Bergen County Academies

The Bergen County Academies quiz bowl team competes at both the state and national level. It was the New Jersey State Champion in the 2006-2007 season and finished tied for 11th at the 2008 NAQT HSNCT.

History

The team appears to go back at least to the 2000-2001 season, although it is unknown if they have been consistently active. They made the playoffs in the 2005 NAQT HSNCT, led by senior Harry Altman. The team ran into some trouble in the 2005-2006 season as their long time coach, Mr. Jason Sayres, left. Throughout the year they were more or less without a coach. Nevertheless, the team itself showed promise, beating Wilmington Charter A to win the 2005 Long Island Fall Tournament, along with several other tournaments in the area. Unfortunately, the logistic issues created by a lack of a coach caused them to be unable to participate in the 2006 NAQT HSNCT. Finally, at the end of the year, they gained Robert Scarpone, a former Jeopardy champion, as a coach. The 2006-2007 was a bit of a rebuilding year, after the loss of several talented seniors. Nevertheless, the team won the 2007 State Championship (which may be due to several New Jersey teams boycotting it) and finished tied for 33rd at the 2007 NAQT HSNCT.

2007-2008 Season

The 2007-2008 season started under yet another coach, Mr. Richard Wasek, and once again saw the loss of several talented seniors. Nevertheless, the team improved greatly throughout the season, winning several tournaments including the Fall KMO and the first ever experimental Goldfish tournament. Entering the 2008 NAQT HSNCT, the team had gotten a resounding zero votes in the pre-nationals poll and shocked many (including themselves) by finishing tied for 11th with 6 other teams, by far their best finish at a HSNCT. The team hopes to remain competitive in the 2008-2009 season.

2008-2009 Season

In 2008, the team started with another coach, Dr. Michael Abramson, who previously coached the team in 2005. Losing some talented seniors, but seeing some potent players become seniors, Bergen prepared themselves for a big season. They started on the right path with a win at the Princeton High School Tournament with three players, earning the season's first trophy to be displayed proudly under Dr. Abramson's laptop cart.

Questions about Bergen

With several somewhat notable alumni, occasionally a tossup or bonus will be about a former student of the school. Harry Altman, a memorable subject in the documentary Spellbound appears from time to time (oddly enough, Harry himself played quizbowl for several seasons, meaning he could have potentially answered a tossup or bonus about himself). George Hotz, the first person to unlock the iPhone, appeared in a bonus in the NAQT packet IS-70.

Current Members

Former Members