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Ashwin Sivakumar won the Oregon Geography Bee in his first attempt. He will represent Oregon at the National Geographic Bee in Washington D.C.
(Courtesy of Sam Sivakumar)
Ashwin Sivakumar had never competed in the Oregon Geography Bee, but that didn't stop the Oregon Episcopal School fifth grader from winning it on March 27.
He will represent Oregon at the National Geographic Bee in May in Washington D.C.
Ashwin started the competition in a series of preliminary rounds along with about 100 other students from across the state at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.
He was among 10 students to make it to the 10 rounds in the finals. Two mistakes meant elimination.
After nine rounds, only Ashwin and last year's winner Tor Parsons, of Eugene, remained.
Heading into the championship round, Ashwin had no mistakes and Tor had one.
Sam Sivakumar, Ashwin's dad, described what happened next. It was a nail-biter.
The two boys were asked three questions simultaneously and they had to write down their answers.
Question 1: The 2014 winter Olympics were held in the city of Sochi that is located on what large body of water?
Answer: Black Sea. Both Ashwin and Tor got it right.
Question 2: Recently, the fossils of a fish-eating, water dwelling dinosaur called a Spinosaurus were recovered from the Kem Kem beds in which country that borders Algeria? Answer: Morocco. Ashwin got this right. Tor guessed Niger.
"At this point, if Ashwin got the third question right, he would win. If he missed and Tor got it right, they would go to a 4th round," Sivakumar said.
Question 3: Name the city in Belgium that is a major center for the diamond cutting industry.
Answer: Antwerp. Both Ashwin and Tor got it right.
"So, Ashwin won by a score of 2-1. The key question was the Spinosaurus question," Sivakumar said.
The Geography Bee is open to students in grades 4-8.
Ashwin won $100 and a copy of the National Geographic Atlas of the World. He also gets an all-expenses paid trip to the National Geographic Bee in Washington D.C.
Oregon Episcopal School is in Raleigh Hills, near Beaverton.
-- Wendy Owen
503-294-5961