From 6 p.m. Friday until midnight Sunday, thousands of contestants were holed up in basements around town armed with reference books, computer databases and plenty of chips, dip and soda in a quest to answer questions relating to TV, movies, sports, current events and food. The objective was to answer eight questions an hour with only two hourlong dinner breaks Saturday and Sunday. Ray Hamel of Madison and Barry Heck of Middleton are longtime members of the toughest team in the annual 54-hour Stevens Point trivia marathon. Their team name is always a derivative of the name Network, which has become too conspicuous and alarming to other contestants. On the Road.
Network just makes it look easy.
It is said that nearly half of this central Wisconsin city of 23,000 takes part in the marathon, if not playing directly, then helping friends and family or volunteering at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point ratlio station, WWSP, which sponsors the event and broadcasts it over its airwaves. Some come from Chicago, Milwaukee and as far as Australia. The 11,800 participants also included a large contingent of Madisonians, especially University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point alums. Hamel doesn't fall in that category. No, Hamel, who makes his living writing trivia games for publications including the New York Times and Games Magazine, was recruited for obvious reasons.