SENIOR SCHOOL
Prepped for Prague
The article below was written by Year 10 student Jack Stewart about his experience participating in the World Scholar ’ s Cup , both here in Perth and at the Global Round in Prague . The World Scholar ’ s Cup is an international competition that provides students with a unique opportunity to study a wide range of subjects and apply their knowledge in several academic competitions , including formal debate and written examinations . This year was the first year that Guildford Grammar School entered the competition , putting forward two junior teams and one senior team , with all teams achieving exceptional results . The teams first competed at the Regional Round held at Scotch College in June and each of the teams qualified for the Global Round , held in Prague in July . There , Guildford Grammar School continued its great run , with all three teams qualifying for the Tournament of Champions ( the final round of the competition ) at Yale University in November . Jack ’ s article provides a personal account of his experience in the competition to date and some of the personal achievements he has enjoyed .
As the daring face of Yale University looks us in the eyes , the time seems fit to serve as a reflection on all that has passed . Not only had we surpassed the Perth round , we leapt into a whole new world and beat that too , winning a golden trophy of our own .
We seemed a mess at first . For some , including myself , it was the first time visiting Europe , and with school looming upon us , leaving prior to the competition was the best call to make . Although being the best option , seeing the team reunited was the best outcome . The Ibis Hotel of Prague Old Town didn ’ t seem much on the outside , but inside was a different story . The reception staff were ready to greet us , serving our every need – including providing eight room card replacements !
From the pre-Prague-talks until the day of the scavenger hunt , we had every intention of keeping to ourselves , but we had no idea what we were about to be met with .
Sitting down in the foreign auditorium gave off a strange vibe , knowing we weren ’ t playing at our home ground anymore . In front of us was a group of Americans and to our left were Indonesians , both of whom seemed organised for the competition , compared to our simple binder filled with loose paper . Not to downplay ourselves too much but the other teams clearly knew what they were in for , some participants having been to global rounds for two years in a row .
However one plush toy got my attention . One humongous alpaca ready to be earned . The front of the stage was lined with custom-made alpacas , mascots of the World Scholar ’ s Cup , wooing everyone who made eye contact .
However they weren ’ t for sale . They had to be earned .
Checking in was only stage one of the surreptitious master plan . We were to be forced away from our groups and placed among strangers from other countries for the majority of a day , having little to no contact with other groups .
Whatever I was thinking on the day ... I was wrong .
Never had cultures so foreign to me seemed so approachable . Everything worked out ten times better than planned as our group arrived at a restaurant , spending the rest of the scavenger hunt time there , socialising and learning about other ways of living .
Then it finally hit , we were ready . It was the start of the real deal .
We had passed through the Perth round with our somewhat fine-tuned debating abilities , however the day turned on us . When the first topic came around , the 15 minutes we had to prepare felt similar to 15 seconds , passing too soon . We hadn ’ t functioned as a group since the past round and something was out of place . Our first speaker used up all of our points and the third was left to pull a rabbit out of a hat . When my turn came around to stand , the weight of the world dropped in my gut .
I hadn ’ t spoken in front of a marker for what felt like eternity , and although there were only seven people in the room , it felt like a full audience had their eyes on me . I felt my legs wobbling and knew I was speaking too fast but couldn ’ t stop it once it had begun .
Each round passed alongside the other areas of the competition . The Scholar ’ s Bowl , a contest using additional knowledge from the Scholar ’ s Challenge , expended the stimulus material at will . Neither the Challenge nor Bowl scored many point for our team , targeting our lack of general knowledge . The writing section of the competition also held surprises , and even with research time proved a confronting encounter . Thirty minutes to prepare may seem like a lot but held a lot in common with the time available for debating ; it didn ’ t last long enough .
Events passed and we met more and more teams from across the world to share the closing ceremony celebrations with . The formality lasted three hours although every second kept people wanting more . Names were called and medals were awarded . The numbers kept dropping lower and lower until it came down to the top ten debaters , leaving my hopes crushed .
My name came up for tenth place .
The overwhelming success with our trophies and combined medals adding up to above 10 awards set us up for Yale . One of the most prestigious universities in the world .
Instead of hoping for something new , now we know it will be something new . It will be something special .
Jack Stewart
Late update : the Tournament of Champions was held at Yale in November , with the team finishing in fourth place in the Junior Division , out of 300 teams .
Emerson Varris and Zachary Matthews were also awarded 3rd and 4th ranked top scholars in Australia and the Americas respectively , an outstanding achievement !
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