By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
The team N, formerly known Network, retained its championship in the 33rd Annual Trivia Contest sponsored by 90FM WWSP during the weekend
N moved into the lead Saturday afternoon and held that lead for the remainder of the 54-hour contest to capture the title, with 8,265 points.
Finishing second for the second straight year was CNOF54: Bud Strikes Back, which had won the championship in 1999 and 2000, but never got closer than second throughout the contest. CNOF54 had 7,420 points.
Other names in the top 10 were familiar ones from previous years. They, and their point totals, included Graduates of a Lesser God, third, 7,260; Tin Man, fourth, 7,210; Hairy Beerpig and the Trivia Stone, fifth, 7,070; Astro Wolfpack, sixth, 6,890; Yaargh! Big & Hairy Cletidus Hunt!, seventh, 6,830; Franklin Street Burnouts, eighth, 6,715; Late Night with Bob Keeshan, ninth, 6,685; and Mutated Members, 10th, 6,435.
As is usual, the lead changed hands several times during the first 24 hours before N took control and then held on, expanding its lead in the contest's final hours.
In keeping with previous years, the contest had a few themes.
Before the contest, Jim "The Oz" Oliva told players they should "put the pedal to the metal" but he waited until the 19th hour before he started using questions involving cars.
Then, virtually the first question of every hour until the end of the contest either had Studebaker or LaSalle in the question or as part of the answer. "I guess it took me a little while to get going," he said.
From the 18th to the 27th hour, the final question sought answers that ended most times with "ancy" or some derivative.
This year's contest was called "All in the Contest" in tribute to Carroll O'Connor who died in 2001 but the contest was devoid of any questions pertaining to O'Connor's most popular television series, "All in the Family."
"I just never got around to asking any questions about it," Oliva said, explaining that a contest doesn't have to include questions about the contest's theme.
Oliva noted several things about this year's contest, which he said featured more correct answers than previous contests, which resulted in lower point values for questions.