C.A. Nolte Photo
The day was blustery and frigid, and the contestants huddled together at crowded tables at the Russian Lady on Temple Street repeatedly asked the hosts of the first annual “World Series of Trivia” about the cold.
“What do they want me to do? People keep coming in from outside,” barked Craig Ventura, owner of Big Boy Entertainment and co-host for the day’s tournament.
“I know,” sighed Alley Meeker, one of his regular hosts.
The cold, however, did not keep any of the 30 teams from coming out and playing hard from 2 p.m. until roughly 6:30 p.m. Sunday for a chance at placing in one of the top five slots.
Announcers wearing T‑shirts that had “Quizmaster” emblazoned across the chest read out the questions over a PA. The teams jotted down their answers on sheets of paper that they then turned in for scoring, round after round.
1. What color is represented on the most of all world flags, with 77 percent? 2. What is the American equivalent brand name for the Canadian over-the-counter medication Gravol? 3. How many countries share a land border with Sweden?
“I’ve been playing trivia for five years, and hosting for two. We’ll be up there,” Andrew Weinschenker of Cap’n Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters said. His teammate Lida Conley added, “I think we have a solid team. We all have our strengths.”
“And no weaknesses!” said Andrew.
Ventura and Anthony Apuzzo, of Digital Tracks Entertainment, co-hosted the occasion, which was Ventura’s brainchild. The World Series of Trivia was “something that’s been rattling around my head for quite some time,” Ventura said. “When Black Bear shut down, I went over to the Russian Lady, and in November I was just nonchalantly saying to the manager, ‘You know, I’d love to get a world series of trivia together.’ And he said ‘Let’s do it.’”
The teams had a penchant for off-color, cringeworthy names. There was Lesbian Barbie Comes in Her Own Box, It’s Always Sunny in Quizadelphia, and Snarknado. Suck It, Trebek had coordinated T‑shirts with their name printed on the front.
The award for best name, however — a $25 gift certificate to the Russian Lady — went to I Haven’t Seen This Many People in A Russian Lady Since the Cold War.
Laura Brown and Geoff Peters, two of the team’s members, moved to New Haven this past summer from Pennsylvania.
“In Pennsylvania, I’d always have to convince people to come with me” to trivia contests, Peters said. “There’s definitely more of a scene here. I think it’s because of Big Boy — everything is in one place.”
Mike Carabetta, also on the team, said succinctly, “I like it, it’s fun.”
“And you’re surprisingly good at it,” said Geoff. Mike shrugged and smiled.
The bar was filled to bursting by 1:30 p.m. With a stated start time of 2 p.m., Ventura, Apuzzo, and their team scrambled to find seats and tables for everyone who came to play.
The mood was convivial and eager as the teams vied for the top five prize-earning places. The first-place team would walk away with $600 in cash and $400 in gift certificates from New Haven bars and restaurants.
Ventura stood and read the questions to the three teams gathered in the back as they were being read up front, because the sound system didn’t reach that far. In the back with him was Stephen Hawking’s School of Dance, a team that had travelled from Hartford to compete.
Other players had come from Hamden, Fairfield, Wallingford, and even farther away to play at the Russian Lady.
“We figured it’d be a great event,” Ventura said. “I wanted to make sure I capitalized on the fact that Yale is one of the academic hubs of the world. We have players from New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland.”
Nontrivial Community
Team Postahontas boasted two international players: one from the Netherlands and another, Edwin Siu, originally from Australia.
Siu had been playing trivia at one of Ventura’s nights since last April. Ventura, a justice of the peace as well as a trivia host and DJ, married Siu and his husband, John Walsh, this past year on the Thimble Islands.
“We already knew Craig, and we knew we were having a bigger ceremony next January,” Siu said. “But we wanted to get married earlier. And we asked if he was a justice of the peace, and he was.”
Peters echoed Siu’s sentiment. “The more you come, the more Craig will recognize you, and they’re excited to see you.”
Ventura has been running trivia nights in and around New Haven for almost eight years. “I started it in May 2007 as a part time thing to make a little extra money, and one night turned into two, then into four, and eventually I had had enough of my day job and went off on my own, got a crew and expanded. I went into it on a wing and was really comfortable early on and it took off.”
Trivia is especially popular in New Haven, says Ventura. “It’s been around a long time, as far as I know. It probably has some of the oldest trivia nights in the state. I think that trivia is quite popular with the academic towns — but there’s also places that you don’t have a university town and they’re popular. It’s not just the academic or a college town event.”
Zubin Doshi, a self described trivia fanatic, would probably agree.
“I didn’t sleep much last night,” he said. “Too excited. I’ve been playing trivia my whole life — a fanatic since first grade.” And “Craig just tries more — he’s actively trying and in a way he’s unintentionally creating a community.”
Marlon Boyd, one of the hosts and the World Series scorekeeper, has known Ventura since high school. “I needed some work,” he said, “so Craig was like, I have something for you.” That something was a gig as an alternate host of one of Ventura’s several trivia nights in the greater New Haven area for two years.
Ventura also has actively sought to become involved with community charities. At the World Series of Trivia, Ventura included a gift bag raffle to benefit Ballet Haven, Habitat for Humanity Hamden, and the Juvenile Diabetes Fund, which brought in over $750.
Though this too was personal for Ventura. One of his regular players passed away in December after a lifelong struggle with diabetes.
“I figured this would be a good way to give back to the community,” Ventura said. “And tie the relationships and community of New Haven together.”
“It’s not just a bar thing,” Boyd said. “He’s putting everyone together. There’s definitely a community.”
Victory
A break between rounds gave everyone time to catch up on their drinking as well as their phones, as participants were required to place all phones in baskets on each table to prevent cheating. Scouts walked between tables to make sure everyone obeyed the rules, and each round’s answers were collected after the round was completed.
Then the questions continued. 4. Which wedding anniversary is the paper anniversary? 5. Who was the only female tennis player to complete a Golden Grand Slam? 6. What two items are depicted on the logo of Amnesty International?
A minor scuffle over the pronunciation of trapesium resulted in good-natured heckling by Ventura. Boyd, the host of the round, was called to repeat himself.
“I may have mispronounced trapesium,” Boyd said, “but I’m from New Haven, so…”
“If you’re from New Haven, talk like you’re from New Haven!” Ventura called.
Grinning, Boyd shot back, “Trust me, you don’t want that!”
The winners with Ventura and Apuzzo.
At the end of the tournament, with all answer sheets collected, the scores were added up. Netters Do It Better took fifth place. The Haskers took fourth. Snarknado came in third and The Best Friends Gang placed second. In first place: Stephen Hawking’s School of Dance.
Fourth-place winners The Haskers weren’t surprised, but thought they might have done better.
“We thought we’d win something, at least,” said Ed Fedorowich. His teammate Andrea added, “We got here drunk, so, you know!”
Slowly the bar began to empty into the cold, and Ventura and company were left with thoughts for next year.
“This is the culmination of seven years of hard work and dedication,” Ventura said. “This is definitely going to be the start of something big and it’s the next step with my company. I’m really happy. I’ve raised some good money for some good causes.”
“You are our fearless leader,” regular host Meeker said.
Ventura laughed.
Answers, for those of you playing at home: 1. Red. (White is second, at 73 percent.) 2. Dramamine. 3. Two: Finland and Norway. 4. The first anniversary. 5. Steffi Graf. 6. A candle and barbed wire.
How did you do?
