Academic SuperBowl’s first call-out meeting was held Oct. 5 where captain applications were distributed to those who were interested. Students are participating in an ice-breaking activity to get to know their teammates.

Academic SuperBowl to announce new subject area captains on Oct. 26. According to staff sponsor James Ziegler, the meeting will be held in E212 where members will split up into their chosen subject area teams along with meeting their new captains. 

Ziegler said that there were a lot of sign-ups this year. He encourages all Academic Bowl members to apply for captain positions even if it is their first year in the club. “I always tell students even if it’s their first year in Super Bowl, if they’re interested in being a captain, still apply because there’s no experience that is necessary as a prerequisite,” Ziegler said. “If somebody seems like they’d be a good leader, they can easily be chosen as captain even in that first year.” 

Along with filling out applications, applicants will also need to meet with Ziegler for an interview where he is expected to ask various questions regarding their leadership and problem solving skills. 

“(A) big thing that I’ll ask is what is their leadership style and how flexible are they because everybody has different learning styles…,” Ziegler said. “I’ll ask them if they feel comfortable delegating responsibilities, the expectation is not the captain doing everything. Sometimes a good leader is somebody whose able to delegate responsibilities to others.” 

Junior Oliver Zhu said he applied for the captain position this year because of its leadership opportunities and flexibility.

“I decided to join Academic Bowl because I went to the call-out and thought it was a good opportunity because of its leadership opportunities and flexible scheduling,” he said. “I wanted to become captain because I wanted to try my hand at leading in a new context.” 

Ziegler said that applicants who are motivational, flexible, and empowering are desirable traits he likes to have in a captain. 

“They don’t have to be an expert in the content area or have to take all the AP classes in their content area, but they have to be willing to learn and be motivated,” he said. “(I am looking for) somebody who seems like they’ll be able to mesh well with different personalities (because) flexibility is important to me, and somebody who is willing to empower others.” 

Zhu said that he is fit for the captain position because he had a lot of prior leadership experience.

“I have led in multiple contexts prior to this time, though in high school the most notable instances would be leaders in DECA and managing Cycling Club last year,” Zhu said. “The most exciting and rewarding part of any leadership role is that of watching your team improve, both in skill and collaboration.”