North Harford’s Academic Team traveled to Baltimore on Saturday, September 20, to film WJZ’s game show, It’s Academic . This event was highly anticipated among team members and coach Mr. Russell Blake.
Preparation for It’s Academic began weeks before the show with an extended practice a few days before. The team continued to practice on the bus and at the studio.
“We practiced as if we were already on television, and rehearsed a bit on our bus ride to the studio Saturday morning. We went over and reviewed our weakest subjects; we wanted all the practice we could get,” said senior Michael Lascola.
The game show aired on October 18 at 10 am, showcasing the Hawks competing against John Carroll High School and Hereford High School. Scores were determined by intervals of 10, 20, and 30; John Carroll won by 20 points. Hereford came in second, leaving North Harford in third place, losing by 30 points.
“We may have lost, but at least we did not have any points deducted,” said senior captain Tyler Ziegler. “I admit though that we did not perform to our full capacity and were not up to snuff, but we did play a great game.”
According to Lascola the audience was small, but North Harford still filled up a majority of the seats. Some parents seemed more excited being in the audience than the competitors on the stage.
“My mom posted a pre-show picture of me in the suit I was wearing on the show before we left the house that morning,” said Lascola.
Parents were not the only ones who were proud of the students competing on the show. Coach Blake is not disappointed with his team because of their loss. He said he knows that they worked hard to be there and was proud of them and their performance. “I am always impressed when they go to competitions, especially when they are on television,” said Blake.
After the competition was over, participants were permitted to walk around WJZ studios, meet new people, and get the full television experience.