Day 11: Update from Science Bowl Nationals

I have two long entries on my computer from the Detroit presentation, but I haven't had the necessary WiFi access to post them; I'm currently using a public computer. At this point, however, we have won $1750 for the school by taking first place in the hydrogen fuel cell construction and speed race. Today we began the main competition, having the seven rounds of round robin play in a division of eight teams. We are 6-1, having lost slightly to a team that only managed to go 5-2. We beat the other team that went 6-1 (which incidentally was 6th in the nation last year, with three returning seniors and deep experience), breaking the tie between us, and handing to us the final status of 1st place in the Einstein division. There are eight total divisions, and as we head into the 32-team, single-elimination bracket, we are seeded against the 4th place team out of the Fermi division. Unfortunately, the Fermi division is stacked with some of the toughest teams in the game: Thomas Jefferson (1st place for the past 4 years), Mission San Jose (2nd place last year), Santa Monica (who just beat Mission), and a few other seemingly powerful teams. The elimination bracket begins tonight. Hopefully we can escape the best of Fermi's log-jammed, powerful top. Nevertheless, considering our progress, I think we have a chance. We've been solidly winning our matches, even with our lamentable lack of competitive biology knowledge. Consider: we have about 11 years of physics experience among us, 8 years of calculus, but just 3 years of biology. Vamos a ver...