On Nov. 12, the HHS Quiz Bowl team went to a tournament called the Winter Invitational for Zealous Academic Recall Duelists at Shattuck-St.Mary’s School in Faribault.

“On Saturday, our team did amazing,” said John Vaaler, junior. “There were 40 teams competing and we placed seventh, which is very exciting!”

Along with the team’s success, Vaaler himself excelled in the individual category. Out of a total 161 players at the tournament, Vaaler ended in sixth place.

The HHS Quiz Bowl team became a club in 2007, and since then the team has grown in size and knowledge. Many students start in their freshman year of high school, although some eighth graders join the team.

“Ever since quiz bowl became a thing, I’ve always been the club leader,” said adviser John Sammler, Science. “Since the first day Quiz Bowl was made a club at HHS, I’ve always been engaged with it.”

Throughout the year, the Quiz Bowl team participates in two to three tournaments each month, hosted by different schools. The tournaments are usually on Saturdays and can last from three to eight hours.

Vaaler has been on the Quiz Bowl team since eighth grade, and each year it gets better and better for him.

“I get a lot of general knowledge out of quiz bowl, which is really amusing,” Vaaler said. “I also find that the questions we are asked and the information we study, become really great topics to discuss about to other people.”

The team’s next competition is on on Dec. 8 at Eden Prairie High School.