A Tale of Two Academic Teams

Chapter 16: Ghosts from the debate floor

The Venomous Agendas' quiz bowl team is assembled in the parking lot, with some of the students and faculty, especially those on the other academic teams and their friends, with a few parents of quiz bowlers for good measure, catching one last glimpse at their quiz bowl darlings before they go off and compete at the HSNCT.

"For me the next three weeks will be the most important weeks of the summer, starting with the HSNCT. It's our third participation in a row, and good luck!" Sadie shouts.

"I love you, Sadie..." Qian then proceeds to kiss her before the other quiz bowlers' dates do the same.

"Before we begin, we are assigned to the afternoon session for tomorrow" Warren informs the players.

Thank God my mother hasn't said anything about who else at NSDA Nationals is playing at the HSNCT! She mostly left me alone after Last Chance, but... she will probably talk about that same stuff behind my back while I'm in Atlanta! Sadie muses, while loading her baggage into the car of a teammate's parents. I must not think about what it means for me going into the HSNCT, much less the NSDA Nationals two weeks from now.

As soon as the quiz bowl team's final exams ended, they are herded into cars before they leave town on a road trip to Atlanta. Warren's and the parents of the player who replaced Cristiano as the science player on the top team, starting from LQBA Winter Invitational South. They all look forward to playing the best teams in the country.

Upon arrival in their hotel room in Atlanta, the rest of the team attempts to mingle with as many out-of-state players as they can, and it is a godsend for Sadie, where she can finally go into a quiz bowl tournament this season without anyone making allusions to debate in front of her. Unless they run into Mandeville, Jesuit, Caddo Magnet or Catholic, the other four Louisiana teams.

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However, she knows she must not herself bring up debate when interacting with other players. Just before the first game begins...

"Quiz Bowl Sadie! Never would I have imagined that we could have played each other at the HSNCT prelims!" An opposing player exclaims upon seeing Sadie on the other side.

"When did you qualify for the HSNCT?" Sadie asks the opposing player.

"Run for the Roses" Kelsie answers her.

If there was anyone that could have called me Quiz Bowl Sadie here, it would have been a player at Grapevine or Columbia, Sadie muses while her mother's words ring in her head: this year, you're the only PF player at either NSDA Nats or ToC even playing at the HSNCT. So either she didn't make it to NSDA Nats/ToC, she doesn't play PF or neither. But she's a debater: no one outside the debate circuit would call me Quiz Bowl Sadie.

"This is round one of the afternoon prelims of the 2026 NAQT High School National Championship Tournament. From Minnesota we have St. Croix Prep..." the moderator announces in a game room that feels like a hotel suite, as both teams prepare to square off on the buzzer.

We played against the Venomous Agendas at Columbia, we shall avenge that game! Kelsie thinks while getting flashbacks of that policy game at Columbia. This also motivates her to play harder for some reason, on this first tossup of the game:

"Tossup number one: An artist from this country painted a marketplace of its capital in his Coal Market"

"Czechia" Kelsie answers after buzzing in.

"Fifteen"

Just because the opponent scored the first tossup doesn't mean we can't win against the Lions! Anna sighs while the Lions (i.e. St. Croix Prep players) control the resulting bonus their policy player brought them.