All-State!

After a month of waiting, it finally came! I got to go to my All-State festivities yesterday! After making the short drive down to El Reno with Mrs. Grant, we got settled and ready to go. The format for the day was pretty basic. The top 36 were invited to play in the games, and we would be split up into teams and assigned a coach. After that, we played in a round-robin tournament.

Everything was pretty straightforward, although I can't say that it was very well-organized. It took Mrs. Grant and me a while to find the rooms, because the signs that were posted were not very clear. Also, it would be thought that there might be some light refreshments provided for everyone, as there apparently has been in the past, but there wasn't. Nor was there any lunch provided. (That irked me a little bit) After a while of waiting, we were finally assigned to our teams. I was very thankful that Mrs. Grant turned out to be my team's coach! While making a quick scan of the room, I realized early on that there are many people who insist on making quiz bowl their whole life. It was a bit alarming as I saw at least four people with their noses in study material, desperate to memorize various factoids. My theory is that if I didn't know it before or couldn't remember it, I probably never would. As my team gradually came together, I was able to faces with names. There were five of us, of which I was the only girl. (Big surprise, huh?) I was ready to get started. My teammates' names were Bunty Patel from Wilburton, Patrick Harle from Cascia Hall, Rashard Bickham (who I kept wanting to call Richard), and Marc Vail, who were both from Carl Albert. Things were going well, and I was content with my team.

When we entered the room for our first game, Mrs. Grant had us all go around and tell which subjects we were the best at, so we could have a better idea of how things might work. Thankfully, my teammates were exceptionally good at History and Science, two things I'm not as good at. It was then that I asked if anyone knew anything about Mythology, because I know very little about the subject and it is a common topic during play. No one claimed to know anything about it, and I commented on how I knew very little about it. Right after that, Marc piped up and told me that, and I quote, "he wasn't surprised because girls usually don't know anything about mythology." Yes, he really said that to me.

To digress for a brief moment, nothing infuriates me more than when men make snap judgements about women, assuming that they are incapable of doing certain things simply because they are women. I will admit that there are plenty of things that men are much better at than women, such as heavy lifting or certain types of mechanic work, and I as a woman, am perfectly fine with that. However, there are also plenty of women who are perfectly capable of doing such things, and they have made great careers of it. Having come from a family of all girls, my parents (particularly my dad) have instilled into us that women can do anything they want to, and should not be held back from anything because of gender. (I will step off of my feminist soapbox again..)

Naturally, Mr. Vail's comment about women not knowing anything about Mythology really struck me the wrong way. Also, I didn't particularly care for him after that, but I let it go, because it wasn't worth ruining a perfectly good day. As I later learned through the course of the day, he was a very eccentric character who I am glad I don't ever have to see again. Plain and simple. (Side note: He later assumed that because no one on our team was wearing a sports jersey, that no one knew anything about sports, and I told him that that was an inaccurate and unnecessary generalization to make, although no one did know anything about sports.)

The day progressed well, my team went 2-3 overall, and I managed to answer a few questions, which made me really happy! I was happy enough to be there as an All-Stater, so the games really didn't matter that much to me. After our tournament, there was a game that pitted the students against the coaches. It was great, even if the coaches won! :) (just kidding, they won it fair and square!)

At the end of the coaches game, the man in charge announced that they were making an instructional video to be shown at the OSSAA coach's meeting in October for training purposes and they needed a few student volunteers. I jumped at the chance and dashed upstairs for the film! I half-expected a swarm of people to be up there, but I was only the second person. After a short while later, more people filed in and filled the cast. The video was lots of fun, even if it was scripted! Perhaps one day, I will be contacted by a famous Hollywood producer who wants me to star in his or her film about a quiz bowl competition! (I won't hold my breath!)

After a short while, my parents and Mimi showed up, and we were served supper. The meal was nice; it included lasagna, green beans, a green salad, and garlic bread. Also, there was a choice of chocolate or apple pie for dessert. The banquet proceeded with our keynote speaker, former OK Lieutenant Governor Jeri Askins. I really enjoyed her speech. After a few words from the Redlands President, our awards were presented. I didn't realize I would, but I received a large trophy from the OACA (the OK Academic Coaches Association) and a citation from both my state senator and representative. It was a great moment for me, and I was so happy that my parents and Mimi were there to see it. It was the perfect ending for my great career as a quizzer!