Phillips Academy Team Places Third in Blue Lobster Bowl

Finish is the highest PA has placed in the Ocean Bowl

February 19, 2009 -- On Saturday, February 7, two teams of Phillips Academy students participated in the regional Blue Lobster Bowl competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. The PA A Team, consisting of Captain Kwon-Yong Jin ’09, Wenyu Cao ’12, Valeria Fedyk ’12, Elliot Melaney ’10 and Kruesit Upatising ’09 placed third out of 16 teams—the highest that Andover has placed in its five years of participation in the competition. Members of the PA B Team, including Captain Jen Chew ’10, Sunny He ’12, Jung Hun Koh ’11, Stephanie Liu ’11 and Kevin Song ’11, participated in a practice tournament and won the Sportsmanship Award.

In placing third and winning the Sportsmanship Award, the teams won $300 for the purchase of books or equipment and 10 passes to the Museum of Science in Boston. With the impressive finish at the Blue Lobster Bowl, expectations are now raised for the upcoming Science Bowl, taking place on Saturday, February 28. “Whereas before the attitude was more relaxed, I think everyone’s hopes are high for the Science Bowl competition,” said Science Club co-president Radka Dancikova ’09.

The Blue Lobster Bowl is a regional competition that serves as a qualifying tournament for the Ocean Bowl, which is held every year in Washington, D.C. Winners from each regional competition around the country win a trip to the nation’s capital and a chance to compete for the Ocean Bowl crown. The National Ocean Sciences Bowl consists of a round-robin/double-elimination format for teams of high school students. The format involves a timed competition of multiple-choice or short-answer questions within the broad category of the oceans, drawing from the scientific and technical disciplines of study.