The Mathletes’ team won first place at the Marquee Math Competition, a football-themed contest organized at the Arizona State Farm Cardinals Stadium that featured Math teams around Arizona. It was a remarkable success for the team because none of its members had participated in this competition before.
Senior Vice President Jynmei Schnulo mentioned that her experience during the competition was fun and exciting, including a tradition of meeting other students from different schools. She stated, “I had a really great time there. On the bus ride there, we went to Canes, which is an annual tradition for the math competition. We got to meet some of the cheerleaders [of the Cardinals]. We got to meet a bunch of different people from other schools.” Before every competition, the mathletes eat at Raising Cane’s to bond before the big competition. Since the competition was a football theme, most questions were related to the sport.
At the beginning of the competition, teams attempted to answer different questions, testing not only their skills but also their speed. Schnulo said, “I wasn’t expecting much, like, especially because some of the questions are pretty hard.” Indicating that, she didn’t expect a first-place score for their answers. However, despite the difficulties and uncertainties, this team relied on their knowledge of each other, since they had competed a lot together before. Winning the competition required cooperation and collaboration within their group.
The team was well-prepared due to their participation in past competitions and active participation in their math class. Schnulo explained, “We don’t really do too much prep…we are just in our math classes, practicing. So a lot of the questions relate to what we do in our class.” Their advisor, Thomas Rothery, teaches AP Calc AB and AP Stats. The students in the Mathletes have or are in one of his math classes, strengthening not only their problem-solving skills but also their trust in his guidance and each other.
As soon as the final standings were revealed, the team found out they had won the contest. Shnulo claimed, “When they called that we got 1st place, I was super excited. And then we got to meet a football player who was on the team.” Together, their preparation, experience, and teamwork led to a well-earned victory that made the moment even more memorable.
Schnulo emphasized how Rothery had always kept their team positive and motivated, no matter the results. She shared, “He’s very encouraging. He’s excited. In the last competition, we didn’t do as well. And he was super excited for us, regardless. When we won, he was super excited for us.” Even though their past competition was not as successful, Rothery always maintained a positive and motivating attitude for his students.
Although the win was significant, participation in the competition was equally important. The hard questions, the new location, and cooperation between the teammates made this competition worth remembering.
