On January 7, in collaboration with the Long Island Quiz Bowl Alliance, Hastings High School hosted the first-ever Valley Cup.

The brainchild of junior Benny Feldman, the Valley Cup served as the impetus to increase participation and interest in National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT).

With help from Academic Challenge Team Advisor Michael Willson and fellow junior Owen Linder, Feldman did most of the planning, conducting extensive outreach to schools in the Hudson Valley and beyond.

"Benny was a force to be reckoned with for his organizational and planning skills," said Linder. "He is the reason we were able to have so many teams attend."

36 teams from 19 schools came to compete, and, in addition to 10 of the regular Westchester schools, there were nine from Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Click here to view the full list of schools.

The tournament consisted of sets of various questions with a maximum of six players per team. Using NAQT format, teams were placed into preliminary brackets before being re-seeded for playoffs. Each team was guaranteed a minimum of 10 games.

"We had 14 current Hastings students and four alumni doing the reading and scoring," said Willson. "After 10 rounds of play, the finals were held in the auditorium."

Trophies were awarded to the individuals with the highest average points per game, as well as the top three teams after each tournament. The highest scorers were awarded book prizes and will qualify for the Northeast Regional Championships and/or High School National Championship Tournament.

"Everything ran smoothly," Feldman said. "There were many things that could have gone wrong but didn't because of how dedicated we all were. It was gratifying to see everyone enjoying themselves and the work I put in paying off."

"This would not be possible without the dedicated members of our club. It's a great community with great members and it's a pleasure to lead them," he added.

"I'd also like to thank Mr. Willson, our club advisor," said Linder. "Also, everyone at the Long Island Quiz Bowl Alliance for helping the ambitious plans be realized. I had an amazing time reading questions for other schools. Congratulations to Darien High School for winning. I'm excited to do it again next year!"

The Valley Bowl raised a total of $1,340 for Hastings' Academic Challenge Team.

Visit this page of the Quizbowl Resource Center for event statistics.