On Feb. 26, Huron’s Science Bowl team won Regionals, which was held online, qualifying for Nationals starting on May 21. If the team makes it to the top 32 from the preliminary round, they are qualified to compete at the National Science Bowl Finals Opening in Washington D.C. on July 8. 

Led by advisor Michael Damron, four members from the club including senior Eric Heng, sophomore Akshar Cowlagi, sophomore Anita Gaenko and sophomore Madhav Sivadasan were selected to represent Huron at the Regional competition. 

The team started working as soon as school started in late August. They had practice every week on Sundays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“One of my favorite memories from practice was when our captain, Eric Heng, just randomly started laying on the floor,” Cowlagi said. “We usually have practices after another club from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. This would leave us all tired and Eric got so tired he decided to nap right there.” 

Last year, Huron’s Science Bowl team missed first place by four points For Cowlagi and his team, their victory at this year’s Regionals was more than just a win. 

“Being able to win Regionals was extremely satisfying,” Cowlagi said. “Each week, we put in a lot of practice time, and I studied outside of the meetings as well. By winning this year, we have demonstrated our progress and how we as a team have evolved. It feels great to see that our hard work has paid off.” 

Science Bowl not only requires vast knowledge in science, but also the ability to work as a team. Cowlagi recalled his experience at Regionals about how teamwork led to their win. 

“An amusing incident occurred when we were answering questions as a group,” Cowlagi said. “My teammate, Anita, gave a different answer than I did. My response was incorrect, and she was correct. However, she later got something wrong that contradicted what I said. We both looked at each other and saw that we were both even.”