Kate McMahon
Reporter
The typical athlete spends their day in the gym racking weights and increasing their resistance on the elliptical. The mathletes, however, flex their brains by challenging their proficiency in subjects from trigonometry to number theory. Their practice consist of putting (sin)/x in their TI-84 calculators and quizzing their fellow math team members on their way to the Connecticut State Association of Math League competition.
Despite the obvious differences in practicing techniques, Junior Charlie Lenihan feels both math team and athletic teams are surprisingly similar: “The swim team, for example, is just like math team: the charged, driven, motivated, competitive atmosphere; the coaches and captains helping us perform our best; and the thrill of turning over that page, or diving into the pool, and seeing all of the work you’ve put in practicing pay off,” he said.
The math team has definitely shown off their drive this year after winning first place in their division at The Connecticut State Association of Math Leagues. Captain of the team, Gita Abiraman, talked about the team’s prosperity: “I would attribute our success this year to good team chemistry and really strong younger members,” she said, “I encourage anyone who has an interest in math to join the team now, because it’s at its best.”
Even with their strong performance, Gita mentions what the team is up against: “Greenwich is probably our biggest rival in Fairfield County due to their size. It’s much easier for them to come up with a 6 member A-team than it is for us. At the state level a top contender is Choate. They usually dominate the medium school division, but we were recently able to overtake them for the state title.”
Junior member Patrick Hompe still remains confident in the team despite strong competition. “I think we has a lot of experience this year, since a lot of people have done it before, which definitely helps,” he said.
On May 2, the team will take a trip to Massachusetts where regionals are being held. “We won the state competition for the first time in recent history. I know the team has a great future ahead of it, and I’m really going to miss being a part of it.” Gita said.
Charlie is also excited for the math team’s near future: “In the short term, I’m really looking forward to New England Association of Math Leagues (NEML) and showing New England that the NCHS Math Team is a force to be reckoned with.”
Even though Math team is an outside school activity, members believe it helps in regular math class. “First off, it lets me brush up on ‘old’ material that otherwise might gather cobwebs and atrophy with lack of use,” Charlie said. “In a more general sense, it also really helps me with my problem-solving skills. Whenever I get stuck and can’t remember the most obvious formula or principle to apply to a problem, I have to resort to more roundabout strategies.”
Besides the additional math practice the team provides, Gita most enjoys the togetherness of the team. “I really enjoy the collaborative quality of math team, because math in school is more focused on individual achievement,” she said.
Charlie agreed: “I love the feeling you get from being a part of a tradition that was around before you got to the high school and will remain long after you’ve left it. Of course, the thrill of winning is pretty exhilarating too.”
