Chicago Weather Costs New Trier Japan Bowl Team a Shot at National Championship

Nearly an eight-hour flight delay due to Chicago’s severe weather may have caused the New Trier High School’s Japan Bowl team a shot at a national championship.

The team had put in hard work for months, and were ready to board a flight to Washington, D.C. on April 9. But when their 9 a.m. flight was canceled due to weather, they anxiously waited standby.

The team eventually departed - around 4:30 p.m., the Chicago Tribune reports. But by the time they arrived in the nation’s capital for the competition - the first round had already been completed. The Trevians did well in the second and third round the next day, but missing an entire round prevented them from having a shot at the title. All their scores were ruled ineligible.

“The kids were definitely disappointed, but I think the biggest thing that came out of this is that they all stayed so positive and didn’t give up, even though they knew that after missing the first round they had no chance of winning,” said Naomi Suzuki, the school’s Japanese language teacher and team adviser.

Team members Miya Jia, Tara Smart and John Murphy guided NJew Trier to a win the the state competition, besting 15 other teams last month.

“Even though we couldn’t compete, we still had a really fun time, and it was inspiring to see the winning teams and how dedicated they were,” said Murphy. “It was an educational experience…and there was a great chocolate fountain, too.”

more via the Chicago Tribune

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