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Young Readers Shine at OBOB Tournament

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Twelve Springfield teams were in the mix on March 8 at the Region 3 North Oregon Battle _MG_9821of the Books (OBOB) tournament held at Thurston High. All 48 participating teams were treated to a great mix of excitement and entertainment throughout the day, this the first time since 2011 that Springfield has hosted a regional tournament, which rotates from district to district, and the first time ever for Thurston High.

Smiling faces in the morning told a story of teams of third- through fifth-graders enjoying a festive atmosphere surrounding reading and books, with local juggler extraordinaire Rhys Thomas captivating the crowd during the kick-off assembly with jokes about the 16 books that were featured in the competition. “The Amazing Spaghetti Man” also entertained the troops with his magic, and parent volunteers from Ridgeview Elementary made incredible balloon art. A number of authors also provided videos that were customized for the kids in attendance.

bracketsOut of 48 total teams from northern Lane County, teams from Riverbend, Yolanda and Walterville made the Sweet 16 list of teams with the highest amount of points after the pool play round. Those teams went on to battle in the intense bracket rounds after lunch.

Every battle was close and exciting in rooms packed with team supporters. Yolanda’s first-time, third-grade Jelly Bean Wild Readers were poised and sharp, advancing as far as the Elite 8.

As the bracket play settled into the final battles, the team from Adams landed in fourth place, with the team from Ridgeline Montessori winning the coveted third place by just 5 points, entitling them to advance to the state tournament because of the high number of Lane County teams.

Meanwhile, the top two teams battled in the auditorium, knowing that they would both get to go to the state competition at Chemeketa Community College in Salem on April 12. After a tense and close battle (78 to 77!), Eugene’s O’Hara Catholic School emerged as the winner, with Edgewood Elementary coming in a close second.

Congratulations to all the kids for their hard work, and to all the staff and students in Springfield, especially the dedicated district-wide OBOB committee and folks from Thurston High who hosted, for creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for young, passionate readers from the greater Eugene-Springfield community! Many thanks also to the event sponsors, including Springfield Education Foundation, Kendall Subaru and The Cressey Family Charitable Trust, for providing funding that covered the cost of books, t-shirts and entertainment, to Brenda Hansen of Horace Mann Insurance for donating two Kindles as prizes, and to Jennifer James-Long Photography for the excellent photos!

Already thinking about next year? Check out the books that have been already selected here!

Click on any of the photos in our gallery to view them full-size.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer James-Long Photography:

_MG_9774 adams_cute

 


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