February 24, 2023

FGC Brain Bowl Team Compete at Nationals

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Florida Gateway College has earned a spot in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) Community College Championship Tournament held in Chicago February 24-25, 2023.

FGC earned its chance to compete in the National Championships based upon the team’s performance at the NAQT Florida Sectional tournament held in Gainesville, Florida, on January 20-21. FGC’s team is ranked as the 11th seed in the field of 24 teams competing for the Community College National Championship.

“These questions give clues in three to four sentences,” said James Givvines, FGC professor of physics and the college’s Brain Bowl coach. “So, they are a little bit longer than what you would see on ‘Jeopardy’ or ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire.’ These are questions that range in scope from history and arts to literature, mathematics, and sciences, plus an occasional pop culture question.”

In addition to the FGC team, six other Florida College teams earned invitations to this National Championship.

About the performance of Florida Colleges, Givvines says, “The Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) has organized Brain Bowl tournaments between Florida community colleges for over 40 years. This gives Florida colleges a strong tradition of quiz bowl play; five of the top six teams are from Florida. Although not likely to compete for a top spot, we have set a goal of finishing within the top eight.”

A successful season has made FGC’s team the 2023 runner-up in the East Central region for the FCSAA Brain Bowl and earned them a spot in the state championship to be held March 24-25 at Santa Fe College in Gainesville.

Givvines and his team are also very grateful for the support they receive from the college. “President Barrett and the FGC Board of Trustees have been tremendously helpful in support of the Brain Bowl team this year. Additionally, we have great support from our faculty and staff throughout the year.”

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