College Bowl is “the varsity sport of the mind”

Fifteen sets of hands anxiously awaited the moment to press down their buzzers and send their… Fifteen sets of hands anxiously awaited the moment to press down their buzzers and send their team to victory.

The room fell silent, and the moderator asked the first question of Program Council’s 2005 College Bowl. Five teams of Pitt students competed in the contest, which was held in the Assembly Room and Ballroom of the William Pitt Union.

The prize was a gift certificate to the University Book Center and a chance to represent Pitt in the regional championships in New Jersey.

The seven-minute halves of each round flew by as the moderators threw out questions about everything from the Olsen twins to the molecular structure of acetylene.

“This encourages and celebrates students’ knowledge and what they know,” said Jocelyn Cilik, program coordinator and director of orientation.

College Bowl is known as the “varsity sport of the mind,” and has a long history of providing an arena for the fastest minds in school to demonstrate their skills under fire.

Dating back to the ’50s, the College Bowl was broadcast on radio and television, proving to be educational and entertaining.

Competitor Erik Roth said he enjoyed the bowls because “it’s fun to hang out with dorks.”

For most of the competitors, College Bowl was something they had done for a while. Both Neal Hamilton and Roth participated in bowls during high school, and Michael Haboubi was participating in his fifth College Bowl.

During breaks the competitors mingled with each other and joked around. Most of them knew one another from Pitt’s Quiz Bowl team and the Honors College’s weekly bowls.

One team, known as “The Resisty,” a reference to the cartoon “Invader Zim,” offered a bit of comic relief. Team member Steve Holz playfully threatened the opposing team and shouted his team’s motto “The Resisty Rocks.”

Team 2, consisting of Haboubi, Kathleen Deeley and David Salcido beat “The Resisty” out to challenge team 5 in the final game.

Team 5 took the crown in the end, with Greg McWhirter, Katrin Ayrapetov, William Uspal and Ryan Balthaser, while Haboubi and his teammates settled for second place for the second consecutive year. The first- and second-place teams received insulated travel mugs.

Based on overall performance, the Pitt Program Council chose William Gardella, Haboubi, Hamilton and Uspal as all-stars who will go to the regionals.