all squared up: Team Panda won the Team Spirit Award

Monday, February 28, 2011

Team Panda won the Team Spirit Award

The Independent Learning Center's (ILC) team won the Team Spirit Award at the Sea Lion Bowl! After seven losses, some close and some not close, they finally won their last match. They were so cute, kind, friendly, gracious and respectful, they won the hearts of the judges. We were proud and glad for them.

The team that always wins won yet again and will go to Houston to compete in the nationals. For once, we were all rooting for them. While the winners were not exactly gracious, the second place team showed such a lack of sportsmanship it was shocking. The audience actually booed them when they complained about the winning team's stuffed animal mascot on the table!

Cell phones, PDAs, books, cameras are all forbidden during the matches. While the rules were being read for the final match, Ernst accidentally hit the button for the Catch Phrase game in his backpack. He quickly left the room as the beep got faster and faster! The 2nd place team put up a complaint, but then one of them had a cell phone go off during the match. So we didn't feel quite so bad about our blunder.

My reflections of the weekend: Teenagers can be wonderful. The bowl brings together amazing talent, intelligence and logic, but also endearing impulsiveness and lack of sophistication. There were teams that were very likable, yet others that were so over-confident it was cringe inducing. Is the over-confidence necessary to win, or are they so used to winning they get the superior attitude? Giftedness can be fostered, but how to teach graciousness and likability? And we haven't even hit the Baby Einstein generation!

It was a fabulous weekend, gorgeous clear weather, a great group of ILC girls who were fun and got along well, plus an amazing event put on by the volunteers. And we got Thai food at the awards dinner! Vegan food choices and brown rice, we knew we were in San Francisco.