How We YPC: Volleyball & Trivia

Volleyballooza

Last Saturday marked the first YPC Volleyballooza. The sand was hot, the competition fierce, and the volleyball skills were.. varying. In all seriousness, this great event raised a ton of money for Iowa Homeless Youth Centers. Twelve teams ended up competing at Volley's, which was the perfect size for the event.

The morning started bright and early at 9 a.m. with a couple games of round robin to get the seeding. Double-elimination tourney play started at 11. With temperatures in the high 90s, the drinks were flowing and the sand was scorching - at least 10% of the drink and food sales also went to the cause! My team (aptly named "Balls in Your Face" — so mature) did pretty well (we called ourselves fourth). I was a bit nervous going into it, as my volleyball skills are a bit sporadic. But the day was really relaxed, and I met lots of new people. It was nice to see plenty of familiar faces, but also lots of people I hadn't seen at YPC events before. 

Alyssa Cashman

Civic Trivia Night

On July 24, YPC’s Civic Committee hosted the year’s first Civic Trivia Night at The Rooftop in the Historic East Village. The venue is located on top of House of Bricks offers patio style seating, a scenic view, a large bar area, as well as food options. The Rooftop is a nice place to relax outside and enjoy some libations, and considering the 100 degree heat, they were much needed! In spite of the sweltering temperature, there was a great showing of those determined to display their civic and general knowledge for a chance at bragging rights and prizes. Teams could consist of any number of people, even a team of one (if you’re really confident in your trivia knowledge). Talking with friends and making new acquaintances led to the formation of teams with some very interesting names, some of which should probably be left on the rooftop. 

The format of trivia consisted of three question categories, in which teams had to assign point values to their answers, making the “are you sure?” question even more important as teams could decide how many points a right answer could render. Although I was somewhat concerned on the difficulty that civic themed trivia may pose, the questions were interesting and great at making the team think and come up with ideas together. A lot of the questions were civic themed, however, the general knowledge questions weren’t always easy and took some thinking. For example, what does Z.I.P in zip code stand for? What percentage of the U.S. is facing a drought? What is the lighting-rod on top of the Washington Monument made out of? Where are the 2014 Winter Olympics going to be held? Either way, trivia is always a fun time, whether you know your team’s got the right answer or not. Perhaps even more entertaining is when a question is asked and your team sits in silence for a few moments, everyone engaged in deep thought with wrinkled foreheads, racking their brains for a clue until the guesses come out. The format also included a lighting round and the ability to wager all or none of the points your team had earned on the final question, so the winner could be anyone’s guess.

Although it was a hot night, I really enjoyed this event as I’m sure everyone else in attendance did as well. Hoping we will have another trivia night soon. If you’re up to the challenge of relaxing with friends, enjoying some cold beverages and displaying your cognitive confidence, I will see you there!

Lindsey Meyer