Science Olympiad set for state

Motivated by improving success, club looks to place first or second in state, earn national bid

Science Olympiad set for state

Joe Okkema, News Editor

With much anticipation and excitement, captain Matt Nutley `15 looks forward to competing at the Illinois Science Olympiad state tournament. Looking to avenge a particularly tough loss to Hinsdale Central at their regional meet on March 14, Nutley and the rest of the LT Science Olympiad team will travel to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and compete during the weekend of April 18.

“At least a second place finish at state has been the goal since day one,” Nutley said.

Throughout the season, LT has been in tight competition with Hinsdale Central and New Trier in Winnetka, two of the top teams in state. Being in contention with such strong teams bodes well for a possible first or second place finish at state, potentially qualifying for the national tournament, captain Madeline Bernstein `15 said.

“We started stronger than we normally do, and we’ve just been working on cleaning up some of the loose ends and putting our strongest lineup forward,” Bernstein said.

The fact that the team began with an experienced group of members who have participated in Science Olympiad for a number of years has been conducive to their successful start, Nutley said.

This experience has allowed the team to correct what had been one of their major weaknesses in the past: improving their performance in building events. These events require students to construct devices to perform a specific task, like an air-powered launcher for an air trajectory competition.

“We have a group of seniors and juniors that are building like we’ve never built before,” Advisor Bruce Falli said. “You’re only as good as your weakest building event, but now what was once our weakness is no longer one.”

Members and advisors alike also highlight the growth in the number of underclassmen, particularly sophomores, participating in Science Olympiad as one of the team’s major strengths.

“We have a lot of sophomores who are really stepping up and competing well, gaining experience and learning material that is beyond them already,” Falli said.

With this strong increase in younger students entering the program, Falli hopes that the team will continue having an experienced lineup each year.

Unfortunately, the season has not been without its mishaps.

“Every season has its ups and downs,” Nutley said. “There have been some meets where we’ve come out strong, but there have been others that have had disappointments across the board.”

One such mishap occurred at regionals, where a scheduling mix-up contributed to a larger point differential between LT and Hinsdale.

Looking forward to state, the team hopes to remedy these issues and perform as well as they know they can consistently so they can qualify for the national tournament on May 15 and 16 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“There’s no reason why it can’t be us, and right now we’re focused,” Falli said. “If we’re third or fourth in state, it’s a disappointment. That just shows how it’s a special place to be at LT where you get third or fourth in state out of a group 50 and you’re disappointed, but that’s just the kind of team we have.”