“Girl’s Only” Quiz Bowl held in Seward

October 10, 2024

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The statewide, annual “Girl’s Only” Quiz Bowl was held in Seward at the Seward Living Word Lutheran Church at 1300 West Hillcrest on Wednesday, October 2^nd in an all-day quiz bowl competition from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm.  The event is annually sponsored by the GFWC Nebraska Federation of Women’s Club’s to showcase high school girls in a competitive academic “general knowledge” competition.  High schools were invited statewide to share in this event and 49 teams entered this year’s contest.

The day began with a “Round Robin” tourney, where each team was guaranteed three rounds of quiz bowl contest competition to “warm the teams up” with practice rounds and determine the seeding placement for the afternoon’s single elimination tourney.  The teams were divided into three divisions, based on school size by the NSAA numbers with small, medium and large schools in competition.  The afternoon contest featured a bracketed contest, with teams seeded to play in a single elimination contest for first, second, third and fourth place.   There were 49 teams and contests were held in nine rooms throughout the church. The first-place teams won a trophy and individual team medals and the runner-up team won a trophy-donated by the GFWC NFWC.

The winners of the contests included…

Large School Division: First Place-Seward High Team A-Coach Melissa Pohl, Second Place- Seward High Team B-Coach Melissa Pohl, Third Place-Elkhorn South-Coach Abigail Cleary, Fourth Place-York High Team A-Coach Sam Due. 

Medium School Division: First Place-Fillmore Central-Geneva-Coach Ryan Komenda, Logan Magnolia-Iowa-Coach Kathy Foreman, Third Place-Kearney Catholic-Coach Polla Renken, Fourth Place-Raymond Central-Coach Courtney Polak. 

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Small School Division: First Place-Shelton High-Coach Shanna Held, Second Place-Nebraska Christian Team A-Coach Dee Flynn, Third Place-Howells/Dodge-Traci Sindelar, Fourth Place- Nebraska Christian-Team B-Dee Flynn.

Volunteers for the tourney included the reader/judges for each room-Sue Imig, Nancy Schulz, Ellie Janda, Bonnie Kruse, Andy Jensen, and Clark Kolterman-all from Seward, Melissa Pohl from Utica and Kathy Wilcox from Crete, Kathy Huggins from Papillion, and Laura Sabatka from Fullerton.  Kathy Huggins, the State NFWC President from Papillion served as a host for the day, with Diane Uher from Clarkson the GFWC NFWC Chair and local GFWC coordinator of the tourney.  Riley Nuttleman served as the Quiz Bowl Master and Clark Kolterman was the tourney manager.  Pastor Scott Krohn coordinated the church’s facilities.  GFWC NFWC members Brooke Chandler and Rene’ Chandler with the GFWC Seward Woman’s Club, coordinated the lunch for the coaches and judges over the noon hour.

The schools attending included Columbus Scotus, Cross County, Shelby/Rising City, McCool Junction, Falls City, Raymond Central, Crete, Exeter/Milligan, Central City, York, Seward, Howells/Dodge, Oakland/Craig, Sandy Creek, Tri-County, Heartland-Henderson, Logan Magnolia (Iowa), Norris, Fullerton, Fillmore Central, Gretna, Dorchester, Ralston, Elkhorn High, Elkhorn South, Elkhorn North, East Butler, Nebraska Christian, Humphrey, Cross County, Thayer Central, Bennington, West Point/Beemer, Fillmore Central, Dorchester, Humphrey,  Shelton and Kearney Catholic.