Science Challenge, the last

2nd of 68 teams
1st in Earth Science
1st in Chemistry
2nd in Logical Reasoning
2 other top 10 finishes
4th Year Award

It's over. My last Science Challenge. 4/5ths of the original UberTeam were there to carry us to victory. As I said the whole day, "We won last year, as all juniors, against the top senior teams, so we've got nothin' to prove to nobody." Of course, I secretly wanted to win and defend the title, but we ended up losing to some punk team from Milford. Oh well, we still kicked some ASS!

A few things worth mentioning-
1. Thanks to my awesome team, Mrs. Wilburn, and all my fans/supporters!
2. Alphabetically, numerically, organizationally, we were team #1. I can't say I didn't find some personal significance in that, no matter what happened. *shrug*
3. Every year, the opening remarks get worse and worse.
4. We pwned the opening round of Spontaneous Physics, but nobody can make a 2 meter bridge with index cards, computer paper, labels, and a string piece (actually, they can, but they're gay).
5. Problems with the car (despite all our work and research) may have cost us first, but I don't blame anybody. We let somebody else win.
6. I take absolutely no credit for a #1 in chem. That one was for Andy and Wilburn, totally. (I remember a time when I told Wilburn that the greatest learning experience from Science Challenge was how to build a team to cover your weaknesses, this was a key example)
7. Every year, we bomb biology. Sux0rs that Linsey couldn't make it, she would've helped a lot (AP Biology). Platyhelimenthes. Porifera.
8. Biology goes to Paul, to whom I unofficially pass the torch of Amelia's competitive science too (as if it's mine to pass).
9. Too bad we couldn't top 14,009 in logical reasoning. We only scored about 6,000. We really didn't do much different, though, so I daresay (at the risk of my ego) they changed the scoring format? Oh, and I'm such a pimp with those Pigville problems by now.
10. Jason- red on a compass is North.
11. It wasn't a game winning question, but it felt good to be the space guy on the Science Bowl.
12. Nothing beats checkin' the big 'ol board.
13. I hate to say it, but walking past the Glen Este team with all my medals did feel good. I also liked when the award moderator whispered to us as we got our awards "don't go too far" as we were repeatedly called back up.

When it was all said and done, back at Amelia, I drove around with Jason blaring "We Are the Champions" as loud as my speakers would go. I really did mean it as a sentimental song for Jason and I (promised each other Freshman year to take this competition as far as we could go), and for my friends as a whole. I think, however, that some people might've taken it the wrong way. I also think THAT is a sign that I care too much about other people's feelings. I think I deserve to celebrate something that I feel I've earned. That was my way of being a goofy senior without doing stupid like Luke or Tipton or Joe. I was not gloating, or trying to show off. I was celebrating. Sorry if I offended anybody. I have to learn to stop being ashamed or timid about success and recognition that I've earned- I guess I have a mortal fear of not being modest.

*Play Victory Song*
We Are the Champions