Great Midwest Trivia Contest
Encyclopedia
The Great Midwest Trivia Contest, or Midwest
Trivia
Contest, is held each year in Appleton, Wisconsin
, broadcast over Lawrence University
's radio station
, WLFM
. It has a claim as the longest-running college bowl trivia contest. Beginning with Trivia XLI in 2006, the contest went to a webcast-only format after WLFM ceased FM broadcasting.
on Sunday for a total of approximately 50 consecutive hours. Students are appointed "trivia masters" and they administer the contest. Every year, a new head trivia master, called the "Grand Master," is appointed. The Grand Master has the final say on any disputes.
Trivia masters make up the questions, and teams are given 3 minutes to answer each question. All teams that answer the question received its points. Most questions are worth 5 points each. At the end of the contest, several difficult questions called garrudas are asked. Teams are given 10 minutes for the first few garrudas. The final, most difficult question – dubbed the "Super Garruda" – is worth 100 points and teams are given 20 minutes. The endeavor is governed by the Trivia Credo: "Trivia is meant to be entertainment
and should be perceived solely in that light." The teams with the highest scores are declared the winners in on-campus and off-campus categories, receiving prizes such as pink plastic flamingo
s and stainless-steel bedpan
s. The Great Midwest Trivia Contest is known as the "World's Longest Running Trivia Contest" because of its custom of asking the previous year's garruda as the first question of the next year's contest.
Questions used include "What was Holden Caulfield's middle name?" and "In 2004, which nation drank the most coffee per capita?" (The answers are "Morrisey
" and "Finland
," respectively.) On-campus teams are occasionally asked to do special action questions such as composing a love song or doing a dance routine based on a theme.
was founded in 1966 by James Bailey deRosset as an alternate for a serious academic retreat with professors (called "Encampment Weekend"). It may be the oldest college-based radio trivia contest in the United States. Lawrence's inaugural edition on April 29, 1966 predates both the presumed May debut of the biannual Williams College Trivia Contest by a week or so and the February 1969 debut of the Stevens Point Media Trivia Contest by three years. However, the precise date of the first Williams contest is not known; before its playing schedule was standardized, spring semester Williams Trivia games were sometimes held as early as February and March.
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
Trivia
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
Contest, is held each year in Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
, broadcast over Lawrence University
Lawrence University
Lawrence University is a selective, private liberal arts college with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Lawrence University is known for its rigorous academic environment. Founded in 1847, the first classes were held on November 12, 1849...
's radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, WLFM
WLFM
WLFM is currently only an internet radio station, previously having been the first FM college radio station in Northeastern Wisconsin. It is owned and operated by Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. The station is dedicated to independent music of all genres, and is entirely student...
. It has a claim as the longest-running college bowl trivia contest. Beginning with Trivia XLI in 2006, the contest went to a webcast-only format after WLFM ceased FM broadcasting.
Contest
The contest begins at 10:00:37 p.m. on the Friday of last weekend in January. It ends at around midnightMidnight
Midnight is the transition time period from one day to the next: the moment when the date changes. In the Roman time system, midnight was halfway between sunset and sunrise, varying according to the seasons....
on Sunday for a total of approximately 50 consecutive hours. Students are appointed "trivia masters" and they administer the contest. Every year, a new head trivia master, called the "Grand Master," is appointed. The Grand Master has the final say on any disputes.
Trivia masters make up the questions, and teams are given 3 minutes to answer each question. All teams that answer the question received its points. Most questions are worth 5 points each. At the end of the contest, several difficult questions called garrudas are asked. Teams are given 10 minutes for the first few garrudas. The final, most difficult question – dubbed the "Super Garruda" – is worth 100 points and teams are given 20 minutes. The endeavor is governed by the Trivia Credo: "Trivia is meant to be entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
and should be perceived solely in that light." The teams with the highest scores are declared the winners in on-campus and off-campus categories, receiving prizes such as pink plastic flamingo
Plastic flamingo
Pink plastic flamingos are one of the most famous of lawn ornaments in the United States, along with the garden gnome and other such ornamentation....
s and stainless-steel bedpan
Bedpan
A bedpan or bed pan is an object used for the toileting of a bedridden patient in a health care facility, usually made of a metal, glass, or plastic receptacle. A bed pan can be used for both urinary and fecal discharge. Many diseases can confine a patient to bed, necessitating the use of bedpans,...
s. The Great Midwest Trivia Contest is known as the "World's Longest Running Trivia Contest" because of its custom of asking the previous year's garruda as the first question of the next year's contest.
Questions used include "What was Holden Caulfield's middle name?" and "In 2004, which nation drank the most coffee per capita?" (The answers are "Morrisey
Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield is the 16-to-17 years old protagonist of author J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. He is universally recognized for his resistance to growing older and desire to protect childhood innocence...
" and "Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
," respectively.) On-campus teams are occasionally asked to do special action questions such as composing a love song or doing a dance routine based on a theme.
History
The contestCompetition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
was founded in 1966 by James Bailey deRosset as an alternate for a serious academic retreat with professors (called "Encampment Weekend"). It may be the oldest college-based radio trivia contest in the United States. Lawrence's inaugural edition on April 29, 1966 predates both the presumed May debut of the biannual Williams College Trivia Contest by a week or so and the February 1969 debut of the Stevens Point Media Trivia Contest by three years. However, the precise date of the first Williams contest is not known; before its playing schedule was standardized, spring semester Williams Trivia games were sometimes held as early as February and March.
External links
- Lawrence Official Site
- Trivia Asylum
- Trivia XL - one man's log of the 40th Lawrence Trivia Contest