The 2010 National Geographic Washington state geography bee was held at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma on Friday, April 9. Four students from San Juan County competed.

Orcas Island seventh grader Brigid Ehrmantraut, participated for the first time. Two-year veteran Kasey Rasmussen, now in eighth grade, and sixth grader and first-time competitor Will Christinson, both from San Juan, and Lopezian Fletcher Moore, also travelled to Tacoma. All of the kids did well, with each scoring in the top twenty to thirty percent of the top 100 students from schools state-wide. Though no one from San Juan County made the final rounds, all stayed to watch. Every state participant had previously won their school’s bee and passed a written qualifying test.

State level questions ranged from physical geography, like “What is the name for the crater of a volcano?” (a caldera), to political geography: “The Thames River flows through the capital city of which European country?” (the United Kingdom). Some questions were multiple choice: “Which state is bordered by Lake Ontario, New York or Wisconsin?” (New York). Some dealt with current events: “Name the South American county that will host the 2016 Summer Olympics” (Brazil). Some with economic geography: “Most pumpkins grown in the United States are from which state?” (Illinois). Competitors had fifteen seconds to answer each questions.

“Whether you get it right or not really depends on the question,” says thirteen-year-old Ehrmantraut. “Any given one might be harder or easier. Studying helps a lot but some of it’s just luck.”

The state winner moves on to the national bee held in Washington D.C., which will be televised. Washington state holds the record for most national winners.