By Jessica Park
Do you know your history, keep up with current events or have a knack of pop culture trivia? Williamsville East’s MasterMinds Club offers students a chance to turn their knowledge into friendly competition while competing against other schools in Western New York.
MasterMinds is a quiz bowl program that combines individual knowledge with team competition. Founded in 1993, the program began in Rochester with 25 schools before expanding to Buffalo in 1995, Albany in 1999, and Syracuse in 2003. East has competed in Buffalo’s League 1 alongside Amherst, Cardinal O’Hara, Depew, Lancaster, and Williamville North high schools.
In each game, two teams of up to four students face off with a buzzer system. A moderator reads questions, and players buzz in when they think they know the answer to the questions on a wide variety of topics including literature, history, science, visual and auditory arts, philosophy, social science, geography, current events, and popular culture. The questions come from National Academic Quiz Tournament questions.
There are two main types of questions: toss-ups and bonuses. Any player can buzz in to answer a toss-up, which is worth 10 points. If they get the question correct, they earn 10 points for their team which then has the opportunity to answer a set of bonus questions. If a player interrupts the question and provides an incorrect answer, that player’s team may not answer the question again. The opposing team may wait until the question finishes to answer. There is a certain point in each tossup question, typically just before an important clue, called the “power mark.” Bonus questions work differently. Once a team earns a bonus, teammates can discuss their answers, combining their knowledge to build their score.
Students are also provided with paper and pens for scratch work, which can be especially useful for computational math questions. Starting in the 2023-24 season, games consist of either two seven-minute timed halves or two eight-question halves; this is decided on a league by league basis.
During the regular season, schools are divided into leagues within their region. Most leagues have six teams, though some have five or up to nine. Buffalo had five leagues; but last year, there were three leagues. Teams compete throughout the season, with qualifying teams advancing to playoffs in the spring.
At East, MasterMinds welcomes students from all grade levels and offers both junior varsity and varsity teams. The club begins meeting weekly in October so students can practice answering questions, improve their buzzer skills, and learn how to work together during matches.
The competitive season starts mid-November and runs through April, when playoffs are held. There are competitions once a month after school from approx 3:30 pm —7:30 pm. depending on the location.
Any interested students should attend the initial information meeting or contact club advisors Mrs. Yermas or Mr. Harnick if you can not attend. New members are accepted only at the beginning of the school year. Once team rosters are set, students must wait until the following fall to join.
Whether your favorite subject is science, literature or music, MasterMinds provide a fun way to challenge yourself, work with teammates, and represent the East. Here is the website: https://www.nymasterminds.com/ If you enjoy trivia, learning new things, or testing your knowledge, consider joining MasterMinds. You may be surprised by how much you know and how much fun it can be to put that knowledge to the test.