October 3, 2002

Members of the Yellow Springs High School Quick Recall Team, from left, first row: James Hyde, Alex Melecki, Andy Chen and Matt Zaremsky: back row: Rose Blakelock, Aaron Zagory and Scott Keyes.

What does the acronym “EVA,” used in reference to NASA’s space station, stand for? Those who can answer “extra-vehicular activity” in less than five seconds might be on par with the Yellow Springs High School’s Quick Recall team competing this fall on WHIO’s “High Q” game show.

Sunday morning, Sept. 29, Channel 7 televised Yellow Springs’ recent win over the National Trail Blazers from New Paris, 580–275 on the quiz show, which is hosted by sportscaster Mike Hartsock. This Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Yellow Springs squad faced Franklin Monroe, from Pittsburg, Ohio, in the second of a possible six single-elimination matches against other Miami Valley schools. The match will be shown on channel 7 on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 8:30 a.m.

When asked about their reputation in the area, YSHS Quick Recall team members said they are a force to be reckoned with. “We’re good,” senior Andy Chen said. “We win.”

YSHS will continue to face schools such as Fairmont, Oakwood and Beavercreek at school-sponsored tournaments in the Dayton League for the rest of the season.

“We can actually play big schools we wouldn’t normally play against in sports,” Chen said. “It’s something where size doesn’t matter.”

“We do it for our ego’s sake, considering we [are weak] in lots of other things,” junior Rose Blakelock said.
With seven team members, this year’s squad has a variety of age, experience, and specialization. Sophomore Scott Keyes covers current events and government questions, and junior James Hyde is responsible for world capitals and mythology, and Blakelock handles English and literature.

All the members acknowledged that Chen is the team’s leader.

“Andy just knows it all,” senior Matt Zaremsky said.

When asked about how they prepare to answer a broad range of academic and trivia questions, the students balked. Meetings are difficult to plan because of the students’ busy schedules. All of the members participate in other activities such as sports, music and School Forest. And five of the seven students are taking classes at Antioch College.

Some schools take meet preparations very seriously, Chen said, but the Yellow Springs team is not short on confidence.
“Practices aren’t anything organized, we kind of do it half [heartedly],” Chen said. “It’s a combination of what we already know and what we’ve learned in school anyway. There’s nothing we’re really deficient in except religion.”

Along with the “High Q” matches and various local tournaments, the Quick Recall team is organizing its own tournament for the second week of December. Chen and two seniors not on the team are hosting the tournament as their senior project. The entry fees participants will have to pay will also help pay for the team’s potential travels to nationals, should they be invited again like last year. Last year the team was invited, but could not attend the tournament because of a lack of funding.

For now, the team hopes to beat Beavercreek, a long-time rival, said the team’s coach and Yellow Springs High School history teacher Joyce McCurdy.

YSHS has only defeated Beavercreek once, McCurdy said. “You never know how it will turn out, but I’d love to see them win,” she said.

—Lauren Heaton