Gills? Do the Lake Sturgeon Bowl team members from Marshfield have gills? Sometimes it seems possible given their juggernaut through all aspects of water knowledge at the annual Lake Sturgeon Bowl. The competition that ended on Saturday, Feb. 4, marked 11 straight wins for the four-student team from the central part of the state.The bowl has been held for 11 years.
“We do feel like we have a bullseye on our backs,” said Coach Paul Herder.”These kids are self-motivating. They meet three times a week and work on it. They’re great kids.”
During this year’s competition, 22 teams were gunning for that Marshfield bullseye. The three that came closest were Spring Valley, Janesville Craig and Shorewood. The high-schoolers churned through questions about math and marine science-related topics, including the geology, biology and chemistry of the Great Lakes.
Marshfield will travel to Baltimore to compete nationally in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, April 19 through 22. There, too, they’ve got a bullseye. Marshfield is the reigning national champion and has been since 2009.
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) is in its 15th year. It is managed by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, representing leading oceanographic institutions, universities and aquaria. The 2012 national competition takes place in Baltimore. Next year, it moves to a freshwater site — Milwaukee.This is the first time it will be held in the Great Lakes region and Kathleen Meehan Coop, NOSB director, said she is pleased to be able to showcase the world’s largest freshwater system.
The Lake Sturgeon Bowl is sponsored in part by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
