RIDGEFIELD — The Ridgefield High School Knowledge Bowl team proved to be fierce competitors, earning fourth place at the National Knowledge Bowl and narrowly missing the playoffs at the larger National Quiz Bowl.
Ridgefield entered the National Knowledge Bowl competition as the reigning national champion. This year, the team was excited to qualify for the national tournament again, winning the state championship for the second year in a row.
When game day arrived, the team members found themselves closely matched; at the end of the day, they placed fourth. But instead of congratulating themselves and taking a break, the team — Adam Ford, James Haddix, Emi Newell and Stuart Swingruber — jumped into studying for the National Quiz Bowl in Atlanta.
It took the team a few tries to find its footing, but by the final preliminary match, it was ahead by 75 points. Unfortunately, a challenge on an earlier question awarded all of its points from that match, as well as additional bonus points, to another team, taking Ridgefield out of the playoffs.
The students took it in stride, especially because it was their first time at the National Quiz Bowl, which has 1,500 student competitors.
