Over a four-day weekend back in February, five deaf students from Wyoming traveled to Riverside, California and competed at the California School for the Deaf in the Deaf Academic Bowl. Since 2003, the Wyoming team has attended this regional competition, which rotates between deaf schools. Hosting the competition is considered an honor.

The Wyoming team placed second over-all, out of around twenty teams in attendance, and was able to proceed on to the National competition held in April. A Kelly Walsh senior, Gabi Reimann, was awarded All Star Player, an honor selected by the officials and reserved for the eight players who demonstrate a high level of sportsmanship, knowledge, and leadership, during the award ceremony at the end of the weekend. Reimann was also awarded All Star Player last year at the national level.

“This year, my last year of being able to compete in the Academic Bowl, I was selected as an All Star player. I am proud to have represented Wyoming at regionals these past four years as well as the national competition these past three years,” said Reimann.

When Reimann returned to Washington D.C. for the National competition she was able to finally experience Washington’s famous cherry blossoms in full bloom, which she had never seen before, and revisit Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University, the only college specifically for the deaf and hard of hearing, hosts the National Deaf Academic Bowl yearly. Established in 1996, the competition has served, not only as a place for the deaf and hard of hearing to compete amongst their peers but also, afforded the opportunity for participants to be immersed in Deaf culture for twenty-one years.

The regional competition features a match-style setup, with each match consisting of three rounds. In a Jeopardy-style format, participants are asked questions which appear on a slideshow and respond by pressing a buzzer. The participant who sounds the buzzer first is able to answer the question. If answered wrong, the question is reverted to the other team. According to Gallaudet University, the question categories are: “Social Studies; Language and Literature; Science and Technology;  Mathematics; The Arts; Deaf Studies; Current Events; Potpourri; and Pop Culture, Leisure, and Sports.”

There are twelve questions per match, with the final round consisting of ten questions in two minutes. The twenty teams registered to compete are split into pools of ten, and every team in the pool are paired. The two teams with the most wins in their pool move on to the championship matches, where they are paired with the respective first and second place winners from the other pool. The final match follows the same format, with the addition of more questions and further time restrictions. The National competition features rules that add further difficulty to the already intellectually challenging Academic Bowl.

“The competition itself is educational, I learn a lot from studying. I think it is interesting to see Deaf culture and what it is like and how it is different from the hearing world,” said Rachel Lebsack, a third year contestant from Wheatland, Wyoming.

Although the team does not practice together, it does not hinder their camaraderie. Graves said, “I get to travel with my teammates and represent Wyoming. I definitely enjoy traveling and seeing new places… and hanging out with my teammates. They are really cool people.” The Deaf Academic bowl brings the deaf and hard of hearing community together, and that is one of Grave’s favorite parts. Graves continued, “I want everyone to know that deaf people can do anything except hear. Our hearing loss does not affect out intelligence.” Graves, along with his teammates, are looking forward to competing next year, to see if they can buzz in another victory at the Deaf Academic Bowl.