Academic Quiz Bowl

By MIDN 2/C Anthony Molesphini

On February 12, 2009, we hosted our third annual Academic Quiz Bowl versus the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp unit based at the University of Pittsburgh. The Quiz Bowl is a jeopardy style competition where the competitors race to be the first to answer a wide variety of questions.  This semester, questions ranged from Air Force and Navy knowledge to the Super Bowl and pop culture trivia.

The Navy team included Officer Candidate Wilkins, Midshipman (MIDN) 1/C Bartholomeaux, MIDN 3/C Head, MIDN 4/C Gorham, Boring, Molinari, Corso, and Brocavich. For the third year in a row, we came out victorious with over twice as many points as the Air Force. Bragging rights aside, joint operations such as these are crucial to the development of Midshipmen into future leaders in the Armed Forces. Once in the fleet, officers from all branches of the military will have a great deal of interaction, especially concerning the style of operations being conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

Through interactions, such as the quiz bowl, we try to build a sense of camaraderie and respect for our brothers-in-arms that will be essential upon graduation and commissioning. It is exactly this sort of relationship and communication that maintains remarkable efficiency between services, high standards of conduct, and the esteemed legacy of our military.