Ottawa

Ottawa
Location: Ottawa, ON
Current President or Coach	James Wang
National championships	none
NAQT Page	link

The University of Ottawa (French: Université d'Ottawa), is a public university in Ottawa, Ontario. The modern club was founded by noted quizbowler Ben Smith in the 2003-04 season. The club often collaborates on events with Carleton University and Lisgar.

History

There are tournament results showing a team from Ottawa participating in several quizbowl tournaments in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, no remaining students or club status from that time were apparent upon the establishment of the official club.

The current club was established in 2003 amidst several other programs starting up around Canada in the same year. Ben Smith, Michelle Bishop, Jeff Gordon, and Philippe Marchand were the original members. Gordon was president in the early years due to a former rule stating that uOttawa clubs and their presidents must be bilingual. Tamara Vardomskaya joined the team and led them to 5th place at 2004 NAQT Canadian SCT. Ottawa participated in the 2005 ICT and 2006 ICT, finishing in the bottom bracket both times.

Throughout the early 2010s, Ottawa remained active on both the regional and national scene. and was a regular attendee to ICT, with their highest results being 12th in DII in 2010 and 24th in DI in 2011. Ottawa played ICT in 2013 and 2014, led by Jordan Palmer. On the regional circuit, the club won the 2013 Canadian SCT and placed first in Canadian ACF Regionals in 2013, 2014, and 2015. However, tournament participation declined during the latter half of the decade, with the club failing to send teams to Regionals from 2017 to 2022. However, activity rebounded during the 2022-2023 season, placing 4th at ACF Regionals and hosting several successful tournaments.

Current Members

• James Wang (President, 2023-24.)
• Connor Haines (President, 2022-2023; Vice President, 2023-2024)
• Daniel Vorotyntsev (Treasurer, 2022-2024)
• Sam Montgomery (Francophone Affairs, 2023-2024)
• Mica Oestreich (Secretary, 2023-2024)
• David Gayowsky (Team Captain, 2023-2024)
• Emerald Smith (External Affairs, 2022-2024)
• Gabrielle Clarke
• Maude-Sophie Lockman
• Ishan Joshi

Former Members

• Ben Smith (founder)
• Jordan Palmer
• Britney Castleman (president 2009-2011)
• Aaron Kozak (captain 2009-2011)
• Philippe Marchand
• Katie Packman (president 2011-2012)
• Tamara Vardomskaya
• Radu Popescu (captain 2011-2013, president 2012-2013)