Out of 300 students, one kid from a suburban neighborhood in Elkhorn placed 61st overall at an Individual Player National Championship Tournament in Chicago, Illinois.
Senior Carson Deprez qualified for the quiz bowl tournament which is different that typical quiz bowl competition because there is only one person that qualifies and attends rather than the entire quiz bowl team.
The state of Nebraska holds two competitions specifically for students to go as individuals. They select the top five performers at that competition, and Deprez placed first.
“It was the best I’ve ever done,” Deprez said. “I’ve qualified since sophomore year, so that was my best performance.”
The questions that are presented at quizbowl competitions range on a spectrum from middle school level all the way to college difficulties. At individuals however, the questions lean more towards college intermediate levels. Nonetheless, it is not just the difficulty of the questions that make it tricky, but more the length of the questions ranging from six to seven sentences.
“They’re about pretty hard topics; topics that the average person might not even know the answer to or what it means,” Deprez said.
Deprez is known for his hard work and dedication. He practices every day during lunch and after school. He also takes advantage of the sample questions available online and uses them to prepare for what the big day may look like. Many of his Quizbowl teammates agree that he is one of the most committed and dedicated members on the team.
“He is incredibly devoted,” senior Yuridia Hernandez- Tapia said. “He practices two hours per day, so I’m saying that he is the biggest part of our team.” Hernandez- Tapia said.