Wed the 27th – Day 3
I was able to sleep in this morning and took full advantage of the free time. Logan Nagel had informed me that there was a coffee shop nearby, but these were his only directions: ‘I can see the sign that says ‘McGregor’ [our dorm] from the coffee shop.’ Well, I found the coffee shop (it was a cafe in the entrance to the library), but one cannot see the McGregor sign from the shop itself. Was Logan mistaken? Was he trying to deceive me and leave me deprived of my required caffeine intake in the morning? Is there a different coffee shop nearby besides the one in the library? Regardless, the coffee was very good.
For me, the day was basically certamen (2-4), then GA (3-4:30), then certamen again (6-8).
My role of Certamen Coach allows me to work with students who WANT to spend their summers doing advanced work in Latin and classical civilization. These are motivated, bright, eager learners. This year, about half the players are students from Summit, and the others are from McAuley, Shaker Heights, St. Edward, and Westlake. These students largely teach one another. They take responsibility for their own learning in a very serious (but still fun) way. I have always been impressed with the work ethic and drive of these students, whatever the results are at the National Competition.
The Upper team – Andrew Boudon (St. Edward), Tom Carroll (Westlake), Nathan Patterson (Summit), and Paul Slater (Summit) – tentatively qualified for the Semis after the 3 rounds of play. It is not yet official, but it looks like they are the 9th seed out of 9 teams to qualify. Everyone contributed in the 2 rounds today, with Paul getting most of the toss-ups but Nathan, Tom, and Andrew grabbing some questions. The team is still looking for its rhythm. In Round 2, a strong VA team earned 185 pts, and OH got 85. In Round 3, WI and OH battled back and forth for the lead. In the end, WI had 100, but OH took the match with 130. All the early rounds are merely a prelude to the semis, so the Upper team still has a chance to regroup tonight and qualify for the coveted Finals on Fri.
The Intermediate team – Tino Delamerced (Summit), Mollie Effler (McAuley), Carter Hall (Summit), Sam Nissen (McAuley), and Ezra Sigmond (Shaker Heights) – continued its strong showing at the national competition. It should be 1 of the top 3 seeds heading into the semis. Rounds 2 & 3 had the feel of semifinal matches. Round 2 was OH vs CA vs VA. All the teams were nervous, and no points were earned on 2 of the 1st 4 questions. But then the jitters wore off, and the real match began as the teams earned points on all but 1 of the remaining 16 questions. At question 13, it was a close match: VA 65, OH 55, CA 50. Then, OH took over the match by taking 5 of the final 8 questions. Final score: OH 150, VA 80, CA 50. Round 3 was OH vs FL vs IL. This was another nail-biter all the way through the match. FL was in the lead at the halfway point, but OH & IL fought back in questions 11-15. With 5 questions left, the score was: OH 100, FL 75, IL, 75. But IL took 3 of the final 5 questions to take the match. The OH team now moves to the elimination round in the semis.
The Novice team – Sameer Apte (Shaker Heights), Kevin Boyce (Summit), Jesse Campbell (Summit), and Ben Robertson (Shaker Heights) – had 2 solid rounds heading into the semis. They should have 4-6 seed out of 9 teams. In Round 2, OH played a very good Mass team and a good WI team. At the halfway mark, the match was too close to call: OH 65, Mass 50, WI 35. But Mass then took 4 of the next 7 questions to take the lead by 15 pts with 2 questions left, but no team was able to score points, and Mass ended up on top. Round 3 was a relatively easy match against 2 inexperienced teams. OH was off its game in the 1st half, taking only 4 of the 10 questions. But they gained momentum as the round went on, and they got the last 5 questions to earn 180 pts.
All the semis are played at the same time, at 10:30 am Thurs. The coaches – Larry Dean, Megan Whitacre, Chris Lapp, and Michael Cowett – will split up for the 3 levels to support all the teams in their quest for the Finals.
The Wed GA featured 2 OH students. OJCL President and Summit Senior Anna Delamerced gave the Opening Remarks to the entire convention. She stressed the importance of classical civilization in her education. Anna even admitted that she ‘felt smarter’ after completing the rigorous AP Vergil course. She was well spoken and poised at the podium. Former OJCL President and Westlake Senior Sam Buck gave her election speech for the office of Parliamentarian. After a nice introduction by Summit alumnus Will Donovan, Sam told the delegates why SHE was the person for the job. Sam was confident & clear and delivered an impressive speech. All of these speeches can be found under the ‘View All Video’ buttons on the Shutterfly account.