On Feb. 2, 2019 the KO Middle School Mathcounts team traveled to the University of Hartford in order to participate in the Mathcounts regional competition. The four members, eighth-grader Arav Kumar, seventh-graders Tobias van Wilgan and Rayyan Haider, and sixth-grader Guru Anand, represented the Middle School at the competition. Mathcounts is a math competition that occurs all around the country every year.
The captain of the team, Arav, started Mathcounts last year and now leads the team this year. “I like math, and last year I found out about Mathcounts from one of my friends outside of school,” he said. His score qualified him to move on to the State Competition.Next year’s captain, Tobias, said he really enjoys Mathcounts.“I have been pretty good at math and I am a year ahead. It will take a lot of skill to place higher in the competition.”
Most participants believe the competition has benefited them. “I got a lot better at math and I became closer with my teammates,” said Arav.
Tobias agreed. “It is nice to have that time to study more,” he said. Most people said they like that it makes them better at math and enjoy the extra time to study. However, one participant has not noticed any benefit. “I’m pretty much the same person,” said Rayyan.
Practicing is crucial to success in the competition. Getting ready is different than studying for a math test. “We watch Youtube math videos, use the Mathcounts trainer, and the practice tests from last year,” Arav said, referring to tests from last year’s tournaments that the Mathcounts organization releases.
The Mathcounts team will continue next year. “I hope more kids join us because it’s fun,” Arav said. He will compete at the state level on March 9.
