Contrary to popular belief, Roses isn’t just about the various sporting events, which involve huge, screaming crowds and the best among athletically inclined showing off their physical ability. There are some events that attract a more quiet, reserved kind of participant. One such example is the Doctor Who trivia quiz, which had the Doctor Who societies of York and Lancaster facing off in a gruelling session of increasingly harder and harder bits of trivia in an attempt to one-up each other with knowledge of both the original and new series.
I arrived at the venue (Franklund Colloquium) at around five to twelve, where most of the Lancaster team was already gathered and awaited their opponents. A few minutes after me, promptly at twelve, York stepped in. After hearing from so many people about the blood rivalry between the universities, and feeling the almost vicious desire to win that permeated the air all around me since the moment Roses began, I was pleasantly surprised by how civil things were between the two teams. The atmosphere before the start of the quiz was friendly and inviting, with the participants mingling, talking and joking among each other, and generally having a good time. The overall sense of camaraderie made it all the easier to enjoy the event – nothing is better than friendly competition that is truly friendly.
The actual quiz happened in the standard quiz format: a question was asked, each team wrote down their answer, and then the next question appeared. Even the start of the showdown didn’t stop the trading of jokes and the occasional shout. The quiz questions were projected on the screen, and there was no set time for an answer. Generally, the next question would be projected after everyone was done answering the one before. The rounds were as follows:
- A Round of Roses
- Anagrams (which seemed to give everyone a bit of trouble)
- Easter Eggs
- A Rose by Any Other Name
- Spinning Around
- Questions about the Original series
I felt supremely pleased with myself for getting the answers to two of the questions right, and I almost wanted to jump in my seat and shout it out, to prove that I too deserve to be here, among all of these Trivia Lords.
The gracious Lancaster hosts even provided home baked goods to fuel the competitors: cinnamon rolls and brownies, which were occasionally passed between the teams, and which contributed to the general air of a homey and friendly event.
Ultimately, Lancaster’s WhoSoc won 104-97. The York team took their loss graciously, and everyone departed in good humour, with one York student remarking that she had ‘a lot of fun,’ and that the event was nice and pleasant overall.
*Edit: The original post stated that Lancaster lost to York, 104-107, but this has now been amended to show the proper score, where Lancaster beat York 104-97.
