In a high school realm dominated by the ever-present recognition of sports teams, many amazing accomplishments by non-athletic teams sometimes get skimmed over, but to that I say no more. Math Team is one such team who deserves to be highlighted.

We all know how sports teams work, but how does Math Team work? Math Team trades out balls and goals for numbers and intelligence. Mrs. Cox, the math team sponsor, was able to answer my question, saying, “Math team is a team of highly motivated and intelligent problem solvers who compete in math tournaments.”

Math Team is mostly able to compete in tournaments without having to travel, participating in Fall Startup, Team Scramble, Ciphering Time Trials, and the Four by Four, all of which are national competitions, all taken within the walls of Bob Jones. Mathfax is another national contest, which offers four tests throughout the year. Bob Jones’s Advanced Math Team has taken only two of the four tests, but is currently tied for first in the nation. There are times when the team makes a journey to The University of Alabama, Vestavia, and Alabama School of Fine Arts

Mathfax’s tests are not the only area Math Team has claimed high rankings in. State Team awards include 2^nd in Geometry at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, 1^st at the University of Alabama, and 1^st at Vestavia in both geometry and pre-calculus. Many students have also obtained individual awards at the aforementioned competitions.

Achieving high rankings does not come without practice. Mrs. Cox explains how they prepare, saying that they practice old tests and ciphering questions, as well as run through National Assessment questions.

I stopped by for a few moments before one of their practices for insight on math team from the students who make it all happen. Claudia Chu, sophomore, explains that math team is important to her because it’s practical, math is useful in the real world. Joey Li, also a sophomore, joked around, saying his parents made him. When I asked them about their favorite part of math team, they both answered competitions, after jokingly saying “snacks.”