Email

Print

There was a great deal of excitement inside the Belize City Centre today as students from six secondary schools fought long and hard to win the central a competition that would then make them eligible to compete in the national championship competition on Thursday March twelfth. The 2009 Belize Math Olympiad game started with the north a competition in which Orange Walk Technical High School and Corozal Community College have now advanced to the nationals.

Those students in the north will now be competing against the young ladies from St. Catherine’s Academy who became the central a champions in that competition after gaining a total of two thousand nine hundred points. 7News caught up with the more than happy SCA students and their math teacher and coach following their big win.

Leia Auil, Central A- SCA Champion
“A lot of it was tricky for me, putting more than one concept together in a short amount of time.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
So what strategy did you long ladies use?

Leia Auil,
“It was basically for us to get the answers and buzz in as fast as you can, pretty much all that went through our head I think."

Jacqueline Godwin,
Was there any point in this competition that you were nervous?

Leia Auil,
“Uhm in the beginning when we were just starting off we needed a warm up so that was the most nerve racking moment.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
And when did you begin to start feel very confident?

Leia Auil,
“During the competition, like the first answer we got correct and I was oh my God and we started to feel confident.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
So what now will happen, you all move now to the nationals?

Leia Auil,
“Yes.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
So tell me what work lies ahead in terms of preparing for the nationals?

Leia Auil,
“We will practice more, definitely practice harder everyday.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
So I mean this goes without question, you young ladies are math lovers?

Leia Auil,
“Yeah. That is my best subject.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
What do you like about the subject, you know a lot of people hate it?

Leia Auil,
“I’ve always been good in math, I’ve always liked math so it is just like natural I guess. I don’t want to say natural but I really like math. I’ve always liked it.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
What’s the advice for when you enter Math Olympiad, what should you come with?

Leia Auil,
“Confidence and gum, lots of gum for nerves.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
I know the students worked pretty hard for today’s big big win but hey you are the math teach, you are these young ladies’ coach so you had to put in a lot of effort just as well into it. What was it like?

Luis Zetina, Math Teacher/Coach
“Well it took a lot of time. We had our normal classes, our normal sessions that we have to go to and it takes a while after classes with them and plus their schedules, they have their personal schedules so we need to consider that as well. But it was a lot of work and we tried as much as possible to get as much material.”

Leticia Vega, Project Manager - Belize Math Olympiad
“It is just a word of advice to all participants, it is not only knowledge in math that counts. We also have a lot to do with speed, the speed that you press those slammers. You also need to have clarity involved because how well you express your answers is clear for the judges and one of the things that stood out in the ‘North A’ regional championship game is strategy because even if your school is coming in second and the third match when you wager and you really know how to wager and you get the answers you can move on to first place as the case with the Orange Walk Technical High School winning over Muffles College.”

This afternoon in the Central B competition, the young men of St. John’s College after a total of over four thousand points now advance to the nationals. The west competition gets underway on Tuesday February twenty fourth at the University of Belize Gymnasium. And the south competition takes place on February twenty sixth at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall.