The Greeley West Knowledge Bowl team is hoping that this weekend is not their last chance to show off their smarts this season. The Spartans will be competing at University High School this Saturday for the chance to be one of 12 teams to make the Colorado State Tournament.

The Knowledge Bowl team will participate in multiple rounds of trivia at the regional meet.  Each team begins the day with a multiple-choice test that is scored for points.  The points are calculated to setup the future rounds, with like-skilled teams competing with one another directly.  There will be over 40 team at University on Saturday vying for the 12 spots.  Their reward?  A trip across town for State at the University of Northern Colorado.

Senior Captain Mario Ontiveros said he is optimistic that the new Greeley West team can finish in the Top 12, especially after all of their hard work this season. “I feel like your chances are pretty good,” Ontiveros said. “When we first started off, it was a struggle just to learn how things worked.  Now, I love this team and I’m determined that we’ll do something big.”

Ontiveros said one of the intimidating parts of Knowledge Bowl competitions is the head-to-head competition.  Three teams of four answer questions in a game-show like atmosphere complete with buzzers.  Competitors have to know their trivia and know it fast.  After each round, total points are recalculated for the next round until the top teams face one another in the finals.

Ontiveros said the West team’s best subjects are history and English – particularly novels and literature questions.  Chemistry, as it is for most students at West, is the biggest challenge.

Questions are not just asked about school subjects, however.  Pop culture and current events are also included.  “They could ask you textbook knowledge or they could ask you about ‘What WNBA star was sent to prison in Russia? – Brittney Griner,” Ontiveros said. “It’s really pretty random.”

University, Windsor, and Berthoud are some of the favorite teams headed into the regional competition.  Regardless how the Spartans do, their success this year is sure to help get kids out for the program next year.  “I would say with how we perform this weekend, it could lead to a lot of opportunities for kids to join our club,” Ontiveros concluded.  “Yes, there’s times you don’t know (the answer), but you’ll also get chances to feel very confident.”