Being wrong is one thing. Confidently buzzing in only to learn you were way off the mark? That’s a whole tornado and a half. Of course, that’s exactly what happens when you mix up Stephen Douglas with Lincoln-Douglas at Scholar Bowl.

I’ve been doing Scholar Bowl for all four years of high school now and I regret not doing it for five. Scholar Bowl is a high octane competition where two teams of four race to answer a multitude of questions about a variety of topics in order to score points.

Anyways, there I was. It was an easy question. I knew the answer. The judge said, “This man, most well known for his debates against Abraham Lincoln,” and I thought boom, I’ve got it. I hit the buzzer with all my might and with the confidence of Francesco Schettino yelled out “Lincoln Douglas” Never before have I been so humiliated. It was over. I thought that I had no hope. But my teammates were there to support me and they helped me to feel better about it even though I had royally screwed up. I kept on going and eventually we won that match. All because of the hard work and determination of my teammates.

The best club in FHN is hands down Scholar Bowl. The quick wit. The sharp skills. The entire environment builds up to create an unforgettable experience. When I first joined, I was entirely out of my league. Frankly, I don’t really know what I’m doing now. But Scholar Bowl has taught me the determination and hard work to push through and accomplish anything.