After a recent tournament, quiz bowl members and adviser alike reflect in order to prepare for success at upcoming meets.

The A team finished 3-1, followed by the B and C teams finishing 2-2 and 0-4 at the last tournament. Adviser Bruce McLean said he was happy with the results and sees potential in the A team qualifying for the state tournament in the spring.

McLean said he contributes the success to the club’s members knowing how to play the game very well.

“They knew when to buzz in, when to listen and when to confer,” McLean said. “They were all pretty experienced in having played last year, and that helps too.”

According to McLean, all of the games were very close and competitive. One of the A team’s games went into overtime, as they ended up tied at the end of regulation. The A team was able to answer the overtime questions correctly and pulled out the win. He said he is proud of the results.

“I was real pleased with the experience that they showed in playing the games, and they represented the school very well,” McLean said.

Senior Spencer Anderson is a member of the A team. He said he is content with the outcome of the first tournament, despite his expectations for the A team to have finished 4-0.

“We do not have a lot of room to lose a lot more games, but I was overall happy with the results,” Anderson said.

In preparation for the upcoming tournament, Anderson said the team needs to work on expanding their knowledge to include all subject areas.

“I think we have a really strong understanding of literature, history, and geography, but we need a little help with math and science,” Anderson said.

The club also needs to work on its attendance, according to McLean. Only 10 members showed up at the tournament, and McLean said perhaps the tournament would have been better if more members had attended. He said the club needs to work on getting more members to come to the upcoming tournament.

“You can have four players on a team, and the B and C teams only had three players, which put us at a disadvantage when the other team had four players,” McLean said.

Although McLean said the teams will have a tougher schedule at the upcoming tournament, he still hopes the members will play their best and do well.

“Now that they have played one round, they know what they are doing and what to expect,” McLean said.

Eden Prairie and other schools attending the upcoming tournament have multiple teams that practice a lot, according to Anderson. He said these teams will be a big barrier for the A, B and C teams.

“It is going to be a taunting task trying to beat them, but we are going to try our hardest to go 4 and 0,” Anderson said.

The next tournament is Dec. 11 at Eden Prairie.