In the past few weeks, Wallies have been surrounded by “Bowls.” A few weeks ago they gathered around televisions with chips and beer to scream the Colts to a Super Bowl victory. Last week, their eyes were once again glued to the set for the Pro Bowl, emanating cheers and jeers in the hazy air above them. This week, Wallies are prepared for quite a different “Bowl.”
Today, the contest is academic, and the arena is not a stadium filled with screaming fans, but the sobering air of the Goodrich Room in the Lilly Library. The College Bowl, an annual quiz competition among American colleges, will begin its preliminary rounds at 7:00 p.m. in the library. The preliminary rounds will choose the student team to compete against other colleges across the country.
Twelve teams with four players each are slated for today’s competition. There are four rounds in the first stage with two teams competing against one another each round. The winners advanced in tournament style to compete against winners from other rounds. The last team to not be eliminated will win the contest and go on to compete outside of Wabash’s walls. The championship game is schedule to take place at 8:40 p.m. Prof. Dan Rogers will moderate the event.
Although academic bowls are common occurrences in the U.S. education system, some may still not be sure how the rounds are played.
“The contest will be divided into two halves, each of seven minutes and the teams will be asked a questions which will be answered by buzzer system, if they get it right they will be asked a bonus question. The team with maximum points at the end of second half wins the game and proceed to the next round,” Coach Steve House, of the organizing committee, said. House is Director of Student Activities.
The winner of the Wabash rounds of College Bowl will go on to a regional match at the University of Notre Dame. The regional champions will then attend the national competition at UCLA. Rogers will coach the winning Wabash team in the regional contest.
Last year, Wabash placed fourth at the regional level, which was held at the University of Illinois. In years past, Wabash has reached the national conference. Be sure to check out Wallies at their past this evening.