Quiz Bowl, in my admittedly biased opinion, is one of the coolest clubs at Oratory. Members meet weekly to practice for competitions and learn many, many, many facts, many of which are incredibly obscure. This year, the Quiz Bowl Team worked hard, qualifying for Nationals in Arlington, Virginia. Mr. McCrystal and Mr. Martin chaperoned the trip, bringing along club president James Bowe, and members Steven Mezzomo, Jake Noss, Chris Kraemer, Justin Oei, Tommy Gress, Matt Mazzucca, Chris McAllister, Ryan Bergh Thies, and myself, Nick Looney.

After a relatively quick drive down to our hotel, during which we witnessed a frightening car accident, we arrived at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, the home of the National History Bowl. That evening, we explored the Pentagon’s Exterior, and its 9/11 memorial, got dinner at a nearby mall, and headed back for opening ceremonies. The next morning, we headed to our competition. Our previous jokes about competing in a hotel bedroom came to fruition, and we found that was the case. Over our long, long day of competition, we finished with a 5-5 record. Our wins were against teams from Florida, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Delaware. That night, we met up with an Oratory alumnus, went into the DC area proper, saw the Washington Monument and the World War 2 memorial, before heading home on the metro. The next day was rather uneventful, besides our celebrations for a phenomenal first-time appearance at Nationals.

Image Credits to National History Bowl