Gallup High's Trivia Bowl everybody wins!

Joe Kolb
Staff Writer

GALLUP — The players anxiously climbed the stairs to assume their positions. No, they weren't baseball players climbing out of a dugout, they were students and parents climbing the stairs to the stage to compete in the 13th annual Trivia Bowl at Gallup High School, Thursday night.

The unique bi-annual competition, sponsored by the Gallup High School Gifted and Talented Education program and held in the high school's commons area, is looked forward to by students as well as parents and faculty as an opportunity to put their academic prowess to the test in a competitive but non-confrontational atmosphere.

Question: What is the square root of the square root of 625?

"The main reason we do this is so the kids can demonstrate their knowledge in an enjoyable and competitive environment," said Camille DePauli, G.A.T.E. teacher/coordinator at Gallup High School.

Similar in format to the popular television show "College Bowl," there were about 35 students and 5 adults who competed on seven teams of between four to six people. In a round robin/double elimination format, the teams took to the stage where they were asked general knowledge questions from the realms of history, math, literature, sports, music and entertainment by host Erik Pederson. The rounds lasted for seven minutes with the teams progressing towards the final championship round.

Question: What sport did Mel Ott play?

"It's a different kind of challenge," said Robb Erickson, a senior who is a starting player on the Gallup High School basketball team. "It's kind of unique, I guess," referring to competition in a non physical environment. "It's a whole different group of people I can get involved with," Erickson said.

DePauli was especially excited about the fact that in the twelve years of the event, this was the first time they had a team from another school represented. Teacher Kirk Ashworth brought a team from Wingate High School. Not only did Ashworth compete on the adult team, which eventually won the event, his son Walker Sroges, a sophomore, competed on the Gallup High School team.

Question: What year did the United States nearly go to war with Cuba?

Ashworth's wife, Kara Sroges, manned the makeshift concession stand, selling soda, chips and cookies to help raise funds for the G.A.T.E. program. "This is the third time I've been to this competition and I like it more each time," she said.

Competitors squeezed their buzzers, grimaced and even hit their heads as answers lay on the tips of their tongues but no words could be found quickly enough to beat DePauli's timer. All the while, the audience sat attentively murmuring the answers amongst themselves, laughing and enjoying the intellectually stimulating atmosphere.

Question: What city does the TV show Seinfeld take place in?

"I like this because everyone gets involved," said 11th grader Lacey Blake. "We can get competitive and that's fun."

Dennis Haggerty, a math teacher from Gallup Middle School, served as the competition's arbiter. Although strict, Haggerty maintained a fair and smoothly running contest. He said that like any athletic event, the students take this contest very seriously. "It's nice to see that these students, who usually get little recognition are being appreciated," Haggerty said, but did express disappointment at the lack of teacher and administrator presence.

Even though, on paper, the adult team won, everyone walked away happy. As the competitors were leaving the school, DePauli enthusiastically distributed coupons for ice cream as she thanked everyone for coming.

Question: What group of high school students and parents had a great time Thursday evening at Gallup High School?

Answer: Everyone!