Gallaudet University withstood a challenge by NTID/RIT to win the 12th biennial NAD College Bowl competition, held July 8, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gallaudet scored 93 points, NTID/RIT 91, and California State University at Northridge 44.
The NAD College Bowl is an academic competition where teams field questions in Art and Literature, Current Events, Deaf Heritage and Culture, Entertainment, Geography, History and Government, Mathematics; Science, Nature, and Technology; and Sports and Leisure. It was first held in 1988, and has become one of the signature events during each biennial NAD conference.
Gallaudet, led by veteran players Meredith Peruzzi and David Uzzell, led by 18 points at the beginning of the third round, but NTID/RIT fought its way to an eight-point lead midway through the round. The pendulum swung back to Gallaudet when they won a challenge and NTID lost two. Gallaudet took a seven-point lead into the final question when NTID/RIT challenged. If Gallaudet had answered incorrectly, they were at risk of losing to NTID/RIT. In the end, all three teams answered correctly, and Gallaudet eked out its fourth consecutive win and sixth in the last seven competitions.
Besides Peruzzi and Uzzell, Gabriel Paulone, Colin Whited, and Allison Weiner rounded out the Gallaudet team. Its coaches were Robert Weinstock and Pia Marie Paulone. NTID/RIT was represented by veteran Colin Pearson and newcomers Cory Behm, Jordan Burgener, Gianni Manganelli, and Hannah Worek. Chris Kurz and Gary Behm served as coaches. CSUN’s Darren Hause played in his third and final competition, along with Brandon Marin, Emily Schwartz, and Joshua Soudakoff. The CSUN coaches were Robert Sidansky and Barbara Boyd.
All three teams expect to return most of their players in 2012 in Louisville, and the NAD plans to expand the competition to include other colleges and universities. This should make for another exciting competition!
Thanks go to Paul Rutowski, who did a masterful job as emcee, and to the College Bowl committee for their outstanding work in planning the competition: Kyle Houston, Danny Millikin, Drew Robarge and Adam Stone.
“I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of our competitors, colleges, and their coaches and families for their hard work and their spirited attitude. They truly made this year’s competition a joy to watch,” said NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins. “Our congratulations go to Gallaudet on their fourth consecutive College Bowl victory. Now it’s onwards to 2012 in Louisville!”
NAD intern Emily Iverson contributed as co-author of this story.