EUGENE–Unlike their gridiron cousins in Hawaii, the bowl season isn’t over quite yet for nine University of Oregon Ducks who earlier this fall vanquished more than 100 fellow students in this year’s campus College Bowl competition.

Four members of "The Disco Stus" team, which edged out "The Nihilists" team, 110—95, in the final game of this year’s contest, will practice through January to try to secure one of the five spots on the university’s all-star team. Practicing with them will be the five top-scoring students from the top eight teams that advanced to the campus finals in November.

"We had a wonderful turnout for the campus-wide tournament. Our goal was to have 24 teams in the preliminary games and we got it. It was the largest turnout in the four years that I have been coordinating this event," says Laura Wallace, College Bowl student coordinator.

"It was extremely surprising to win," says "Disco Stus" team captain Jason George, a freshman journalism pre-major from Memphis, Tenn. "In fact, we had no idea that we could win one match, much less the entire competition. We just told them what we knew."

Heath Hutto, another "Disco Stus" member, says it is challenging "to have no idea what the next question will be about, but to know it could decide the round.

"It’s also interesting to realize that whether the question is about Boticelli or Bosnia will decide whether or not you win the round," says Hutto, a junior English and French major, 715 Blackfoot Ave., Eugene.

The UO all-star team will be selected at the end of January and then will compete in regional competition to be hosted on Feb. 19—20 by the University of Oregon.

According to Stephanie Dixon, Erb Memorial Union Recreation Center manager, the Ducks will face off in the regionals against other schools from Oregon, as well as schools from Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Included will be teams from the two-time defending regional champion, the University of Washington.

Depending on how well they fare at the regionals, the Ducks may advance to the national finals at the University of Florida in April, where "they could face teams such as Stanford, Michigan and Harvard," Dixon, says.

College Bowl is based on the popular "College Bowl" television series of the 1950s and 1960s. Teams of four players compete against the clock to score points by correctly answering toss-up and bonus questions on topics ranging from history, literature and science to current events, music and sports.

"It’s an event based purely on knowledge and speed, with few outside influences–you know something or you don’t, and it’s quite a thrill to find yourself remembering things you had forgotten, or making a wild guess and finding that it’s right," Hutto, says.

The competition’s history at the University of Oregon began in 1980 when a student resident assistant and Sally Smith, formerly a University Housing resident life assistant director, started their own Scholastic Bowl for dorm residents. Faculty members from various departments wrote the questions for the competition.

As participation grew, the UO residence halls joined the College Bowl organization and used official questions to qualify for regional competition. Later, the competition began to incorporate the entire campus so that teams from every aspect of the university community could participate.

Besides George and Hutto, UO students competing to be on the all-star team include:

• Peter Breaden, a sophomore journalism pre-major, 3225 Kinsrow, Apt. 196, Eugene.
• Sean Cole, a sophomore political science major, 1598 Orchard St., Eugene.
• Mike Surinak, a senior English major, 1442 E. 8th Ave., Apt. 14, Eugene.
• David Baufman, a sophomore psychology pre-major, 1621 S.W. Richard Court, McMinnville.
• Tim Blackman, a senior English major, 1675 Scotch Ave. S.E., Salem.
• Tobias Severn, a freshman theater arts major, 1626 W. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Razib Khan, a senior biochemistry major, 25920-112th Ave. S.E., Apt. C302, Kent, Wash.

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