A team of students from Mountain View High School bested the eventual winner of the Bonneville Power Administration Regional Science Bowl in Portland before ending their own run in later rounds Saturday at the University of Portland.
Mountain View High School Team 1 was the highest-finishing of several teams from Clark County, advancing through Round 10 in the afternoon double-elimination rounds. The event drew more than 250 students in 59 teams from Western Oregon and Western Washington.
“This was my last year at science bowl,” said Ming Liu, the captain of Mountain View High School’s Team 1. “It’s been a great journey, and I am honored that I got to compete against so many talented teams this year. It has also been great getting to know the smart people on other teams competing here.”
Liu was also honored as a Science Bowl All Star, being among students who correctly answered the most questions in the morning.
Added Mountain View teammate Kevin Gao, also a senior, “My favorite thing about Science Bowl is the competitive feeling I get when participating.”
Mountain View Team 1 also included sophomore Mark Chen and junior Suyash Gupta.
The team is coached by Alison Nightingale.
Three-time champion Westview High School Team 1 of Beaverton, Ore., lost an early round to Mountain View Team 1 but pressed on to win the competition and a chance at the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl this spring.
Lincoln High School of Portland placed second, Catlin Gabel School Team 1 of Portland finished third, and Sunset High School Team 1 of Beaverton, Ore., was fourth.
“Science Bowl has been a great confidence-builder, and we enjoyed the competition all day,” said A.J. Anderson, the captain of He La Team 1 from the Vancouver area. “However, it feels really great when you win.”
Amid the fast-paced scoring, wins and losses, the day had entertaining moments.
“It’s really fun,” said Beaverton High School team captain Cole Cavanaugh. “My favorite part might have been sharing looks of despair — or maybe of acceptance — when the really random, weird or obscure questions came up. At one point, someone from another team just guessed, ‘The Beatles?’ “
