By answering these and other questions correctly, Radford University student, Tameika Williams, walked away with the $200 cash prize at the Black History Quiz Bowl on Feb. 11, sponsored by BAP. Williams beat out 17 other contestants for the prize.

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“All questions in the game show-type contest were based on some aspect of African American history such as current events, music and sports. Contestants could choose to play alone or on teams and were each given a hand-held response device.

A question would be asked and shown on a large screen, and numbered responses were given to choose from. Contestants would punch in their choice for the correct answer, and immediately, the screen would show what percent of the players chose each answer.

A definite crowd pleaser, the screen would then show the names of all the players and their current ranking. Contestants were jumping out of their seats almost every time they would move up or down in the rankings.

What really makes this stand out as a unique learning experience is what happened after the correct answer was revealed. Rather than just moving on to the next question, facts and statistics were given about the question and the correct response

Host of the quiz bowl, Tom Bresadola, said, “It’s different than having all your lectures. It’s a fun time where you actually learn something. Questions are all based on African American history, and if you don’t know the answer, we give information about why the person was famous or why the answer was important, and you learn something as you go.”

The event was put on by a company called Simplified Entertainment from New York that specializes in live and interactive novelty performances across the nation. They perform mostly at military bases, casinos, corporations and colleges.

This is the same company that put on the “Battle of the Sexes” last year at RU. This is, however, the first time a Black History quiz bowl has been done at RU.

Bresadola, who is also a master hypnotist and has appeared on channels such as MTV, NBC, CBS and CNN, said the show was adapted from their ordinary trivia show, “Brainstorm.” Bresadola says it is quite common to adapt shows to fit certain needs and that any club, organization or group on campus is encouraged to contact the company if they would like to book a show. All you need to do is fill out a short, simple contract.

For more information on Tom Bresadola and his achievements visit www.simplifiedentertainment.com/tbhyp.htm

To book a show with Simplified Entertainment, visit www.simplifiedentertainment.com/sampcontract.htm and fill out the simple contract.

For more information on BAP visit www.radford.edu/~bapboard/

To see how you’d fare in a Black History Quiz Bowl, visit www.knowyourblackhistory.com/. You can answer trivia questions here and perhaps win a prize. You can also find more facts and profiles of important figures in Black History.