Scioly.org

Quark wrote:To clarify, I meant for it to be interpreted as Andrew said. I was not attempting to say that a team composed of younger members cannot do well, nor was I trying in anyway to lessen your accomplishment. I certainly believe that 6th graders can be essential to a team (heck, back when I was in B division, I competed and won medals as a 6th grader). Plus, a young team will even have a few years to work together and improve. You guys did well this year, and I bet you can do well next year also. Both your team and Kealing (and everyone else) has the potential to do well next year. I was simply trying to answer texan92, who was wondering why Kealing did worse than they have in years past. I wasn't trying to explain away their problems or suggest that the got gypped (that spelling looks weird, but my dictionary claims its correct), but merely to give the best answer to the question from the preceding post that I could given what I was aware of at the time from interactions with the Kealing kids.

Many of the Kealing team's past 9th graders are people I know and consider friends. I can guarantee you that they were trying to help the team in anyway they could, and that none of the Kealing kids would blame it on past 9th graders, but the current team members would instead take responsibility for it themselves. They were the ones competing. That said, as you called it an annoyed rant, I'll trust you were just in rant mode and not really thinking about it.

robotman09 wrote:

Quark wrote: Kealing has 4 9th graders who have been around since they were in 6th grade, plus a few 8th graders who have been there since last year. Since last year, they lost 5 9th graders (now either in C or not doing SciOly) to Lasa and one 8th grader (who is, I believe, one of the people who did eco last year for them) to St. Andrews. But the majority are in their first or second year of SciO. I'm not quite sure of the 6th/7th/8th grader breakdown.

Yea I know this post is a bit after the fact But

Riverwood has one ninth grader Me. We have 2 8th graders. The rest of our team was 7 seventh graders only four of which had competed last year. and 3 brand new sixth graders all of which medaled.
It just goes to show a team of mostly 6 and 7th graders is just as good as most team composed of mostly 8th and 9th

If losing ninth graders brings a team down the ninth graders must not have been trying to help the team out by teaching other students what needs to be done.

Also I would like to state the fact that Riverwood only has 14 people who competed at state including 2 alternates

/annoyed rant

wlsguy wrote: Finally, before I yield the soapbox, a note about LASA from Texas.
My understanding is that they started having success when an alumni from Solon (a top Nat'l team) started helping them.
When you graduate don't forget to do your part to help others.
You could then have the oppertunity to go to Nat'ls as a coach, parent, or event supervisor if you couldn't do it as a participant.

andrew418 wrote:Yeah, he's a grad student at UT. He came to us though, because he was looking for a scio team to help, and we were the state champions and nearby.

Haha, I would like to say though that while he has been greatly helpful, the students should take the credit for winning.