On Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, the RCHS Academic team placed first at the state tournament at Warhill High School in Williamsburg, Virginia. The state competition consisted of 3 rounds, with a total of 35 questions that were asked during the rounds. The team scored a 1st place win in their division. 

Senior Academic Team member Arden Courtney-Collins recalls the events of the state tournament. 

“It was a little bit stressful, but it was pretty fun. We only had to do 3 matches, so the day was over relatively quickly. There was really good energy and everyone was really happy to be there,” said Courtney-Collins. 

Courtney-Collins continued saying, “I would say our hard work paid off. I have been doing this since the end of freshman year, so I have been doing this for almost four years. It has been really nice to see all the hard work and practice pay off.”

Freshman Nicholas Faulds, who is also a member of this year’s Wildcat Academic Team, shares his thoughts on how the state tournament went. 

“The competition consisted of one 3-round game against each of our 3 opponents, where the first and last rounds had 15 toss-up questions, and the middle round had 20 directed questions, 10 for each team,” said Faulds. 

When asked about how the team prepared for the State competition, Faulds commented on the amount of hard work and preparation the team put in. 

“To prepare for this, we kept up our strict practice schedule. We had been practicing every Friday since November, and we did extra practice the week of the event to prepare,” said Faulds. “In the car on the way there, we even did extra questions to make sure we were ready.” 

Faulds continued by expressing his interest for other students to join the team, and commented on what they can expect. 

“To people who want to join the academic team, it takes a lot of work. This is not something that comes easy, and we all put in tons of effort to even get to state, not to mention win. Be prepared for hard work and stressful situations, and be ready to stay calm,” said Faulds. 

As the Academic team wraps up for the year, plans to continue practices are being made. If you are interested in finding out more about the academic team, contact sponsors Dr. Bradley or Mr. McGrath.