The Cordova Times - Fast answers, fast minds

Last Update: June 09, 2008 at 3:38PM

Fast answers, fast minds

CINTHIA RITCHIE

February 22, 2008 at 12:01PM AKST

Teams from Cordova High School and the Prince William Sound Science Center placed third and 11th in the Alaska National Ocean Sciences Tsunami Bowl in Seward held on Feb. 9.

Visceral Mass took third and Santos del Oc’e9ano, 11th, against stiff> competition vs. teams from around the state.

Fifteen teams competed in the event. Juneau-Douglas nabbed both first and second place and will represent Alaska at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl April 24-27, to be held in Seward this year for the first time.

> Team Visceral Mass from Cordova had the best overall team record for the competition, winning seven games and only losing one. The team also beat the first and second place teams during matches earlier on in the competition.

Composed of three juniors and one sophomore, the team says it will be back for next year’s competition. Cordova team coach Lindsay Butters of the Prince William Sound Science Center says that Visceral Mass was "super motivated."

"These kids were at practice every day, asking good questions," she added.

Butters said that it helped that Cordova High School started offering a marine biology course last fall. That course, and frequent interaction with guest scientists from the Prince William Sound Science Center, helped the students prepare for the competition.

Hosted by the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, the finals in April will bring 25 teams of high school students and 250 volunteers, students, judges and family members from across the United States to Alaska.

Visceral Mass and Santos del Oc’e9ano> will be there, ready to compete against winning teams from around the nation.

> The National Ocean Sciences Bowl was established in 1998 to encourage learning about the oceans and increase the teaching of ocean sciences in high schools.

Support for the Bowl is provided by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. The regional competition is supported by the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Alaska Sea Grant and the North Pacific Research Board.

Winning students received their choice of a $2,000 scholarship to University of Alaska Fairbanks or University of Alaska Southeast and a free trip to the bowl final in April.

The winning coach gets a one-year membership in the National Marine Educators Association and a scholarship to the educator’s Marine Science Camp at Kasitsna Bay.

Cinthia Ritchie can be reached at (907) 342-2428 or toll free at (800) 770-9830, ext. 428.

Box

2008 Alaska Tsunami Bowl Results ul

1 Juneau-Douglas High School, Naughty Nautilli

2 Juneau-Douglas High School, Megatron

3 Cordova High School and Prince William Sound Science Center, Visceral Mass

4 Skyview High School, Odd Pisces

5 White Mountain, Polar Bears

6 Mat-Su Career and Technical High School, Jackie’s A.I.D.S.

7 South Anchorage High School, Team Starfish

8 Soldotna High School, The Kraken

9 Skyview High School in Soldotna, Skyview Team No. 2