A buzz here, a buzz there. An answer from the person with the most eager fingers, then a reaffirming “that’s correct” or a rejecting “that’s incorrect” from the moderator, always followed by a bonus question. Trivia tournaments are more than a leisurely activity for the NMU Quiz Bowl team, who recently won back the Superior Cup from rival Michigan Tech University on their home turf at the Delta Burke Invitational on April 1 in Houghton.
The champion “Quiz Cats” team, comprised of four students, finished the tournament with a perfect 9-0 record. Senior math and history major Annika Peterson, who is the vice president of the team, walked away with the individual scoring championship. She averaged 70 points per game in her last collegiate Quiz Bowl appearance.
“It was nice to win the highest scoring award,” Peterson said. “Quiz Bowl has definitely been one of the most memorable and enjoyable parts of my college experience.”
This year, the team doubled the number of practices and the results have paid off. This was the team’s best finish in their eight-year history, beating out Finlandia and two Michigan Tech squads, Michael Joy said, a modern languages and literature professor at NMU.
The team also won three of five intercollegiate tournaments they participated in and took home second place at Sectionals in February.
“The Midwest is a historically very strong region for collegiate Quiz Bowl. Our players practice for many hours each week, enthusiastically learning about academic fields,” Joy said, the faculty advisor and coach for the team.
Quiz Bowl practices are structured as scrimmage tournaments but change up teams often so games can be fair and evenly matched, junior graphics communication major and Co-president of the Quiz Bowl Team Kendall Plapp said. She said the practices can be competitive but are overall enjoyable.
“We crack jokes and don’t take it too hard if we mess up but of course, we also really want to win,” Plapp said.
Any student can join the Quiz Bowl team by attending one of their practices in room 311 in the Learning Resources Center or by contacting the team at [email protected]. Plapp said the topics they study range from European history to biochemistry to video games and everything in between, like popular culture and current events.
“Doesn’t matter your major or your grades,” Plapp said. “We need people of all skill sets.”