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From the Stevens Point Journal April 11, 2005:
Trivia newcomer realizes event's addictive nature By Kelly McBride
Not being part of a team during my first-ever Trivia weekend, I nonetheless was welcomed wherever I went. The weekend ceased to feel like work and I ceased to feel like a stranger in the homes of teams that invited me in without a thought. And whether it was following sleepy team members early on Saturday for the weekend's first running question, hunkering down in basement headquarters with complete strangers or listening obsessively to my own radio at home, I quickly became addicted to the world's largest Trivia contest. I may be a novice yet, but perhaps, in some way, I finally get it. On the run After staying up too late Friday getting my first taste of Trivia - who knew just listening could be so addictive? - Saturday came way too soon. But I was more excited than tired, so I rubbed my eyes and headed to the ShopKo parking lot. I've never witnessed the flash mob fad, but I'm guessing it would be a bit like what I saw at 7 a.m. Saturday. With just a few words from trivia guru Jim "Oz" Oliva, hundreds of eager Trivia team members grabbed their fluorescent green clue sheets and sped off, combing downtown for measurements, addresses and other embedded clues. It was there that I met an eager group of four team members - none of whom could seem to remember what their squad was actually called. It changes from year to year, said team member Dennis Kaegi of Wausau, with one team member deciding something odd and the rest going with it. No matter what their name, though, the team members were eager to participate in the early morning race. Generally more concerned with partying than getting up for the early event, the Plover-based group said running questions often had been disregarded until recent years. "Up until then, those were just lost points," laughed team member Jeff Kline of Green Bay. "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings also attended Saturday's running question, undertaking some of the clues himself and pausing for photos and autographs with a few eager Trivia buffs. He coolly rebuffed interview requests, saying he didn't want the weekend's focus to be on him. And although his presence was a talking point for some, it was clear that the focus - media attention or not - remained where it should have been. On Trivia. As the hour neared 8 a.m., many of the teams' designated runners finished early and headed back to base camp. Lagging behind, however, I discovered a team eager to be photographed with Oz - and a not-to-be forgotten missing teammate. "Team Whatsamatta-u: A Trivia Shamockery" was lacking teammate Garett Arrowood for this year's contest. While Arrowood was in St. Louis, a life-size cardboard cutout of his head - on a stick, no less - made teammates feel a little less mournful of his absence. At their Plover headquarters, the five Whatsamatta-u runners assured me, there was a full, life-size cutout of Arrowood. It was just one of myriad weekend examples of the unparalleled camaraderie Trivia creates. A warm welcome My next example of the Trivia togetherness would be soon to follow as I wandered into a random backyard on Minnesota Avenue. The large bed sheet sign out front proclaimed "Trivia Central," so I figured it might be a good place to start. On any normal day, approaching random strangers and asking to be invited in to their homes might be grounds for anything from strange looks to a phone call to the cops. Then again, Trivia days are far from normal. In the Trivia Central basement - amidst a handful of computers, volumes of reference books, discarded soda cans and a couple of napping team members - I instantly felt like one of the family. Team members Annette Wussow and Jim Thomay gave me the rundown on the two-decades-old team, pausing to offer me some breakfast, scribble down questions, page through books or holler "Joe DiMaggio!" and other answers. There were shelves and shelves of books, flattened cereal boxes, stacks of magazines and notes stuck here and there with blue electrical tape. But, Thomay cautioned, holding a stuffed yellow garbage bag full of wrappers, "you ain't seen nothing until they ask a candy bar question." Turns out I was good luck for Trivia Central - they got question after question right while I was there. Finally, we laughingly struck a deal - I would stay until I answered a question correctly or until the team's streak of getting questions right was broken. I was sorry to leave but took seriously their invitation to return. Part of the tradition The Trivia headquarters I visited next - that of team "Norm's Stool: Return of Tecumseh" - less resembled a basement and more looked like a NASA control base. More than a dozen computers sat side-by-side and back-to-back, their eager operators yelling back and forth like traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. And while the atmosphere was, at times, a bit more tense there, the welcome was equally as warm. Five minutes inside the door and I was offered food, soda - and a host of Trivia stories. The members of Norm's Stool came from as far away as Arkansas to participate in the annual tradition, said trivia member Theresa Oxley, and for many, the camaraderie was the best part. The food also was important, team members agreed, and Trivia hostess Bonnie Baganz said it was her job to keep everyone fed. From french toast to brats and chicken wings, the best part of the weekend is the cooking, Baganz said. She also noted a team taste tradition - canned Cheese Balls to snack on. The economy-size treats seem to be a Trivia favorite - numerous squads pointed to the snacks as a Trivia must-have for the contest's long hours. Again it was with reluctance that I left the headquarters of "Norm's Stool," but again I was invited back. More and more, I was getting the Trivia bug - in the car, at home, at work later that day and Sunday - I was glued to the radio. Without a team to play on or a single thing at stake, I nonetheless felt a little thrill each time I got a question right. What it's about From the calm and relaxed to the utterly serious, Trivia teams come in almost any form imaginable. But no matter what, everyone seems to agree it's all about togetherness. Whether your Trivia family consists of blood-related kin, old college friends, remnants of a disbanded team from years ago - or even the random reporter - Trivia bonds people as perhaps nothing else does. It's addictiveness is apparent but undefinable, its pull beyond alluring. Those who have played for years may say I still don't fully "get" Trivia - and they're probably right. But for those who helped me get my first taste, I say thank you. See you next year. McBride can be reached at 715-345-2257 or kelly.mcbride@cwnews.net. PHOTO: Thomas Kujawski/Stevens Point Journal
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