Knowledge Bowl is undeniably one of the most successful activities at Holy Family. Since the team qualified for the state tournament on March 1st, this will mark Holy Family’s fifth consecutive year attending the State Knowledge Bowl Tournament, and eighth appearance overall. “Team Klaw” is made up of seniors, Andrew “The Klaw” Klawitter, spokesperson Sam Treat, Caleb Masi, the only girl on the team, Kamea Bale, and junior, “fifth man” Henry Lisko. The team will compete on April 11th and 12th, with a heavy legacy to live up to.
A knowledge bowl meet is split up into two sections. First comes the written round, where Henry Lisko steps off the bench. In the written round, the team works together for 50 minutes to answer 60 questions. After that comes the oral round. This is where the intense art of buzzing comes in. “You want to buzz in when you think you can figure out the rest of the question and then figure out the answer with everyone else around you,” Sam Treat describes. In the oral round, there are 45 questions read and Team Klaw goes against two other teams to compete to be the first to buzz in. Once a team buzzes in, they have 15 seconds to discuss their answer with the team. Then, spokesperson, Sam Treat, answers.
The work to get to the state tournament was no easy feat. The team started practice in September, granting them one of the longest activity seasons in the school. They practice three times a week: after school Tuesdays and Thursdays, and all of lunch on Wednesdays. In terms of dedication, it is “pretty lax” according to Sam Treat. However, once the team qualifies for State, they divide up sections to study. Team Klaw’s first meet is Cosmic Bowl, which gives the team the opportunity to check out their competition. After this, they competed in the qualifying meet. Since Team Klaw was in the top fifteen they went straight to the regional meet. There, they tied for second, sending them to the State Tournament. The team describes that “the competition is stacked against us” since they play big schools like Edina, Chanhassen, and Chaska.
The team culture is incredibly supportive. They allocate different subjects to each team member, with “the Klaw” specializing in history and geography, Sam focusing on literature and the art of “buzzing.” Caleb concentrating on biology, chemistry and current events, and Kamea centering on earth science, anatomy, and pop culture. During the oral round, they have a very specific seating chart to guarantee the best results. “We all increase each other’s levels of strength,” says Andrew “The Klaw” Klawitter. Despite all of the members of Team Klaw graduating in May, they still have a group of “promising young prospects” according to Sam Treat. However, they are incredibly welcome to new members, especially girls.
The state tournament is April 11th and 12th at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd, with the oral rounds on the 12th. The team hopes for a big turnout with a Hawaiian theme. The team has incredibly high standards, hoping to beat their best placement of third place two years ago.