Trivia Countdown

Until Trivia 2009

A divorce left Oliva emotionally drained and lacking the inspiration to research obscure trivia questions, he said. But he recovered and his personal journey helped provide the theme for the 38th annual competition in Stevens Point -- "Trivia Returns" -- that begins in two weeks.

"Trivia returns, life returns, our stability returns, and many times, even our health returns," Oliva said. "No matter what gets you down, trivia returns."

About 450 teams with about 12,000 players, some traveling from across the nation, are expected to compete in the 54-hour marathon of the mind that starts April 20. Stevens Point, a city of 24,000, is about 35 miles south of Wausau.

The contest involves eight questions read every hour on WWSP, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point radio station. Contestants search books, the Internet, movies and other sources for answers.

Two examples:

We are told, 'It will knock the taste of tennis ball right out of your yap.' What is it?
Answer: Dasani water.

What is the nickname of comic strip character Frank Melrose?
Answer: Kansas City.

Substation, a team of up to 40 players who have competed in more than 30 of the contests, can't wait for the 2007 battle to begin, in part because it's a reunion of family and friends, said Mike Rosek, who hosts the team at his Plover home.

"We have one team member coming from Baltimore this year," the 54-year-old veterinarian said Friday. "We are getting excited about it. We have been working on getting furniture rearranged and getting tables set up for about three weeks so far. The rest of the team is taking notes and watching movies. That is pretty much a year-round thing."

The competition includes questions about sound bites from songs and a "Trivia Stone" treasure hunt that sends players through the city looking for clues on road signs, yards and landmarks. They retrieve stamps that are converted to points.

"That one just drives people nuts. They love it. They love to hate it," said Oliva, his nickname derived from the "The Wizard of Oz" because he's the all-knowing, the all-powerful and the final say on any grievance over a question and answer.

A team calling itself Oddly Enough Its Network scored 11,070 points to win last year's contest, defending its title. Six teams got skunked in the competition, tying for 423rd place with zero points.

This year, for the first time, entire teams can play easily from anywhere in the country thanks to the Internet, streaming radio and upgraded equipment, Oliva said. Some teams tested the idea in previous contests.

"I have had one team that has played outside of Los Angeles for two years in a row now," he said. "They play entirely in one apartment and play as a team just as if they were in here in Stevens Point."

Substation last won the contest in 1996, before the Internet became a tool for researching answers.

"Before, almost everything had to be done off notes and newspaper articles and things like that." Rosek said. "Now there is Internet access and everybody can look almost anything up."

His team will use 10 computers this year.

Rosek expects some questions about Superman, given that Oliva expounded on the "Trivia Returns" theme by noting in a newsletter that the contest returns "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

And Oliva promises there will be a question about movie star Robert Redford, a tradition that dates to the first contest he masterminded in 1979.

He asked a question about Redford being appointed sewer commissioner in Provo, Utah, in 1976. It was immediately challenged as incorrect, and Oliva got defensive.

"I was a pompous, snotty buck," the 61-year-old grandfather recalled.

He eventually learned that Redford had been appointed the sewer commissioner in Provo Canyon, Utah.

"It was the first question that I ever had to throw out," Oliva said. "And so every year after that, just to remind myself that I ain't so damn smart, I ask a Robert Redford question at the beginning of the contest just to remind myself that I can make mistakes."