Expectations were high for senior Audrey Senaratna when she competed in the graph matching competition this Tuesday. With her brother Isaak Senaratna winning the ninth-grade contest this year, there were lighthearted whispers about legacy and practice at home.

“It was a fun environment,” she said.

Senaratna was among eight seniors’ who competed in the Senior Graph Matching Competition on Tuesday. Usually, the Graph Matching competition is held for students in Physics 9, but the class of 2024 was unable to participate in their freshman year due to the pandemic.

The competition consists of a motion sensor and time distance graph displayed on the screen. The farther from the sensor, the higher the line. The goal is to create a graph with your movement that matches the one displayed. After the graph is created a number is produced to show how close the made graph fits the model, the lower the number the better.

Sophomore Lily Currie, who was in the audience, said, “It was exciting to watch; I’m glad the seniors got to do it.”

Seniors took the most seats in Huss and — while there were a lot of open seats — enthusiastic spectators, fun music, and creative commentary from Dr. Hovan more than filled the space.

All eight contestants participated in two attempts in the first time round. That reduced the group from eight to five, then the lowest numbers produced round three finalists: McKinley Garner, Oliver Zhu, and Rita Li. 

Senior Clare Kimmel who was eliminated the first round had hoped to do better: “I had a really hard time following directions. I looked at the wrong screen and my arms are all over the place.”

Among the final three, McKinley Garner came out victorious. His steady movement produced a smooth line that hugged the model graph. This wasn’t sheer luck though: “I employed two strategies that I think won me the competition, pulling my shirt taught so the sensor didn’t jump around as much, and measuring the length of my shoe before hand so I could accurately estimate where to start” McKinley said. His method proved successful. “I was overjoyed once they announced me as victor,” He said.