Among the Bulldogs teams that have had some excellent performances this year is the Waterloo Junior High School chess team, which recently celebrated a their first conference win.

WJHS library media specialist Andrew Mayer has been coaching the team for the past 14 years.
He spoke about how he came to oversee the club thanks to an interest and appreciation for the game he developed as a kid.“

I played a little bit of chess growing up, but I loved the idea of giving students that may not be involved in sports or other activities a way showcase their skills,” Mayer said. “In chess every year, we get students of all skill levels to come out and play, all different backgrounds. I tell them on the first day the chess board is a level playing field. It doesn’t matter how fast you run or how high you jump or how much you can lift. It only cares about your next move. I love that aspect of it.”

Mayer was exceptionally proud of the team’s performance this year. Though he wasn’t sure about the club’s record prior to when he started in the district, this year certainly stands out in recent history thanks to the conference win.

He noted that the club has gotten close to a big conference win in the past, though they weren’t able to make it until now.

Other schools, he added, often benefit with students who start in their chess clubs much younger. Though this year’s club leaders at WJHS might not have had all the experience of their competitors, they still managed to shine.

“It was really neat to see those students who had been part of the team the previous years, their hard work and their perseverance kinda paid off their 8th grade year,” Mayer said. “It was neat to see that.”

Mayer also offered some clarification on how the students come together to play as a team in the game.
The club starts the season with tryouts, competing to find the top six players among the group.
Matches throughout the season are then played as six versus six, with the rank one player from one school facing the rank one player from another.

Each individual game then yields points based on the students’ rank. The game between rank one students is for six points, ranks two and three are for three points, ranks four and five are for two points and the rank six game is for one point, with each team competing for a potential total of 15 points.
“It takes the whole team to win these matches,” Mayer said. “You might have one standout player, but if you’ve only got one standout player, you’re team’s not going to be successful. You need a whole team to be successful.”

Among this year’s successful students were Grayson Ludwig and Jaxon Shoemaker.

Ludwig said he properly joined the team in the 6th grade, having played and practiced with the club the previous year, finding that he had a knack for the game.

He spoke about the satisfaction of contributing to a successful match for his team, being able to share the good news that he won a game.

Ludwig also voiced his appreciation for Mayer for a coach who really listens to his team.

He further expressed his pride about this year’s performance.

“It felt really good knowing that we were the first WJHS team to win the conference. We had a strong team with skilled players,” Ludwig said.

Shoemaker offered similar pride and appreciation of his team, saying he joined the club simply looking for a way to spend his free time after school.

He said he was very happy to end his last year on the WJHS team on a high note.

Speaking on his experience the past few years, he said he’s most enjoyed getting to meet all of the folks he’s played against.

“It’s always nice to have a fun chess game while making a new friend, too,” Shoemaker said.
While the kids on the team are undoubtedly proud of their accomplishment, Mayer was also quite pleased to see their success come from the work they’ve put in.

“Seeing those 8th graders, being with them for three years… Chess is a lot about learning from those mistakes,” Mayer said. “When a player loses a chess match, there’s a lot you can learn from those losses. Taking those losses and learning from them, which I saw a lot from these students… it’s great to see those kids get that lightbulb of, ‘Okay, I need to change my strategy to win.’”

He further described his appreciation for the sport as a way for these students and everyone to enjoy some quiet time to reflect in a very busy world.

“We, as adults and students especially, we live in a world of instant gratification,” Mayer said. “Technology and everything is just at our fingertips in an instant. But chess requires those kids to sit down, to focus, to shake hands with somebody across the table and slow down, weigh the consequences before they act.”