Essentially, it is a product of increasing competition. The challenge is that the state schools have the advantage of taxpayer support. Private schools have to compete.

I think it's one of those years where the competition among county schools is showing itself on the field. It's balanced out.

The competition gets fairly intense. Almost every year we head into the final round where all five schools are still in contention [for the win in the quiz bowl].

I invite competition. I enjoy a good competitive encounter. I enjoy the challenge and watching it unfold. I dig deeper and I challenge our people to dig deeper. I pay attention to when my people need support and coaching. I was always competitive. I'm not competitive about sports, but I'm competitive intellectually. My competition is me, I always try to be better.

This year's competition was among our finest. Our judges faced a tremendous challenge in selecting the best of the best among a growing number of entries. We are especially proud of all honorees and the other excellent candidates.

My personal challenge is to try to obtain a fixed competition for the national teams. I want the Pumas to compete with the best.