Sabrina Williams | Staff Writer

On Saturday, October 27,  Johnson sent its first and only team of four students  to Academic Bowl, a national event that can only be described as minor-league jeopardy on steroids. In it, students have to answer random questions within 5 seconds that can range anywhere from philosophy, politics, or even folklore from India.

“It was actually really relaxed,” world history teacher Adrian Viccellio, the coach and sponsor of the academic bowl team, said. “We went in with no expectations because we had barely practiced. We only knew we were going, like, 5 days before.”

Johnson’s academic bowl team had trouble getting off of the ground. From multiple competitors falling out, to scheduling problems, Viccellio was convinced the team wouldn’t live to see competition day. By the time the team was completely put together and solidified, they only had about 15 minutes the day before to really practice.

“We went in thinking winning one match would be good, but we ended up winning like five matches,” Viccellio said.

The Johnson team had a winning percentage of about 77.6%, and even made it all the way to playoffs.

“As word gets out, I think we’ll grow even more,” Viccellio said. “Our team has grown from one to four teams.”

The team will go to about four more competitions all over the country throughout the year, and nationals are planned to be in Atlanta, Georgia. If the Johnson team wins there, they will get a national title for the 2012-2013 school year. Their next competition is on December 1, in Houston.

“This time we’re prepared,” Viccellio said. “We’ve had a lot of practice and everything.”