Wind Valley starts the Bible Bowl season with a triumph
Ted Escobar/The Sun Tribune - The Wind Valley Bible Bowl team includes Benjamin Rentfro, Abe Ellis, and Yve Ellis, all of Cle Elum, and Anson Bartrand of Schawana. Jonathan Curtis is the team’s runner.
SCHAWANA — Wind Valley, the team that has won the last four international Bible Bowls, has started the Bible Bowl season with a victory at the Columbia Basin Pathfinder Bible Experience in Yakima.
The competition was held on Jan. 14. Although the victory may not be a surprise to Sun Tribune readers, coach Meg Bartrand of Schawana termed it so.
Bartrand noted the team that has been winning the world titles has dwindled to only four members this year simply because of high school graduations. At one time, three of her sons were on the team Only one remains.
“The members live an hour and a half apart, so it is difficult for the members to get together to practice,” Bartrand said.
“In spite of difficulties, the team scholars have been studying very hard for this event, and we’re very happy to be able to move on to the next level,” she added.
Teams that finish with first place standing at regionals advance to the conference level. For the Upper Columbia Conference the conference competition will be held in Richland this year.
If the team earns a first at the conference level, it will be invited to the North Pacific Union level. It will need a first place there to advance to the North American level, which is the international level and is given in English, Spanish, and French.
This year’s competition material comes from several letters of the Apostle Paul, including Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.
Team members are Benjamin Rentfro, Abe Ellis, and Yve Ellis, all of Cle Elum, and Anson Bartrand of Schawana. The team coaches are Meg and Beck Bartrand. The team runner is Jonathan Curtis.