AMES, Iowa -- A pair of green corduroy pants helped West Des Moines’ Valley High School win its second consecutive championship Saturday in the eighth annual Ames Laboratory/IPRT High School Science Bowl.
Valley’s team members included Paco Jain (captain), Adrienne Clark, Chris Rotzien, Drew Volker and Mikhail Seregine – all of whom were on Valley’s 1997 championship team. Their coach was Margaret Christiansen.
Valley beat Ames High School in the final round by a score of 86-30. Finishing third was Marshalltown High School.
Students from 39 area high schools participated in the quiz-bowl competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Ames Laboratory and the Institute for Physical Research and Technology (IPRT) at Iowa State University. The tournament was held in ISU’s Memorial Union.
Throughout the tournament, Valley’s team hauled around a pair of green corduroy pants that they touched for luck prior to each match. Jain, the team captain, explained that the pants belonged to another student at Valley. "Somehow, they just became our mascot," he said.
The competition was especially tough between Valley and Ames during the double-elimination portion of the tournament Saturday afternoon. In their first meeting in a preliminary round, Valley beat Ames 92-90. That was Ames’ only loss going into the championship.
Ames won the first championship round 98-92, giving Valley its first loss of the day. Since both teams had one loss, a second championship round was necessary.
"I feel really bad that Ames doesn’t get to go to the nationals because their team is the same caliber as other teams that compete in the nationals," Jain said.
The top three teams received trophies for their efforts. Valley is eligible for the National Science Bowl finals, which will be held May 1-4 in Chevy Chase, Md. During their visit, the students will tour historical sites in Washington, D.C.
Ames Laboratory is a member of IPRT and is operated for the DOE by ISU. The Lab conducts research in various areas of national concern, including energy resources, high-speed computer design, environmental cleanup and restoration, and the synthesis and study of new materials.
Release date: Feb. 7, 1998
Contact: Susan Dieterle, 515-294-1405
Last revision: 4/17/98 sd
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