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Not-so trivial pursuit in the Land of Oz by Chad Zdroik Jim Oliva, owner of Mom’s Computers, lives at 1556 Elk St., an older picket fence neighborhood in Stevens Point not far from where the end of Main Street meets the Wisconsin River. He has long called this town home. But this town has long called Jim Oliva something else; he is to Stevens Point what Professor Marvel is to Emerald City. Both men are known for their extraordinary talents, shrouding themselves in mystery and hiding behind curtains. Jim Oliva’s curtain happens to be the college radio station. For the past quarter century, Oliva has orchestrated the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s annual marathon trivia contest, billed the world’s largest. He spends the majority of his Saturdays writing the 432 questions with his friend John Eckendorf. Just before the contest begins Mr. Oliva organizes all events around the competition, including registration and a parade. From there, he mans the complaint line throughout the competition, taking calls from contestants who dispute answers for one reason or another. It is this man the town knows best, the man it calls Oz. Stevens Point hugs a large bend of the Wisconsin River here in the heart of the state - or just above the palm if you are using your right hand for a map. Its 24,551 denizens make up an eclectic and enthusiastic community dedicated to a strong social, athletic, artistic and political culture. Point is a spirited school town, one films like Dead Poets Society and Mr. Holland’s Opus strive to emulate; UWSP - now in its 110th year - nests in the city’s center. Yet nothing Point offers arouses the community’s energy more than the trivia contest held every April. Not Riverfront Rendezvous over the forth of July weekend; not Brews, Brats and Bands in late August on the grounds of the Point Brewery; not October’s Art in the Park. Even Christmas pales in comparison and serves more as a reminder the contest is less than four months away. The trivia parade kicks off the long-awaited weekend on Friday at 4 p.m. Friday also trumpets the suspension of overnight parking rules. Vacant hotel rooms become sparse. Reservations at the Hilltop Bar and Grill are a must, long waits at other restaurants a sure bet, and most places schedule extra workers through the whole weekend. On Friday, County Market and Copps food stores brace themselves as if it were Thanksgiving (the latter might have shot itself in the foot when it recently pulled out as a sponsor for the event, only for the former to replace it). Friday morning is the last time most will wake from their beds until Monday. A Journey The 54-hour-long trivia contest is broadcast from UWSP’s own radio station, 89.9 WWSP-FM. Within the station’s small studio, where the compact discs still compete with records for shelf space, university students take turns announcing the questions and answers into the microphone’s mesh. “Moving right along, Question Six of Hour 18 reads as follows: After a boring 10-minute narration by Lowell Thomas on a standard 35-millimeter black and white screen, a triple-sized color screen opens, putting us into the front car of a roller coaster, giving the viewer the most memorable part of the movie. What is the name of this Academy Award-nominated flick?” From the station, located on Reserve Street along the university’s Communication Arts strip, Question Six ripples out to more than 500 teams in homes, apartments and rented hotel rooms in Central Wisconsin. In 2003, the contest went live online for the first time, allowing even people in the great Kansas prairies or near the harbor Down Under to play along. The 500-plus teams personify the drive behind the contest, sporting names like Gene Autry’s Ninja Warriors, Yoda’s House of Polish Wisdom and Beavers’ World Order. And their sizes and ages range broadly. Some teams are as small as three or four players; some players are as young as three or four years old. Question Six will be met with an almost unbearable silence by most of these teams as each concentrates on every word issuing from Bose Waves or General Electric Superadio IIIs. Silence comes with every question eight times an hour and stops as soon as the music resumes. It is a necessary silence - a cherished silence - for the next few minutes’ searching requires each contestant understand precisely what is being asked. To speak during this time is to commit the cardinal sin of trivia, as unassuming yappers quickly learn. “I’m the naggy one when it comes to questions, saying, ‘Shut up! I can’t hear it!’” says Maggie Beeber of the team Ah bin Hyp-mo-tized!!!!!!!!!!!! “I’m usually typing the questions while somebody else is writing in the book and we’ll both look at each other and go, ‘Shut up!’” The question is repeated for clarity’s sake. Then, as the first of two interstitial songs starts over the airwaves, the yelling begins in the team headquarters. The clock is ticking and discourse is limited to only the trivial. |
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