SCHOLAR BOWL TEAMS SLATED TO MEET IN CAPE SATURDAY

Scholar Bowl teams from Southeast Missouri will compete Saturday for the district championship and a chance to compete at state.

The district finals at Cape Girardeau Central High School are the first ever held under Missouri High School Activity Association guidelines. This is the first year Scholar Bowl has been incorporated under the state regulations.

Pam Schulte, coach of Central High's Scholar Bowl team, said Scholar Bowl teams have been preparing for the past five years for the jump to organized statewide competition.

Scholar Bowl, also called Quiz Bowl or Academic Competition, is similar to the game show "Jeopardy." Team members buzz in with answers to questions. Two of the game's four rounds include bonus questions. Team members can confer other on answers to bonus questions.

At Saturday's meet, teams from Central High, Jackson, Poplar Bluff, New Madrid, Hillsboro and North St. Francis County will compete.

The winner of Saturday's contest advances to state competition in May.

Play begins at 9 a.m. with preliminary rounds. The finals begin at 2 p.m. in the Central High School Auditorium.

"It's very competitive with a lot of tension," Schulte said. "It's really a lot of fun."

She added that in addition to knowledge, much of a team's success depends on their reflexes at the buzzer.

Varsity and junior varsity Scholar Bowl competitions have been held throughout the newly formed season, which started in October.

The varsity team captain at Central High is senior Paul Kranawetter and the junior varsity coach is Dixie Cook.