User:Ksaksma

I've been doing Science Olympiad for 4 years.

My full story

2022-2023 Season

6th grade

Training Team

This is where it all starts. I receive a flyer to join Ladue Science Olympiad, and intrigued by it I sign up for 3 event tryouts at School. I tried out for Crime Busters, Flight, and Roller Coaster. I didn't follow through with Flight. Surprisingly, I did quite well for my first year. I got 3rd in Roller Coaster and 8th in Crime Busters. Just from these 2 events, I made the school's Training team, or sometimes referred to as the B team. The people who encouraged me the most was definitely my friends. Even though most of them didn't make either team, I did have some on the Competition team, or the A team.

Competition

During Roller Coaster, my partner's build scored 0 points. We cooked in Crime Busters. The people who I lost to got first at nationals in Crime Busters. They basically became my event mentors for the next 2 years. My last event that I competed in was Wheeled Vehicle. I was just a sub, but my partner's device was also good. The people who we lost to also got first at nationals the following year for Wheeled Vehicle.

Results

Event	2022-2023 Regionals
Crime Busters	2nd
Roller Coaster	5th
Wheeled Vehicle	2nd

Lots of people said that I would make the Competition team the next year.

2023-2024 Season

7th grade

Training Team

Still continued my glory from last year, despite the fact that some things were different. That year, I tried out for Crime Busters, Forestry, Fossils, and Reach for the Stars. I got 3rd in Crime Busters, 4th in Forestry, 3rd in Fossils, and 5th in Reach for the Stars. Crime Busters was my main.

Hoodies and shirts for Ladue's Division B Competition team and Training team during the 2023-2024 season.

I didn't make the Competition team because my rankings were too low. During the last week of Crime Busters, I dropped from 1st to 3rd. If I had stayed first, then I definitely would have made team. So I made the Training team. That year, I did Crime Busters, Fossils, and Reach for the Stars. I couldn't do Forestry because it conflicted with Reach for the Stars. My partner Chloe and I worked super hard during training sessions. I did basically all of the qualitative analysis, while Chloe did the write-up portion. She was actually kind of insane at it. Chloe did better on the write-up during a practice test than both of the competition team members that were competing that year.

Competition

Regionals was fun. More of my friends made the team that year, so I had company. In Crime Busters, Chloe and I aced the test. In Fossils I had a binder that basically averaged a few words per page and I was confused about everything, I picked up Optics right before regionals because one of my team members was sick, and in Reach for the Stars there were only around 4 questions that my partner and I weren't sure of. We missed the target in the laser shoot during Optics by a lot and only scored 5 points on that part.

Results

Event	2023-2024 Regionals
Crime Busters	1st Thanks, Chloe
Fossils	3rd
Optics	4th
Reach for the Stars	2nd

Chloe and I beat the Competition team in Crime Busters. The people that were doing it weren't very dedicated and we were just good. The people that beat my partner and I in Reach for the Stars got 4th at nationals.

2024-2025 season

8th grade

Training Team and Trial Team

I worked to make my experience in Science Olympiad unstoppable. That year, I tried out for Anatomy and Physiology, Crime Busters, Metric Mastery, Potions and Poisons, and Reach for the Stars.

Our coach from the past 2 years retired from Science Olympiad, so we had a new coach. Our new coach made an extra team, called the Alternate team, also referred to as the Rams team since the Rams is the mascot for Ladue.

WashU

This season was also the first season that Washington University hosted its first in-person Division B Science Olympiad Invitational. So, my coach signed all three teams up. Rather than the competition team, the names of the teams were Blue, White, and Rams. I was on the Blue team and did Crime Busters, Metric Mastery, Tower, and Write it Do it for WashU.

WashU competition

For Crime Busters, there were only two qualitative analysis and no write-up which made it easy. In Metric Mastery, my partner and I did well with estimating and the exam. I was a sub for Tower, so during testing I held a bucket of sand in place while my partner poured in sand. I also subbed in for Write it Do it. The build was super hard and I wasn't given enough of the instructions.

Results

Event	2024-2025 WashU
Crime Busters	7th
Metric Mastery	2nd
Tower	2nd
Write it Do it	7th

I didn't do as well as I expected.

Tryouts

During tryouts, I got 7th in Anatomy and Physiology, 2nd in Crime Busters, 1st (tied with 2 others) in Metric Mastery, 5th in Potions and Poisons, and 2nd in Reach for the Stars. That would have been enough to make the team.

But I didn't make team.

So I was placed on the Training Team and did Crime Busters, Metric Mastery, Potion and Poisons, and Reach for the Stars.

At that point, I felt sad, disappointed, and confused. Instead of quitting, I decided to continue to study. I stayed after school almost every day until 5:20 pm just working with my partner or myself on my study resources. I noticed that the competition team wasn't as hard working as I was. Glory does take a toll on some people.

Crime Busters was still my main event. My partner was Kelson, a person who picked up Science Olympiad that year. Even though the people on the Competition Team had a higher average ranking than us, Kelson and I still had hope. We did so many practice tests, and we beat the competition team on roughly half of them. I'm never going to forget any of those times.

In Metric Mastery, I had Brandon as my partner. He also tied with me for first in Metric Mastery.

Kelson was also the substitute for Potions and Poisons, since he also did Crime Busters with me.

Regionals competition

I was still sad from the realization that I didn't make team, even more than two months later. I didn't go to the regionals competition early. My first event was late in the morning, so I didn't even listen to the team preparation talk that my coach gave. Since there were three teams, it was easier to get on one of them.

I went to Crime Busters more prepared than ever. The Metric Mastery test took longer than I expected. The Potions and Poisons test was nice, and the questions were basic. The Reach for the Stars test took me only a few minutes to complete. I didn't know much of the physics, though.

Results

Events	2024-2025 Regionals
Crime Busters	1st Thanks, Kelson
Metric Mastery	1st Thanks, Brandon
Potions and Poisons	3rd
Reach for the Stars	2nd

I beat the Competition team in Crime Busters, Metric Mastery, and Reach for the Stars. In Potions and Poisons, the Alternate Team actually beat the Competition team because the 2 people that did it were, for some reason, insane at the event.

Trial Team

Fortunately, my Science Olympiad competitions for that season didn't end at regionals. The coach decided to do something new for people that had potential to make team the year after. Trial events are events that people come up with that could be new events, and competitors compete in those events to test them. Just like regular events, competitors are allowed a partner, but they aren't competing for a total team score, they are competing only for individual rankings. The coach gave me the opportunity to do this option.

I picked up Remote Sensing and Engineering CAD. Engineering CAD is a special event as it requires the use of a computer. I only got the basics of that event, but I didn't get into any of the more of the advanced topics. I had the same partner for both of those events.

I did so much preparation for Remote Sensing. My binder exceeded 300 pages, with hundreds of hours spent on it. During weekends and breaks, I would spend the whole day working with some of my helpers. Just like when I trained for the regionals competition, I stayed after school every day to work.

Nationals competition

Before the tests, I really didn't know what to expect. I had reviewed the rules and prepared with my partner, but I was still nervous. The Division C trial team for Ladue saved my partner and I right before the Remote Sensing test. We were supposed to bring a ruler and a protractor but my partner and I both forgot. Good thing they gave us those tools. The test was light, except for the fact that there were some things that weren't on the rules, such as types of coloration and other topics.

In Engineering CAD, my partner and I didn't even finish the build. We didn't know how. Some people managed to finish in the first 5 minutes, and it left me wondering why people grind Trial events. Between the testing blocks, I met some people from Wisconsin. I just really wanted that cheese hat.

Events	2024-2025 Nationals
Engineering CAD	34th (oops)
Remote Sensing	8th

I was really proud of my 8th in Remote Sensing. It was going to be an actual event next year, and I would have increased chances of getting to the competition team and placing at nationals. Engineering CAD became an event for Division C.

2025-2026

9th grade

Competition Team

"Effort equals placement," one of my friends told me. I put in effort, but it surely wasn't enough. If I really wanted a placement, then I was going to have to find a way to use my effort in the best way possible.

During Tryouts, I didn't have much time to study since I was in high school. I tried out for Circuit Lab, Crime Busters, Metric Mastery, Potions and Poisons, Remote Sensing, Solar System, and WIDI.

WashU

For the 2025-2026 WashU invitational, I was placed on the White team. I did Crime Busters, Metric Mastery, Potions and Poisons, Remote Sensing, and Solar System. I had to study all the materials the week before the competition. I was back with Kelson for Crime Busters. On Friday before the competition, I stayed at the Middle School past 5:20 pm.

WashU competition

The Crime Busters test was more expansive than the previous year. They had multiple qualitative analysis unknowns and had more questions about chemistry. The test for Metric Mastery was challenging, and I took the full time at each estimation station. The lab for Potions and Poisons was easy, it was just dilutions, but the chemistry questions were way too hard. The questions were of high school level. but good thing I had a decent partner. Remote Sensing was also easy, the test was a little long. For Solar System, the test contained questions that weren't in the rules, and it was so random. I also didn't spend much time making my ref sheet.

Results

Events	2025-2025 WashU
Crime Busters	2nd
Metric Mastery	2nd
Potions and Poisons	3rd
Remote Sensing	1st
Solar System	3rd

Tryouts

I tried to do Circuit Lab as a no study event and made cutoffs, finishing with 9th. In Crime Busters, I did well for the first few tests, but gradually fell down the rankings. I finished with 5th. In Metric Mastery, the top few places were ahead of me by quite a lot of points, and so I finished with 5th. In Potions and Poisons, I also fell down the rankings, finishing with 4th. In Remote Sensing, I was leading but then I gradually fell. I was given a Road Scholars test and did poorly. Eventually, to determine the final rankings, we had a runoff test and I finished in 2nd. In Solar System, I managed to work my way up the ranks and finish in 2nd. For WIDI, I didn't take the last test so I don't know my ranking for that event.

Because of Remote Sensing and Solar System, I made the Competition team.

On the Competition team, I am currently doing Metric Mastery, Remote Sensing, and Solar System.

Current situation in Science Olympiad

All I'll say about that is this.

Don't do anything that would hurt your reputation in Science Olympiad.

My Competition History

Event	2022-2023 Regionals	2023-2024 Regionals	2024-2025 WashU	2024-2025 Regionals	2024-2025 Nationals	2025-2026 WashU	2025-2026 Regionals
Crime Busters	2nd	1st (Chloe!)	7th	1st (Kelson!)	N/A	2nd	N/A
Engineering CAD	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	34th (oops)	N/A	N/A
Fossils	N/A	3rd	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Metric Mastery	N/A	N/A	2nd	1st (Brandon!)	N/A	2nd
Potions and Poisons	N/A	N/A	N/A	3rd	N/A	3rd	N/A
Reach for the Stars	N/A	2nd	N/A	2nd	N/A	N/A	N/A
Remote Sensing	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	8th	1st
Solar System	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3rd
Build Events	2nd (Wheeled Vehicle)	N/A	2nd (Tower)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	5th (Roller Coaster)		7th (WIDI)

Ayy beating the Competition team is so fun.

Ksaksma is currently the newest addition to the Ladue Science Olympiad ops®.

I'm currently on the Ladue Science Olympiad Competition team.

Ksaksma attended Ladue Middle School.

Ksaksma attends Ladue Horton Watkins High School.