NERVES was the main reason attributed to Mt. Alvernia High School's defeat when they faced off against Wolmers Boys during Television Jamaica's (TVJ) Schools Challenge Quiz Competition 2001 on Monday.
Although Wolmers Boys were not as sharp as they could have been, they comfortably defeated Mt. Alvernia's all-female team a whopping 39 to 10.
Both teams answered most questions incorrectly during the first segment, which ended with Mt. Alvernia trailing by six points, 10 to 4.
The speed section was a disappointment as once again the teams, especially Mt. Alvernia, passed on many of the questions, and most of those they attempted were answered incorrectly.
One of the easiest questions passed on was 'Complete the phrase You lie with dog....
And, they were unable to say in what year Montego Bay, their home town, was made a city for the second time.
The buzzer section was the most disappointing segment , with Mt. Alvernia answering only two questions, one of which was incorrect. Wolmers' performance was also lukewarm as many of the questions posed went unanswered. By this time, though, it was a clear cut victory for Wolmers Boys.
Samuel Morgan, 16, Andre Reid 17, Andrew Jones,18, and Kenneth Skeen,18, who made up Wolmers team said they were happy for the victory but were disappointed about not having done better in the buzzer section.
"We were also a bit nervous but we will be better prepared for the next match," said Andre Reid. The boys vowed to practice even harder as they say they will have to be much better prepared to meet St. Jago, the school they will be up against in their next match.
Junior Spence, coach of Mt. Alvernia, told THE STAR that the members of his team were extremely nervous and that they lacked the necessary confidence.
"They themselves say they would have done better but they were nervous. We will work on this for next year," he said.
