After a week-long competition in Washington D.C., Amador’s Competition Civics Team secured their place nationally. The months of practice and preparation paid off, and Amador Valley won seventh place.
“I was really proud of the team for winning seventh because last year’s championship team didn’t even make it to the top ten. The team that won in 2021 came in tenth. It’s getting increasingly hard to even get into the top ten, so I feel like the Amador team did a really nice job this year,” said AV Comp Civics teacher Stacey Sklar.
The entire trip was about a week long, with the last few days dedicated to the competition. The first few days, the team spent time touring and sightseeing the places they’ve been studying all year.
“We spent the first few days in Philadelphia and visited Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. We visited the US Mint, where they print coins. And we visited the National Constitution Center which was pretty fun. Especially considering that for the whole year, all of our team’s work has been based on the Constitution. Seeing a complete exhibit dedicated to it was really fun,” said Runab Dixit (‘24).
On top of touring and visiting historical monuments, the team had to find time to prepare for their competition. The busy schedule for the week and the stress of the competition added up.
“Aside from the jetlag, the practice that we did at the competition was tough,” said Selena Yan (‘24). “The scheduling was a bit weird because we went on tour before the competition, so we had less time to prepare. Everyone stayed up until like 2 in the morning every day. We would then get up at 6 in the morning and go on tour at 7. I think a lot of us were really tired, and a lot of stress built up until the competition itself. It was really a big struggle, but I think we mostly pulled through.”
It was also hard for the team to scope their standing in comparison with the other attending teams. Even so, the team remained motivated to make top ten.
“We knew from our performance at States that we were blank points better than another school’s Unit 1 team, but you have no idea why that is. Was it the quality of evidence, the reasoning, the testimony, or how many times each person spoke? You can only compare how you’re doing to your past performances which led to the team feeling demotivated before we left for Nationals. Some were worried about us not even making the Top 10, which was clearly not an issue,” said Fengyi Ruan (‘24).
Placing seventh nationally along with the sightseeing the team had, the Nationals experience was a fun and unforgettable one. The new connections the team made with other Comp Civics teams across the nation further enhanced the trip.
“My favorite part was meeting students from other states and getting to know the different aspects of each state. It was unique to see how each team approached the questions and their overall dynamic,” said Shambhavi Singh (‘24).
As Amador Competition Civics wraps up the year and season, each individual on the team gained another experience they can now take with them.
“I really gained perspective on just how important civic engagement is. Whether you like it or not, government and politics will affect your life,” said Ruan. “If not a SCOTUS decision, then the TikTok bill that just passed in Congress. If not Tiktok, then the reauthorization of FISA Section 702.”
