By Mark Ambrogi
It was quite a memorable three-day span for Kevin Liu.
First the Carmel Middle School eighth grader won the National Raytheon Mathcounts Championships individual title and helped lead the four-person Team Indiana to victory at the competition in Boston on May 8.
Following his victory, the 14-year-old Liu went to New York to appear on “Live with Kelly & Michael” with Michael Strahan and Kelly Ripa on May 11. Liu gave the morning talk show hosts a glimpse of his skills.
“I was a little nervous because it was live but I was definitely more nervous at the competition,” Liu said.
His victory earned Liu a $20,000 Donald G. Weinert College Scholarship and a trip to the National Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala.
Team Indiana began practicing about twice a week in March.“Those really helped me because we take tests that would simulate the actual competition,” Liu said.
Liu was one of three members from Carmel on Team Indiana. Alex Gu, a Carmel resident and Sycamore School eighth grader, placed sixth. Carmel Middle School eighth grader Joey Heerens finished 14th in the competition. The fourth member, Nathan Hu, Lafayette, finished 10th. The team was made up of the top four finishers in the Indiana competition.
“Kevin is a very gifted student,” said Ann Beyer, CMS teacher and math coach. “He’s very quick. He practices very hard. He does lots of practice problems.”
Speed is a big key.
“You need to be able to solve the questions quickly so you can buzz in first.”
Liu was a runner-up in the Mathcounts last year, providing motivation for this competition.
“It did get a little close,” Liu said. “In the final round, I got a lead early so I felt comfortable with that.”
Heerens, who also made the national tournament as a sixth grader, said being on the national championship team was rewarding.
“I see clarity in math and understanding it, how it explains so much about the world around us,” Heerens said.
Trent Tormoehlen, the coach of the Sycamore Team, was the Team Indiana coach. Sycamore won the state title. Beyer attended the tournament to assist Tormoehlen and her two students.
To see Liu’s TV show appearance, visit on.aol.com/video/-live-with-kelly-and-michael—mathcounts-518819804.
