The buzzers have gone silent, and the final questions have been answered—the Princess Anne High School Scholastic Bowl team has officially wrapped up another competitive season. With both veteran and new members, the team faced triumphs and setbacks while finishing with a 9-1 record and earning second place in the Beach district.

What is Scholastic Bowl?

Senior Naman Chowdhary, this year’s PA Scholastic Bowl team captain, describes the Scholastic Bowl as an academic competition where teams compete by buzzing in to answer trivia questions. “It’s like ‘Jeopardy,’ but less focused on entertainment and more on testing a team’s knowledge of basically everything,” he said. The competitions include both individual and collaborative elements.

The team coach, Jason Tomik, explains that competitions involve four rounds of answering questions with buzzers and two team rounds where members can confer before responding. Subjects range from literature to science, history to math, and include geography, fine arts, mythology, and pop culture.

Chowdhary joined the team as a freshman to continue his interest in Quiz Bowl, the middle school Scholastic Bowl equivalent. “I’ve made a lot of new friends over the years and learned lots of cool new facts,” he explains. Similarly, senior Kenul Vantwest explains he joined because he enjoys trivia and has general knowledge of various subjects.

Tomik emphasizes the importance of both knowledge and speed in Scholastic Bowl. “Knowing information is the first half of the battle. Being the first one to know it is the second half.” He states that each player tends to develop an area of expertise, and understanding each team member’s strengths is crucial for success.

The 2024-2025 Season

This year, according to Tomik, the PA Scholastic Bowl Team competed in the VHSL regular season, finishing with an impressive 9-1 record and earning second place in the Beach District. However, the team fell short in the 5A Regional Tournament to Ocean Lakes. They also participated in the “Battle of the Brains” quiz show, winning their first-round match against Charlottesville High School, but were eliminated in the second round.

Reflecting on the season, Chowdhary noted that the team had lost strong starters from two years ago, along with key seniors last year. “We didn’t have as much experience going in, so we knew we’d face challenges. Despite that, it was a great year where we still posted an excellent record.”

Chowdhary shared that the team holds a strong legacy, earning past state championship and state runner-up titles, two “Battle of the Brains” victories, and three straight district championships. “It was a bit disappointing, especially considering the success we’ve had in past years,” he admitted. However, he remains hopeful for the next season, especially with underclassmen gaining valuable experience.

Preparation and Strategy

According to Tomik, the team practices twice a week for about six weeks before the season begins. Players run through sets of questions to familiarize themselves with the fast pace of competition, as well as the style and content of the questions.

Beyond practice sessions, players often engage in independent study. “We do our own reading and research interesting topics online,” Chowdhary explained. The team also holds scrimmages to sharpen their skills.

Sophomore Noa Hudson shared that they use the QB Readers tool, a database containing numerous quiz bowl questions, to practice. “I’ll practice on it for 30 minutes during the days or weeks before a competition just to get a general idea of what I need to know and what I don’t,” they said. 

Tomik states that each competition follows slightly different rules, but a regular season match consists of 100 questions. There are four rounds of 15 buzzer questions and two rounds of 20 team questions. Four players compete at a time, with rotations occurring throughout the match. During the regular season, PA competes in two matches per week throughout November, December, and January, playing against all 10 schools in the division.

Certain aspects of the competition format proved challenging, particularly at the regional and state levels, the team explained. “At those levels, there are only three rounds in a match,” Chowdhary explains. “That makes mistakes especially damaging since an incorrect buzz before the end of the question results in a point deduction.”

Team Bonding and Reflections

For many players, Scholastic Bowl is not just a competition—it’s a rewarding experience that improves academic skills and builds friendships. Vantwest described it as fulfilling, even with the tough ending to the season. “Looking back, Scholastic Bowl was a really rewarding experience. I’ve made lots of friends, learned a lot, and developed great study habits,” he says. He also expressed gratitude to Coach Tomik for his years of support.

Hudson highlights the social aspect of the team. “I love that it’s a really chill team. It’s just being around people you like.”

Further, Tomik explains he truly enjoys seeing his students grow. “I really enjoy seeing players improve over the years and gain confidence in areas where they may have lacked it before,” he said. However, he wishes there were more opportunities for students to get involved.

Looking Ahead

Coach Tomik encourages PA students to consider joining the team next season. “If you watch any show like “Jeopardy,” “The Floor,” “The 1% Club,” or “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” or if you go down Wikipedia rabbit holes for fun…come out and give it a try.” He emphasized that working with a team means one person does not have to know everything—rather, each player should know a few things very well.

Looking forward, Chowdhary hopes the team can reclaim a district or regional title. “I’m excited by how well the underclassmen played this year and how motivated they were.” Vantwest echoed this sentiment, encouraging students to consider the Scholastic Bowl as a way to meet new people, engage in a competitive environment, test their knowledge, and learn new things. Hudson urges incoming freshmen to try the team and shares their personal achievements this season: “I feel like I grew as a person and expanded my own mental reservoir.”

Practices for next season will begin in October. With a passionate collection of players and a drive to succeed, Princess Anne’s Scholastic Bowl team is set up for another strong season next year.