A WHALE of A WIN:
Friday Harbor students victorious in Orca Bowl
Story and photo by Matt Pranger
(Left to right:) John Fyrqvist, Brady Ryan, teacher Marc Vermeire, Jacky Elder and Elliot Thomsen rode the late ferry home with the Orcas Bowl trophy Saturday night.
posted 02/09/04
Four Friday Harbor High School students sailed through the 2004 Washington State Ocean Sciences Bowl Saturday, Feb. 7 2004 at the University of Washington. By winning the Jeopardy-style 18-team regional competition known as the "Orca Bowl," the quartet and their coach earned an all-expense-paid trip to the national bowl in Charlseston, South Carolina April 23-25.
Riding the ferry home Saturday night, seniors Brady Ryan, Jacky Elder and Elliot Thomsen and junior John Fyrqvist beamed with pride while answering questions about their three-foot tall trophy. They posted 12 victories, including some impressive wins against teams from the largest schools in the state.
"We dominated. We were undefeated the whole time," Elder said.
"It was totally unexpected," Ryan said. "We went in there to get a little free lunch and have some fun. We did both of those."
Ryan ate a complimentary lunch last year but did not have as much fun after his team was eliminated early. Ryan said he didn’t "really care about winning or losing" this year but he was determined to learn more.
"He (Brady) went through just about every marine biology book I have," said science teacher Marc Vermeire, the team’s coach dubbed "Proud Poppa."
"Brady was our main man," Thomsen said. "He answered by far the majority of our questions. He was studying hard for two or three months."
"I was on a maniacal drive to hell," Ryan said.
The students were drained after answering more than 300 multiple-choice and short-answer questions about marine species classification, physical oceanography, social issues and other subjects in 2.5 hours. They also collaborated on 24 team questions.
"I’m exhausted from just watching them," said Vermeire.
One of the more difficult queries was: What is a fish called that lives in fresh water and spawns in saltwater? The answer is at the end of this page.
In addition to their trip, the students won MP3 players and a $100 certificate from Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators Association to buy T-shirts. The University of Washington’s College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences hosted the regional competition.
The Friday Harbor team plans to ask scientists at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories and The Whale Museum for help preparing for the 24-team National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
Fyrqvist, a late addition whom his coach said "proved to be a very valuable asset," might have more study partners for the 2005 Orca Bowl. "Next year we hope to send two teams," Vermeire said.
Answer to question: What is a fish called that lives in fresh water and spawns in saltwater? Catadromous.
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