A night of trivial pursuits

Together with cohorts KT, Gjervold, and Tranasaurus, I returned to Moorhead High School to partake in an evening of trivia to benefit the debate team. Our team, of which I did not captain nor show much leadership initiative, was the smallest of the dozen or so participating. Fargo Dan and Phil had been unable to fulfill their commitment. So Trip Trotsky, as I secretly christened the team, began at a slight disadvantage. But not to fret, we held our own.
The contest of 5 rounds required each team to answer a series of questions in a alloted amount of time. There was no buzzer beating - just fill out the answer sheet and hand it in at the round's end. Our collective minds fused to create a combatting force contending for the evening's championship title - cash.
Along the way there were other contests and door prizes interspersed which KT won a few times. There was also food, not that we needed any because Tranasaurus made dinner for Gjervold and I.
Coming into the final round, we were in 5th place. However, in this round we were allowed to bid on the amounts of points we would get for correct answers for 15 catergories a la Final Jeopardy. Of these categories 2 were sure things- Musicals and Large Lizards (thanks to Gjervold). Now the strategizing began. Tranasaurus and KT did the math. We allocated our bids and then received the questions. Indeed, our strong points for Musicals and Large Lizards paid off. Our secondary strengths came through too. When all the points were calculated, Trip Trosky came in 2nd. Not much cheering for us. The 3rd place team got more. KT went up and accepted the $30 prize with a smile. We had a photo op and then donated the money back to the debate team (the coach is a friend of ours). Oh the thrill of victory.