Spudders were invited to nationals due to their overall excellence
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
One tough round was not enough to keep the Ridgefield Spudders down in Knowledge Bowl.
Today, they are national champions.
(UPDATE: The Ridgefield Knowledge Bowl team has been invited to the Quiz Bowl tournament in Atlanta, and the Ridgefield Public Schools Foundation is having a matching fundraiser for the team. The fundraiser will last from April 29 through May 5, and the foundation will match up to $5,000 donated by the community. To donate, go to: https://www.ridgefieldpsf.org/donate)
“It was truly amazing that we, as a small public school, were able to compete with private prep schools from across the nation,” said Ridgefield senior Stuart Swingruber. “I think our victory truly shows that even the improbable is possible with the steadfast support of one’s teammates and community.”
“Nationals was easily the most exhilarating leg of our journey, as it was the apex of everything that we had worked to achieve all these years in Knowledge Bowl,” said Ridgefield senior Adam Ford. “We hung in there through the grueling hours of competition that was the marathon of knowledge.”
Clark County Today posted a profile on Ridgefield’s Knowledge Bowl team prior to the state competition.
Ridgefield, statistically, was the best team in the state again, but one tough round in the state semifinals left them out of a chance of repeating as state champs.
Based on the team’s overall excellence, though, the Spudders were invited to the national championships, which were held over several hours on Saturday over a Discord server.
“The level of competition in the top rooms at nationals is incredible,” said David Jacobson, Ridgefield’s coach. “There were many dozens of crazy mental feats all day that led to their victory.”
The Spudders are preparing for another competition. Instead of Knowledge Bowl, they have been invited to the National Quiz Bowl Tournament in Atlanta, which begins next week.
For more on the Ridgefield Knowledge Bowl team, see our story from last month here:
Also read:
- Prairie High School presents ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical’
Prairie High School will stage Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical with performances scheduled from Feb. 27 through March 7. - Vancouver middle school student joins Rep. John Ley in Olympia as a House page
Jackson Bumala, a 14-year-old middle school student from Vancouver, served as a page in the Washington State House of Representatives with sponsorship from Rep. John Ley. - The Enspire Extravaganza: Advancing art and community engagement for a brighter future
Enspire Arts brings more than 150 local artists to the Joyce Garver Theater in Camas on Feb. 28, featuring student ambassadors and a world premiere by composer Nicole Buetti. - Journey Theater presents A Year with Frog and Toad
Journey Theater will stage A Year with Frog and Toad in Battle Ground with performances from Feb. 19 through Feb. 28. - Clark College Financial Aid Office to host free public workshops during Financial Aid Awareness month
Clark College will host a series of free February workshops to help current and prospective students understand financial aid options and how to pay for college.
