To ensure an exciting competition, the morning's matches were grouped with last year's first-place team against the eighth-place team, second against seventh, and so on.
Therefore, Marymount Academy, as the favorite to win, and Medford High, the number two team, would not face each other in the morning's preliminary round.
Once everyone was seated, the match between Marymount Academy and Little Garden High School, who ranked eighth last year, officially began.
The preliminary round of the Math Olympiad competition was also divided into two rounds; in the first round, both teams answered questions in rotation, with a total of thirty questions.
If both teams answered all questions correctly, they would proceed to the second round, a sudden-death segment with ten questions, where the team that first answered six questions correctly would win.
As last year's champion team, Marymount Academy naturally received more attention.
Kevin, the captain, who had set winning the championship and defeating Carter as his goals, began observing Marymount Academy as they prepared to take the stage.
...
Sum and difference problems, arithmetic progression problems, series summation, averages...
An old professor wearing thick glasses on stage was presiding over the competition.
However, as the competition began, the difficulty of the questions in the first sub-round, the alternating answer segment, seemed to be low.
"These questions are too simple!" Sheldon, a special audience member, questioned the Math Olympiad problems that only required basic calculations.
"There's really no difficulty..." Mike leaned back comfortably in his chair and casually agreed.
As a junior, he was technically pulled in to make up the numbers this time.
However, he didn't expect that the Math Olympiad competition, which Ms. Sharon had previously taken so seriously, would have such low difficulty questions in the first preliminary round.
Among these questions, in addition to necessary calculation problems, there were even some interesting brain teasers.
For example, for a fun problem like the chicken and rabbit problem, Mike could look at the question on the projection screen behind and instantly get the answer before the host even finished reading it.
It can be said that for individuals with the intelligence level of Mike and Sheldon, mental math and quick calculation are basic operations, so naturally, there was no difficulty whatsoever.
However, Kevin and the others, waiting to go on stage, had rather serious expressions at this moment.
Although the calculation-only problems were not very difficult for them, having to come up with the answer within the stipulated thirty seconds, plus the tension and other on-stage factors, meant that a slight lack of attention could lead to answering incorrectly.
With this empathy, Kevin maintained a serious expression while glaring with "fierce" eyes at the Marymount Academy members answering questions on stage.
Presumably, he wanted to use this method to put more pressure on the Marymount Academy team, hoping they would make mistakes due to nervousness.
However, in the face of absolute strength, Kevin's little scheme did not succeed.
Later, as the alternating answer segment progressed, the complexity of calculations in the subsequent questions clearly increased by a notch.
The fifth member of the Little Garden High School Math Olympiad team appeared to be an eleventh-grade student. Having one less year of high school, his Math Olympiad knowledge was clearly a step behind the others.
Facts proved that not all eleventh-graders selected for the Math Olympiad team were super geniuses like Mike and Sheldon.
Later, in the final round of answering questions, this junior from Little Garden High School lost the opportunity for his school's Math Olympiad team to enter the second round due to exceeding the calculation time limit.
"Congratulations to Marymount Academy for being the first to qualify for the semi-finals!"
After the result was announced, the old professor hosting the competition on stage declared the outcome of the first match.
Because there were only eight participating teams, defeating just one opponent was enough to enter the afternoon's semi-finals.
"Little Garden High School is useless!"
Below the stage, Kevin, who had always considered Marymount Academy his opponent and thus empathized with Little Garden High School, angrily waved his clenched fist upon seeing Little Garden High School dramatically lose the match by answering the last question incorrectly, and a look of disappointment, like iron that can't be forged into steel, appeared on his face.
It's understandable that while he was putting pressure on Marymount Academy with his gaze, he was probably also cheering on Little Garden High School in his heart.
However, Little Garden High School, which was at the bottom last year, did not have the strength to become a "dark horse" this year either.
"Next, Medford High and Peterburg High School, please come to the stage for your match!"
A formal Math Olympiad competition doesn't have much entertainment value. After the result of the first match was out, the old professor on stage proceeded with the flow, continuing to the second match.
"Go, Mike!" Sheldon, as a special audience member, was a bit disappointed by the difficulty of the Math Olympiad competition, but seeing Mike about to go on stage, he still offered his blessings.
After all, Mike's intelligence had earned his approval.
Sheldon might be in the same situation as Kevin was earlier, identifying himself with Mike.
"Don't worry, even without cheering, I'll be fine," Mike smiled easily and rose with his teammates.
Then, accompanied by Ms. Sharon's encouraging words, Kevin led the Medford High Math Olympiad team members onto the stage.
As the team passed by the Marymount Academy Math Olympiad team, who were leaving the stage, Kevin, who had always considered them his imaginary enemy, seized this excellent opportunity to provoke them.
He cast a sidelong glance at Carter, who was at the front of the opposing team, and with his neck stiff, he quietly said, "Don't think winning against the last-place team is a big deal. This year's champion will only be us."
"Is that so? I hope you can make it to the finals," Carter, looking like a bookworm, smiled back in retort.
This captain from Marymount Academy was not as dull as his appearance suggested; on the contrary, he was quite "scheming."
Seizing the moment perfectly, he successfully provoked the already agitated Kevin with just one light sarcastic remark.
And when Kevin wanted to retort further, Carter had already led the Marymount team to the audience seats below.
His seemingly nonchalant demeanor suggested that he didn't view last year's second-place Medford Team with much importance.
"You just wait for me!" Kevin, whose punch landed on cotton, said resentfully to Carter's retreating back.
"Calm down, Kevin, he's probably trying to provoke you..." Mike, who was second in line, quietly reminded his captain.
Kevin might not have noticed that Carter from Marymount Academy wasn't as dismissive of Medford as he appeared.
His action of provoking Kevin just now was clearly much more sophisticated than Kevin's earlier glaring.
In precise mathematical calculations, any emotional fluctuation can potentially distract a person, leading to errors in calculation.
Clearly, Carter's act of deliberately provoking Kevin had ill intentions.
"I know, I won't let him succeed..." After being reminded, Kevin's emotions settled down a bit.
As captain, he knew very well that now was not the time for impulsive actions.
Then, with a belly full of frustration, Kevin, urged by the host, led his teammates to their answering area.
Unable to vent his frustration, his gaze once again turned "fierce."
First, he glared with this dangerous look at the Marymount team below the stage, then Kevin turned his gaze with the same intensity to scrutinize the Peterburg High School team opposite him.
The Peterburg team members, who didn't yet know what was happening, were caught in the crossfire. In a short while, Kevin's glare made them feel uneasy, and they all avoided his gaze.
It was evident that as last year's second-to-last team, the Peterburg High School team members did not have such high spirits this year.
"Alright, now we enter the alternating answer segment for both teams!" The old professor, responsible for hosting, also noticed Kevin's expression in the answering area, but he mistakenly took it as a sign of the latter's enthusiasm.
With this understanding, the old professor, who had previously been stern, even gave a slight nod towards Medford High as he moved the competition forward.