As the Quiz Bowl team wraps up their season, Quiz Bowl advisor Peter Dangerfield prepares for the last meet before Nationals and reflects on the season.

“We have a competition down at Burnsville High School. It is titled the Minnesota High School Quiz Bowl State Championship, but I don’t feel like it is a true State championship,” Dangerfield said. “It really is another chance for our kids to get out there and compete one more time before the season ends.”

Dangerfield said the team prepares for competitions by playing practice games.

“The way practices usually work is that I will act as a moderator and we will play mock games. And really the benefit is is that you just hear these things,” Dangerfield said. “You will be amazed at how much information you pick up in passing, so we practice matches and practice games. We split kids up into two teams and go at it.”

Sophomore Quiz Bowl member Danny Hunegs said the team has competed well and he is looking forward to the last tournament before nationals.

“We’ve done pretty well this year. We went to State and we’re going to Nationals, so I’d consider it a success,” Hunegs said. “I’m most excited to play our last tournament before Nationals because it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Dangerfield said he accredits the successful year to the talented members and the growing size of the team.

“(The team) has been doing really feel. We got three really strong seniors and they perform really well. We got a sophomore who also performs really well and the team has tripled in size since last year,” Dangerfield said. “They have done really well, but we are going to be losing some top talent here, so we need to replenish it.

According to Dangerfield, in addition to preparing for the upcoming competitions, the team is planning a fundraiser to pay for the National competition in Atlanta, Georgia.

“We have been in contact with some business locally and also we have been spitballing the idea of having a friends and family night (at Park) where the Quiz Bowl kids are the ones reading questions to friends and family and maybe taking donations of whatever people want to chip in and  help out,” Dangerfield said.

Sophomore Quiz Bowl member Cailey Hansen-Mahoney said she believes that fundraising is beneficial to reducing the cost of going to Nationals.
“We’re going to Nationals, so we need to pay for hotels and flights and the tournament, basically. I think if we can defer the costs a little bit it would be good,” Hanson-Mahoney said.  

According to Dangerfield, the Quiz Bowl team will compete at 9 a.m. March 18 at Burnsville High School for the last time before they go to Nationals.