The Math Team coaches at Momence Junior High are a force to be reckoned with. In the seemingly lawless volume between bells, where every day is a new equation waiting to be solved, sixth-grade teacher Ryan Drenth, seventh-grade teacher Krista Phillips, and eighth-grade teacher Katie Russell transform their classrooms into a workshop of mathematical mystery and solutions in stages. Try-outs for competitive math start in December, and by January, they’re already in the thick of sharpening their students’ problem-solving skills for the invitational in February.

Fourteen teams assembled this year to outlast each other in the annual Olympiad of operations. Around 450 students descended on the testing rooms in droves. Given these parameters, calculate how many hours it would take to organize and operate this event…

We’re kidding. Katie Russell says it’s easily sixty combined hours of work, not counting the math-hours of test writer Sarah Cherry. Katie is the main contact for the competition and reaches out to all participating schools. “I check with them and get it all running,” she says. Her fellow coaches identify Krista’s role as more public-facing, as nobody else eagerly volunteers their announcing voice for the event’s microphone. She also involves her family in the preparations, as her son designed the Math Team T-shirt. Ryan’s on concessions and “everything food related,” which includes filling the hospitality room with all sorts of goodies. Together, they form a united front that tackles the rigorous competition planning as a group.

All three undertake the momentous task of assembling test packets, shopping for supplies, and placing appropriate signage where it’s visible on the event grounds. The event is organized in concert with student prep. “Even though we have our own role,” Katie says, “we do a lot together.” The trio often check in with each other to brainstorm and ultimately share in the labor. One aspect ruled by consensus is evaluating the consistent difficulty of the test questions. “Our biggest thing is, we want to make sure it’s manageable for the kids,” Katie explains, “because we don’t want them getting everything wrong and feeling defeated.” The coaches maintain that every kid should receive a “good shot” at success when competing.

“I usually have kids come in the morning before school,” Ryan says, describing the practice process. “We usually do that twice a week, starting in January leading up to the contest.” Teams can consist of up to nineteen students, but interest has been lower in recent years. Motivating students to try out has been a challenge since the event was canceled for two years due to COVID concerns, but these three Phil Jacksons of the math world report that it’s because students aren’t aware of Math Team tryouts in the first place. One reluctant student of Katie’s joined the team after much convincing, and through his progress in polishing his calculative skills, he discovered the competition was something he wished he’d been involved in earlier. “We try to get kids talking about it,” Katie says, “Once more people are talking about it, I think the number of students involved will start to grow.”

The hard work, effort, and buzz creation pay off. Momence’s seventh-grade team snagged first place this year, with eighth grade in second and sixth grade in third. We could credit home field advantage, but the diligent attention and guidance from Ryan, Krista, and Katie are undoubtedly the primary reasons the Momence mathletes can secure “top three” placement. The Math Team is now focused on the upcoming Kan-Will conference competition in March, with eight schools in the running. As a former competitor of the Momence Math Competition herself, Katie says she intends to keep it running alongside her fellow coaches and stir up interest at the high school level to expand the event. The collective endeavor of this equilateral triangle alliance not only advances a culture of curiosity and achievement but also ensures that Momence’s heritage of mathematical excellence continues to flourish, variable to variable.