Can't Start the Questions

Chapter 22: Load Management

In the coming days, juniors are busy studying for the upcoming state-sponsored ACT date, and using whatever tutors they can lay their hands on, mostly other students. Of course, the juniors on all academic teams already took the test at least once, as did Bart and Malcolm, so they can approach the test with confidence.

However, with the quiz bowl team holding one last practice prior to quiz bowl-State, Warren has news for the high school roster at quiz bowl-State at the end of the practice:

"The middle school team stays together for State, but for high school, since there are as many as six players who are good enough to contribute at State, but we can only have four of them playing at any time. We have no choice but to enter all six in our roster!"

"Coach, the A-team is a given, but who, on the B-team, do you feel can contribute at State?" Pablo asks him.

"Because the ninth-graders on the B-team will have opportunities to play at State later in their careers, they won't play at State this year!"

"Coach, I feel like I've been thrown into the lions' pit by playing at State!" Cora complains, feeling like her lack of quiz bowl experience might cost VA games at State.

"Three months ago, you were, like..." Audrey then starts speaking in a falsetto tone. "Oh, I'm so not going to play at the HSNCT, I'll get the daylights beaten out of me! Yet, here you are today, playing at State and at the HSNCT, and you managed to play better than I would ever have imagined a basketball player doing quiz bowl simply to let their body recover!"

"But you must remember that, at State, not everyone will be like ESA or Catholic... and yet, you were on a squad that beat them both, scoring the final bonus part that even made us play at the HSNCT!" Gerard harangues a Cora on the verge of panicking.

"This means that we shouldn't have two basketball players in active play, and ideally, no one will hear every tossup either!" Warren announces to the six players playing at quiz bowl-State. "Also, Cora, I can guarantee you that some teams at State will have worse players than even you!"

The question is: what makes Cora so neurotic around quiz bowl? It's becoming a nightmare for me! I wonder how Audrey could endure her neuroticism, other than it being confined to quiz bowl! As with Audrey, in the days after the big win, she was a little tired, Pablo counts his blessings of not being on Cora's squad.

On Saturday, as soon as they arrive in Dutchtown, in a minibus the parish let the quiz bowl team use for State with three designated guests in tow, the field for State's large schools division is revealed, along with the pools.

"Since history is Lafayette's greatest strength, Nadine is benched, and Audrey, too. Gerard and Cora will start the game. One more thing, please turn off any electronic devices, even if you don't start the game!" Warren warns his players before they take up positions.

The designated guests, Ethan, Malcolm and George, must turn off their electronic devices as well, and study for the ACT as they did in the bus. To the extent they can do so with the moderator asking the questions, and they know they shouldn't answer these themselves.

"This is round one of the 2031 LQBA State Championship, large schools division. From Lafayette Parish, we have Lafayette, from Jefferson Davis Parish, we have the Venomous Agendas. Best of luck to both teams and here's tossup one: ZZZZ Best committed this type of crime to launch an initial public offering"

Why ZZZZ Best? Pablo struggles to think about what ZZZZ Best even did, and no one else had any clue about this corporation's existence on either side.

"It has been theorized that employees most likely to commit these crimes against their employers are in the C-suite" the second clue is read to dazed and confused players.