Knowledge Bowl is off to state once again this year to earn another state title! Knowledge Bowl is a trivia-based competition with multiple categories such as math, history, literature, and science.

The four contestants representing Olympia High School this year are sophomores Grace and Dylan Borden, sophomore Basil Elsner, and junior Lance Coppo. The coach is Michael Schaefer and the co-head coach is Tim Snodgrass. This will be the coaches’ last year of leading Knowledge Bowl into state. According to Snodgrass, “…it’s not guaranteed Olympia goes to state every year… but we’ve been lucky to have great kids come through and were really good at it.”

Knowledge Bowl started in 1984. Michael Schaefer, head coach of Knowledge Bowl group, says “It is similar to jeopardy in the way the questions are structured.” In Knowledge Bowl competitions it’s structured in teams of 4 and has a total of 45 questions. Whoever gets the most questions right out of the 45 questions wins the competition. Knowledge Bowl operates on a tiered system, with competitions progressing from local to state championships, if you make it that far of course.

Knowledge Bowl is a great opportunity for students at Oly to learn or challenge themselves academically in a variety of subjects. According to Basil Elsner, it is a welcoming environment that is “mostly just comradery” to learn and be competitive with your fellow teammates. “Once you’re there for a while it’s really comfortable, it’s really nice, and it feels nice to do well.”

There seems to be a running joke in the Knowledge Bowl for Olympia High. 2 of our interviewees reference Michael Schaefer, and his dislike towards calling the Knowledge Bowl “trivia’. According to Oxford languages, trivia is “details, considerations, or pieces of information of little importance or value,” which might be subjective depending on how you view it. 

 If you’ve been strong in academics, and you’re looking for a place to go, join the Knowledge Bowl!