Reading becomes a competitive sport

Published 12:44 pm Wednesday, February 15, 2017

If you don’t think of reading as a competitive sport, think again. Several hundred school children from third through 12th grades in Central Oregon are in the throes of a fiercely fought annual war of words known as the Oregon Battle of the Books.

Students who choose to compete (participation is voluntary) form teams of up to four members and have several months to read 16 books chosen for each grade division — third to fifth grade, sixth to eighth grade and ninth to 12th grade — by the state OBOB committee.

They then engage in “battles” against other teams within their own school, answering trivia questions about the themes, settings, characters and content of the books. Points are awarded for correct answers, and the team with the most points at the end of the questioning wins. The top teams within each school face off in elimination battles to determine the school’s champion and the right to move on to the regional competition.

At the regional tournament, winning teams from schools in Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Grant, Harney and Wheeler counties come together to compete. The victors from each of the three grade-level divisions can then go on to compete in the annual state tournament.

Last year the regional champions were from Lava Ridge Elementary, Cascade Middle School and Mountain View High School, all in Bend.

“I like Battle of the Books because it can introduce you to new books you’ve never heard of before,” said Sienna Swetland, a 13-year-old seventh-grader who attends Pacific Crest Middle School in Bend.

Swetland has participated in OBOB every year since third grade and says she enjoys both the camaraderie and the competition she experiences. Her favorite book so far from the 2016-17 assigned middle school reading has been “The Unwanteds” by Lisa McMann.

OBOB was initiated in 2006 and modeled on Battle of the Books programs that have been operating in other states for up to 25 years. The first competitions in Oregon were during the 2007-08 school year.

The OBOB website says its mission is to “encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students.”

It is an all-volunteer organization sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries and funded in part through a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act.

The OBOB administrative chair, Stephanie Laing, said via email that more than 600 schools throughout the state are registered for the current competition. In 2016-17, OBOB provided over 400 grants worth $33,000 to help schools purchase books from the reading lists.

Christie Boen, an instructional technology coach and district librarian for Bend-La Pine Schools has found the competition is a good way to engage reluctant readers.

“The teachers, librarians and parent volunteers at each school put together different prizes and rewards to motivate and recognize the participants,” Boen said.

These include coupons for ice cream and pizza, medals and charm bracelets with a different charm awarded for each book that is read. One school even hosts an elaborate meal featuring foods from the books. Many of the media managers and librarians at the schools put together special displays and charts to track teams’ progress through the reading lists.

Each team comes up with a name (Read S’more, Moustache Winners and Slightly Radioactive Gummy Bears are just a few of this year’s examples), and some wear team T-shirts or colors to their battles. Many use strategies such as dividing the required reading up amongst the team members to create subject matter experts, while others take extensive notes and get together after school to quiz one another.

“It’s interesting how competitive it can get,” Boen said.

“On our team, we’re each trying to read as many of the books as we can,” said 10-year-old Will Runco, a fifth-grader at William E. Miller Elementary in Bend. Miller has one of the largest contingents among the regional elementary schools, with 50 teams and 212 students taking part this year, said Cathy Brimacombe, the school’s media manager.

“I really enjoy the battles,” Runco said. He thinks his team, Panda People, has a good chance to win its school competition this year, but he’s keeping his eye on the other teams he sees as his biggest competition, with the first battles slated for later this month.

The intra-school battles are just beginning and will continue through early March. The regional tournament will be held March 11 at Sisters Middle School (see “If you go”) with the winners then progressing to the state tournament scheduled for April 8 at Chemeketa Community College in Salem.

Soldier on, word warriors.

What: Region 7 Oregon Battle of the Books tournament

When: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 11 (open to the public)

Where: Sisters Middle School, 15200 McKenzie Highway, Sisters

Contact: 541-549-2099