Re: Just a Question

ZAMM_Phaedrus · Sat, 11 Dec 1999 16:51:16 -0800

"Just how serious is College Bowl to all the
members out there? I mean, how much time is usually spent
in a week doing something related to
 quizbowl or
just thinking about that one last question?"

If
you ask me how serious I am about quizbowl in terms
of competitiveness, the answer is: not
very.

But it is very important to me as a social
phenomenon.

I think I have made many friends in qb who I will
hopefully keep in touch with long after I am out of school
and away from the game (or at least as retired as
many people I know of, that is to say, not
very).

Honestly, qb has become an object of love for me. When I
have been at the lowest in my life, the thought of it
sustains me.

I can spend up to six hours a week in
practice, but it is a social time more than an attempt to
improve my game. I can spend several weekends out of
town. When it comes to crunch time for running high
school tournaments, I can devote intensive hours. And,
of course, I spend way too much time in the chat
room with people who I consider my friends.

But
do I care that much about playing. Not really. Sure,
I like to know all these things that I do, but I
would know a lot of things regardless of whether or not
I played this game; it has just focused the areas
in which I know things.

And I enjoy having a
political agenda. I like to think I have a reputation for
all the axes to grind. A mailing list flame war can
be fun.

Am I serious about all of this? Very.
Am I serious about this as a "sport"? Not at all.
But I love it, and it makes me cry to think that one
day I won't have this "lifestyle."