Academic Team Update - 1/5/10

I arrived late at Academic Team today but I was still able to take advantage of this practice session. We only have a few more weeks until the competition in Boston on January 30th! I am very nervous, but also excited. I know that I need preparation but today was a great practice. Dr. Stewart and Mr. Scott alternated asking us questions. Dr. Stewart asked us questions mostly based on pop culture and books. I was of little use in this category, considering I know essentially nothing about pop culture and movies and I have difficulty remembering the authors of books. I hope to do some more trivia in this subjects and improve my knowledge before the competition, because I know that it is currently an area of weakness and something I can do better in.

Mr. Scott asked us questions mostly based on geography. Here, I was able to contribute a lot more to the team. My extensive knowledge of geography certainly helped the team to get a lot of the questions right. I was pleased with my performance and I definitely see this as one of my strengths and my major contribution to the team.

Unfortunately, due to my growing confidence in my geographic knowledge, Marliee seems to be feeling threatened by my success. I fully recognize that we are all part of a team and have to work together to answer all of the questions. We all play an important part in being successful. However, Marliee believes that I think I am better than everyone else and come off as arrogant and having an ego. I reviewed my performance in my head and seriously wondered why I came across like this. I always previously consider the ethical implications of my actions; if I get a question right, I am not going to boast or brag about it and make others feel bad. That is not the point of Academic Team. I approached Marliee and she said that I smirk after I get a question right and make an "I'm-better-than-you" face. I got a bit angry because I am sure that I never do this. However, at next weeks meeting, I will make sure I remain entirely apathetic to my success in an attempt to appease her.