meets, qualifying both for the state and national tournaments.

Going into the state tournament on Feb. 27, they were ranked first in their division, and fourth overall.

Unfortunately, the team lost their first two rounds and were eliminated.

Their collective youth is especially noteworthy because experience is at a premium for quiz bowl participants. “There are few good ways to prepare for Quiz Bowl because the questions could be about anything. I read three newspapers a day, and other magazines, books, et cetera… but, like many things, the best way to practice for Quiz Bowl is to play Quiz Bowl,” Indritz said.

Each of the four team members has a loose area of specialization. “Patrick is best at sports, and Netta is very good at literature. Cole and I are good at history, with Cole knowing a little more, and I have geography and some literature,” Indritz said. “But these should be taken with a grain of salt because they aren’t exact, and we all know about lots of things.”

Although the team’s record doesn’t need much improvement, Indritz still believes that there is progress to be made. “The more we practice together the better we will get,” Indritz said.

Because of they are younger than most top teams, they lack the knowledge gained from eleventh and twelfth grade classes, like American history and chemistry. However, the team makes up for it by going over important topics during their Thursday x-period meetings. “We have some very high scorers on our team which helps us do well, but the teams we have played so far are not close to the best,” Indritz said.

The team looks to work on their teamwork and expand their knowledge before the national tournament in Chicago from May 28 to June 2.