The Knowledge Bowl team members who competed at Mountain Iron on February 16 enjoy some fresh air after the tough competition inside. (L-R) Mara MacDonell, Sean MacDonell, Lars Scannell, Katrina Axtell, Sarah Larsen and Libby Zafft.
Knowledge Bowl competition continued with the Cook County varsity team heading to Mountain Iron on February 9. Coach April Wahlstrom said the two Cook County teams had an excellent showing. “Our teams were up against the toughest competition in the region with teams from International Falls, Mesabi East and Moose Lake. Our kids did great, coming in fifth and sixth.”
The competitors on Team 1 were Ben Seaton, Max Simonowicz and Joey Chmelik. They earned fifth place. Team 2 was Sarah Larsen, Mara MacDonell, and Daniel Ditmanson. Team 2 earned sixth place. After the meet, Cook County was ranked 14th and 16th in the region.
Coaches Wahlstrom, T.J. Super and Dorie Carlson were scrambling to field a full team at the next Knowledge Bowl competition on February 16, as flu was hitting the school, State ski meets were under way, and some students were taking part in college interviews. The Knowledge Bowl coaches went to the junior high team to fill in team spots. “We experienced the depth of knowledge that Cook County has,” said Wahlstrom. “It was impressive.”
The two teams were Mara MacDonell, Sean MacDonell, and Lars Scannell on Team 1 and Sarah Larsen, Katrina Axtell and Libby Zafft on Team 2. Team 1 captured fourth place and Team 2 garnered fifth place.
“Our two teams hung in there and did well. Our seventh and eighth graders showed that they could hang in there with 11th and 12th graders,” said Wahlstrom.
The Knowledge Bowl teams have to wait to find out if they made the regional competition on March 15 until after the other teams/schools compete with the same set of questions. Regardless of the outcome, Wahlstrom said, “We are very excited about the future of Knowledge Bowl for Cook County kids,”
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