Bellevue teen's victory of global proportions

When he was 2 years old, Kyle Haddad-Fonda put together a map puzzle of the United States. By 3, he was memorizing U.S. and world capitals. Five years ago, he began plastering his Bellevue home with maps and Post-it notes scribbled with geographical facts.

The years of preparation paid off yesterday: Haddad-Fonda, 14, captained the United States to a gold medal in the International Geographic Olympiad in Vancouver, B.C.

"I feel relieved and really happy," Haddad-Fonda said shortly after getting a gold medal in an Olympic-style ceremony at the Chan Centre of the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia.

It was Haddad-Fonda's second major triumph in less than three months. In May, he won the National Geography Bee.

The U.S. team easily beat silver-medalist Canada, 38 points to 25. Hungary, with 22 points, won the bronze medal.

Twelve countries participated in the competition, sponsored by the National Geographic Society.

Olympiad questions Most of the questions at the International Geographic Olympiad were directed at entire teams, but others were for individuals. Here are the three questions Kyle Haddad-Fonda answered. (He got them right.) 1. One of the most heavily used mountain crossings in Europe, which links Austria and Italy south of Innsbruck, is the lowest of the major passes in the Alps. Name this pass. 2. A bridge completed in the year 2000 connects Copenhagen and what city across the Oresund, or the Sound? 3. In March 2001, a member of the rebel group from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas spoke to the Mexican Congress while wearing one of the group's recognizable black masks. Name this group, which has been fighting for greater rights for the region's indigenous people. Answers: 1. Brenner Pass 2. Malmö 3. Zapatistas

"It was fun being up there because I love geography and I love to answer the questions," Haddad-Fonda said. "But it was also nerve-racking."

Unlike in the national competition, where he was on his own, if Haddad-Fonda wasn't sure of the answer, he could consult team members Nicholas Jachowski, 14, of Pukalani, Hawaii, and Steven Young, 14, of Reston, Va.

Most of the questions were for the entire team, but some were for individual members. One of Haddad-Fonda's three questions was to identify the rebel group in the Mexican state of Chiapas "fighting for greater rights for the region's indigenous people." Correct answer: the Zapatistas.

"It may start out as trivia, but geography relates to what is going on in the world today and why," said Haddad-Fonda's father, Rod Fonda. "Different conflicts that occur today relate to where a place is and where it has gone."

Fonda and his wife, Laura Haddad, also have become geography buffs.

"Anytime we hear anything on the radio or read something in the newspaper about geography, we bring it to the dinner table and discuss it with Kyle," Fonda said. "We'll hear something about a volcano that has erupted, and he will say, `Hey, that happened 10 years ago.' "

The National Geographic Society began the National Geography Bee and the Olympiad after a 1988 poll showed that 18- to 24-year-olds in the United States ranked last in a 10-country survey of geographical knowledge.

"But that doesn't mean our individual students are second to any," said Ellen Siskind, spokeswoman for the society. "Kyle is proof of that."

Contestants are allowed to participate in only one Olympiad, but Haddad-Fonda, who recently graduated from The Evergreen School in Shoreline and will attend Lakeside School, said he still plans to tape maps and Post-it notes in his bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

"I might not study as intensely, but if there's something I don't know and I can't remember it, I'll probably put it up," he said. "I still love geography."

David Olson can be reached at 206-464-2717 or dolson@seattletimes.com.