Behind The Scenes: KVSC Trivia Volunteers Keep Contest Afloat [VIDEO] [PHOTOS]

ST. CLOUD - Phones rang off the hook in Stewart Hall last weekend as student and community volunteers worked behind the scenes to answer calls and tally points for KVSC's annual trivia contest.

KVSC's trivia marathon is no ordinary trivia contest, it's a 50 hour nonstop mind marathon that teams from around the world compete in.

The history of KVSC’s trivia weekend goes back to 1980, as an event put on by college students to escape winter cabin fever. What started as a small campus event has morphed into something extraordinary, 35 years later, more than 50 teams from around the world and hundreds of volunteers participate to keep the contest afloat.

For the entire weekend, teams gather together and create makeshift trivia war-rooms to answer non-stop questions. Some teams have over a dozen people, working around the clock so they wont miss questions.

Every year there is a specific theme to correspond with the questions, this year it was the Trivia Sports Playing Network. Station manager Jo McMullen-Boyer says the theme tied in with the Olympics this year.
 
"It was perfect to tie in with the opening of the Olympics," McMullen-Boyer says.

Questions are announced over the air, teams then call into the phone bank with their answers.

Volunteers spend hours at a time answering phones telling teams if their answers are wrong or correct. The work that goes in behind the scenes with these volunteers ensures a smooth contest.

While it may not sound like the most thrilling thing to answer phones for hours on end, many volunteers stay for extra shifts and some may stay for a majority of the weekend.

"It's addictive, people may start with one shift and ask if they can stay for more," McMullen-Boyer says.

-Below are some photos of teams participating in the contest-