Eager young minds from 40 schools brought their A-game to The Herald Isuzu Schools Quiz elimination round at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
After fierce competition in the two morning and afternoon sessions, with each session including a nail-biting “quick-fire” and “sudden death” stage, the 40 teams were whittled down to 16 to contest this weekend’s round of 16 and quarterfinal showdown.
The quiz was revived in 2021 after a break of at least a decade, and pupils have been preparing for the 2023 competition since mid-April.
Saturday’s elimination round featured just under 160 pupils, with quizmaster Gareth Burley posing about 550 questions.
“It was a tense first day and it was clear that some schools spent a lot more time preparing for the quiz than others,” The Herald editor Rochelle de Kock said.
“What is great about this competition is that it places all schools on an equal footing, which means the more disadvantaged schools have an equal opportunity to do well against better-resourced schools, and that is exactly what we saw.”
She wished the remaining teams luck in their preparations for the upcoming round and offered this advice: “Over the next two weeks, it is important to take the time to read more local news.
“The teams were great with their sports questions, but some struggled with the local news questions.”
With a prize package totalling more than R290,000 at stake, teams of four pupils per school fought hard to qualify for the next round.
The 2021 runners-up, Sanctor High School, and new entrants Khwezi Lomso Senior Secondary were among the schools to survive the elimination round.
Sanctor’s Reese Smith, Lee Hammond, Ruche Smith, all 16, and Deonesha Sanna, 17, described the competition as exciting but nerve-racking.
“It’s a great experience, and not too difficult,” Ruche said.
Team captain Reese said: “It is important for us to compete, and win, so we can represent the northern areas, because schools in the northern areas are often underrated.”
For the next round, Lee said, “we will study hard and pray — we have come far and we want this”.
“We want to help our school and support our community.”
Deonesha said their preparations involved meeting up after school, working through the newspapers and drawing up mock quizzes.
Khwezi Lomso’s Sinoxolo Dywati, Aphelele Solomon, Simanye Fesi and Zukhanye Dlepu, all 17, said the competition was intense, but a lot of fun.
“It’s the first time we’re taking part, so now we know what to expect,” Aphelele said.
Zukhanye said: “I am proud to represent Zwide and my school.
“It being first our first time in the competition, I feel a deep sense of joy that we could represent our school well.
“We don’t have a quiz club at school; the four of us are the quiz club,” he said, chuckling.
Team captain Sinoxolo said the team had divided the papers into sections, with each member responsible for a different area of focus.
Simanye said their game plan for the next round would involve “not reading everything, but rather scanning better and focusing on key points”.
Teams stand a chance to win R30,000 from co-title sponsor Isuzu Motors SA to be shared among the top three schools; and prizes totalling R140,000 from Axxess, among other prizes.
Other sponsors include Caltex, Woodlands Dairy, PNA, Walmer Park Shopping Centre and Pickwick Books.
The Herald and Isuzu are distributing copies of the paper to every participating school to help them prepare.
Welcoming the teams, Isuzu SA corporate communications manager Sharné Woods said: “All of you sitting here are the bold ones, the smart ones, the ones with courage, the ones who aren’t afraid to take risks, who can handle a bit of pressure.”
She said Isuzu was proud to be part of a competition which “develops fundamental life skills, preparing you for a brighter future”.
“It teaches collaboration, teamwork, how to lead and follow, how to work under pressure.
“Today, and always, do your best and be bold — for us that means being brave, and taking every opportunity to learn and grow, even if you fail, because failing means growing.”
Each team was permitted one teacher, quiz mentor or parent to accompany them.
Teams were matched up by random draw, and Sanctor and Collegiate achieved the highest scores of the day, at 13 points each.
The round of 16 teams are: Pearson High, Sanctor High, Stedin College, Victoria Park High, Walmer High, Uitenhage High, Morningside High, Westville Secondary, Nico Malan High, Khwezi Lomso Senior Secondary, Collegiate Girls’ High, Lawson Brown High, Andrew Rabie High, Hillside High, 2021 champions Alexander Road High and current champions Paterson High.
The round of 16 and quarterfinals will be held at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday, with the semifinals and finals at the Southern Sun Marine Hotel on Sunday May 28.
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