Alcona High School Knowledge Bowl Team Presents Championship Trophy
In 1987, the Alcona High School Knowledge Bowl team captured the Knowledge Bowl Championship trophy and had a chance to travel to Columbus. They won their first round match-up and ended up losing their second round match-up, but it’s an experience they’ll never forget.
36 years later, the 2023 Alcona High School Knowledge Bowl team recaptured that same trophy. They held their trophy presentation at The Board Of Education meeting on Monday, with members of the 1987 team present.
“It was really nice to see the old members and how every now and then, Alcona will shine through, like our small school will win this big regionals and go on to states,” said captain of the 2023 Alcona High School Knowledge Bowl team, Logan Bates.
Coach Roger Baumgardner was in attendance and talked to the current team about their experiences back in 1987. Members of that team also spoke, and are proud to see the legacy they started continue on today.
“It’s just a wonderful experience for the kids, for the coaches, for the community, and it’s honestly something that they’ll never forget, so it’s a special time,” said captain of the 1987 Alcona High School Knowledge Bowl team, Jason Oliver.
Winning the regional trophy in 1987 was a special experience for that Alcona team, and it was an experience that truly started with them.
“You had kids that didn’t necessarily have somewhere else to go, they came to Knowledge Bowl, and it became a little bit of a family, our own thing,” said Jim Kelly, a member of the 1987 Alcona High School Knowledge Bowl team.
The 1987 team talked about how proud they were of the 2023 team, but also about how proud they should be of themselves.
“This is an accomplishment,” said Kelly. “This is something you should be very, very proud of. Not everybody gets to do this, and not everybody is good at it. To have another team follow in our footsteps and be good at it, and win, is just really cool.”
Tryouts for the 2023–24 Knowledge Bowl team begin next week, with a growing number of interested students.
