Students are encouraged to attend the annual Geography Bowl for a chance to win free prizes and watch eight teams compete on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 4 p.m. in the Frey Conference Suite. 

This is the 12th annual Geography Bowl at Wayne State College, and its purpose has remained the same.  

“We do this to have fun, to raise awareness of geography, to give students a chance to blow off steam and to give students in the audience a chance to be entertained,” Randy Bertolas, the chair of history, politics, geography and MC of the event, said. “It doesn’t take much time.”  

Although the event is limited to eight teams, anyone is welcome to watch. Upon entry, everyone is given a numbered ticket. Numbers will then be called out throughout the event for a chance to win geography-related prizes. At the end of the 90-minute trivia game, many people will have won a prize. Free drinks will also be provided by Chartwell’s. 

All 16 contestants are WSC students for a total of eight teams of two. The tournament will be a single elimination head-to-head bracket. Each game will feature multiple rounds of questioning until a winner moves on to the next round.  

Bertolas said the champion is never the team someone might expect.  

“It’s not about being good at geography, it’s a trivia game, let’s face it,” he said. “It’s to have fun and promote the discipline. The kind of questions I ask aren’t going to be the ones that you necessarily are going to see in a geography class.” 

The Geography Bowl also provides people with the opportunity to break out of their shells. 

“Sometimes you get teams up there on the dais, they’re wallflowers,” Bertolas said. “They are the quietest students in the classroom, and then suddenly they’ve got their moment. That is the neatest thing.” 

The main purpose may be to have fun, but there’s still plenty to compete for. This year’s Geography Bowl winners will each get a $50 gift card to Godfather’s, along with a world atlas from National Geographic. The event will also promote Geography Awareness Week. 

“The aim of Geography Awareness Week, which occurs every third week of November, from November 13-17 this year, is to raise awareness about the significance of geography to everyone’s lives and encourage people to consider their relationship with the environment.” according to National Today.  

If everyone has fun at the Geography Bowl and learns a little bit about the field, Bertolas views the event as a success. 

“That’s kind of what this is, it’s blow off a little steam, stress release, and laugh,” he said. “Gosh, if you aren’t laughing, I’m not doing my job.”