The Liberia Institute for Knowledge and Excellence (LIKE) conveners of the National
Quizzing Teams and organizers of the National Quizzing Super Cup announces the
completion of the most successful midyear international quizzing break on record.
The crowning element was the first victory of a Liberian team over a US team in over forty attempts, with the High School National Quizzing Team of Liberia crushing Minnesota by a score of 120 to 80 points.
The match was being played in the US National
All-Star State Academic Tournament held online by International Quiz Bowl Tournaments based in Kentucky, with guest teams from Asia and Liberia.
Liberia is the
only team to have ever represented Africa in the event and has a huge challenge as the
event is intended to determine the US champion and therefore has questions focused
on their landscape.
Similarly, US states have so much resources available for education,
that Liberia’s education budget is microscopic in comparison.
Minnesota state with a
population similar to Liberia has an education budget of US$11.7billion, while the
entire national budget of Liberia is about US$0.7 billion and figure fore education sector is about
US$0.1 billion or close to US$100 million.
This means that Minnesota has more to spend on education in three days than Liberia has to spend over the entire year.
Liberian staking part in the World Quizzing Championship continued to dominate the
top African positions, taking four of the first six players.
Quizmaster-General Phil
Tarpeh Dixon topped Africa for the 11th time, with including all four years from 2021
to now, with the South African couple Sukanya and Nils Lenhardt coming second and
third.
Smaila Kiazolu retained his fourth position, while Philip H. Roberts and Lahai Kamara again shared the same score and Africa’s fifth position.
N. Grace Cole of Liberia
is the Africa’s second best female. Using all scoringing formation and changes in global ranking over the last two years.
Meanwhile, LIKE has also selected its line-up for the International Quizzing Olympiad being
scheduled for Spain in November this year.
The team would be led by Africa’s only quizzing Hall of Famer, Phil Tarpeh Dixon and Ultimate Quizzing Championship
medalists Smaila A. Kiazolu, PhilipH. Roberts, N. Grace Cole and Jonathan Z. Saye.
Persons who would be going abroad to represent Liberia for the first time include fast riser Lahai Kamara,new entry Oliver M. Suah and the second best Liberian female and
record WQC score for a Liberian high school student, D. Bendu Massaquoi.
Liberia’s increase in its team size from six to eight persons thus improving the nation’s medal chances
as the nation would be fielding sides of the expected four quizzers in events, rather than
sides of three each which had given opponents an advantage.