This week, I traveled to the Missouri Society for Respiratory Care annual conference. I had a great time hanging out with the MO therapists and learning about new perspectives on respiratory care. While I was there, I decided to hang out in the student sputum bowl competition.
I have to admit...I'm not a sputum-bowler. I didn't participate as a student or as a professional. I do, however, have a high level of respect for the men and women who sit on the stage and put their knowledge on showcase, though. It can't be easy to put yourself on display for the whole conference crowd. Anyway, I watched these student teams compete and was struck by something other than their knowledge of respiratory care trivia: their creativity and their professionalism.
They all had designed special t-shirts for the event and the moderator gave them a few minutes before each match to model the shirts. Some were focused on school pride, some used word plays on respiratory care while one had a unique take on the "Carry on" internet meme. The students had fun showing off their shirts but, when it came down to the game, they focused on the questions with a great deal of concentration. With fellow students, faculty, and area therapists to cheer them on, these students challenged each other well.
I was most impressed, however, at the level of sportsmanlike conduct from these players. It's easy to get wrapped up in the game and let our team spirit get the better of us. But not this crowd. It was great to see these teams shake hands at the beginning and end of the matches and then laugh and celebrate together after the competition.
Kudos to the MoSRC sputum bowl group for fostering a fun and professional environment for the competition. I look forward to seeing both their professional and student teams compete at the national sputum bowl competition in Anaheim this November at the AARC International Conference.