Senior delves into past in preparation for History Bowl

History Bowl requires a vast knowledge and exceedingly quick thinking. Few students possess as great knowledge and love for history as senior Spencer Goldman.

Goldman has always had an affinity for all things history. As a member of the school History Bowl team, he studies historical topics ranging from American economists to Roman emperors.

“I like history because it tells you the story of man throughout its existence,” Goldman said. “It tells us why we’re here and what we’re doing. You can learn about what other people did too.”

History Bowl also fires his competitive nature.

“I love History Bowl because it’s a competition, but I’m also learning [at the same time],” Goldman said. “I love learning about these subjects, and I also want to do well on a national level.”

Goldman’s dedication to History Bowl impresses his teammates.

“His dedication to History Bowl is so remarkable, and I think that’s the quality that helps him succeed,” senior Nikki Bedekar said.

Goldman is able to spend on average of two hours per day studying while balancing the homework load his senior classes assign. In addition, in order to efficiently study, Goldman uses a variety of methods to retain his knowledge.

“Mostly I spend my time reading on the Internet or [from] bought books. I usually distill that information into flash cards and memorize [those],” Goldman said.

By using this method, Goldman has mastered a myriad of historical topics that most people can only marvel at.

“The statement that Spencer specializes in everything is not an exaggeration,” Bedekar said. “He has mastered topics from military history to American history to economists and has even started branching out into art and the fine arts.”

According to Goldman, he enjoys European history the most, but he enjoys other facets of history, such as economic and military history, as well.

Goldman’s perseverance pushes the rest of the team’s members to try harder.

“He’s a really strong role model for all of us,” senior Kabir Chandrasekhar said. “He spent the summer studying really intensely and set the bar at the beginning of the year.”

The senior’s long hours of hard work have certainly paid off. Last year, in the team’s first year, Goldman was an integral part of the school team that advanced to national competition. After a successful tournament, the team was ranked as one of the top 50 History Bowl teams in the U.S.

In the future, Goldman hopes to parlay his knowledge of history into economics.

“I want to go into investing,” Goldman said. “You’re trying to make connections between people and events. It is similar [to studying history] because you're trying to learn as much about the market and companies and [trying] to make connections.”