"Yata!" Mark Liu at Trivia Bowl a few years ago
Are you paying attention to current events? Are you a sports trivia nut? Have an encyclopedic knowledge of entertainment factoids? Or do you simply love to stretch yourself and your knowledge? If so, you should definitely want to be a part of Trivia Bowl XIV, which is at ABC 7 Studios in Glendale this year on Oct. 17.
The event is always a ton of fun, even when I’ve simply been a monitor (a volunteer watching to make sure no team was cheating). I’ve played the last two years and will be playing again. However, I hear we have a few tables cleared for outside players — sans the usual team fee! Plus, we’re in need of judges. So if being either a player or a judge interests you (I think I already have Markland signed up as a judge), then leave a comment and I’ll put you down.
If you’re still not sure about playing, here’s a sampling from last year’s game, in the category of Southern California:
1. In July, this English soccer star signed a multi-million, multi-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. His name is David Beckham and he is married to former Spice Girl Victoria. What are the names of this couple’s three children?
2. In September, athletic apparel manufacturer Nike sponsored a running event in Los Angeles called Run Hit Remix. Name the musical artist who was the headline act at the finish-line concert.
3. What is the name of the Australian skateboarder who fell to the near flat-bottom of the X-Games Mega-Ramp earlier this year at the annual X Games, held at the Staples Center?
4. This American man won the 100-meter and 200-meter spring gold medals at the World Track and Field Championships, held in Osaka, Japan in August. Name him.
5. Name the school, along with its team name, that beat the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor in the first weekend of the 2007 College Football Season.
6. Name the Major League Baseball player who this season became the most recent member of the 3,000-hit club.
7. Members of this university’s women’s basketball team found itself at the center of the news following radio personality Don Imus’ demeaning and racially charged remarks. What is the university?
8. It’s the first game of the 1988 World Series and L.A. Dodger Kirk Gibson has just hit a pinch-hit homerun for the victory. Here is Vin Scully’s call: “ In a year that has been so ___________ the __________ has happened! Fill in the blanks IN ORDER.
9. After anchoring three-straight shutout matches in the prelims for the World Cup, this goalkeeper of the U.S. women’s soccer team was benched for the semifinal match against Brazil. What is her name?
10. At which university does the 1993 college football movie Rudy to take place?
11. This popular hiking spot, near Pearblossom California, features gigantic tilted slabs of rock, thanks to the collision of two earthquake faults. Name this spot.
12. Who has won the title of LPGA Player of the Year for the second straight year?
13. What is the Southern California city named in honor of the Roman goddess of Fruit?
14. What is the state route number depicted in the David Hockney photomontage work “Pearblossom Highway #2”?
15. Horticulturist Kate Session popularized this blue/lavender flowering tree throughout Southern California. Name the tree.
16. What city is at the eastern-most end of L.A.’s Metro Green Line?
17. What movie is Disneyland’s reopened Submarine Voyage based on?
18. Earlier this summer, Southern California’s Cambodian population celebrated the official designation of “Cambodia Town.” What city is this neighborhood located in?
19. What was the name of the mascot for the 1984 Olympic Games?
20. What is the name for Lockheed Martin’s advanced aircraft research facility in Palmdale?
Answers, plus links to more questions and answers in other categories, are available here. I surprised myself greatly when it turned out I knew the answers to #13, #16 and #18. At any rate, teams are made up of 10-12 people and I think it would be awesome to have the blogosphere represent this year. Hint, hint. There will also be awesome raffle and silent auctions up for grabs (like a lunch with Sharon Tay). It’ll be an all around good time.