CHAPIN, S.C. — A group of math fanatics in Chapin are making their team count when it comes to representing the state of South Carolina.
Six athletes at Chapin Middle School won top 20 rankings at the state level earlier this month, and now, some are preparing for their national debut.
"You feel a sense of achievement when you solve a problem," Miguel Shim one of the 8th grade mathletes said.
"It's fun to see the community of people who enjoy math competitions," Luke Simon another 8th grade mathlete said.
These 6th to 8th grade students practice problems with their MathCounts coach, Leo Sun once a week in a club after school to sharpen their minds.
Sun was a mathlete at Chapin Middle just two years ago and he's paying it forward.
"I felt that back then if I had someone with more experience come and coach or mentor me, I would have performed at a higher level. So when I got to high school I thought, hey, I have two years of experience. I could probably come back to the same middle school and give some tips and help these middle school students excel at competitive math," Sun said.
All of these students tell News 19 they've loved math from a young age and love the challenge these competitions bring.
"In math counts I learn a lot of new stuff in math and I also learn to tackle problems that seem to be hard. With a new perspective they seemed a lot easier. And so now with my math homework and my math class, I usually understand everything that the teacher covers," Annie Xu, 8th grade mathlete said.
One of these mathletes, Miguel Shim, is going to be representing Chapin on the national stage in Orlando on May 12, 2023.