The rebooted GPC Quiz Bowl Team played in five tournaments in Fall 2003 and learned a lot from their losses at UGA, Chattanooga, Emory, Berry, and Georgia Tech. By the time the team reached the 2-year Invitational at Tallahassee Community College, the players coalesced into a fast-buzzing, bonus-converting machine that took third place in the 30 team tournament. Kelly Cook and team captain Brian Crow were among the top scorers for the event. They continued their success at the NAQT 2-year Sectional in Athens, placing second to South Georgia, losing narrowly in a one-game playoff match. The team also took third place at UT-Chattanooga's RC Open in April.
The 2004-05 season
The GPC Quiz Bowl sent well wishes to the many students who graduated from the previous year's team. Returning starter Mariama Early served as team captain along team members Joseph Ardoin, Chandra Clay, Jesse Gantt, and Ryan Reynolds. GPC's Decatur Campus was glad to serve as tournament host for the NAQT 2-year tournament, with Dr. Tom Deaton of Dalton State serving as tournament director. The team's best showing was a 4-4 record in March at the Tournament by the Sea held at Jekyll Island. Pictures of the event do exist and are archives are being scanned for images.
The 2005-06 season
The GPC Quiz Bowl team competed at UGA's "EarlyBird" tournament in September, at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga's Center of the Known Universe/Big Lots Open in October, finished second at TRASH regionals held at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in November, and sent two teams to TrashMasters at UT-Chattanooga in December. The team competed in the NAQT Georgia CC Sectionals at Bainbridge College in February where Christine Adams finished in the top ten in scoring. In April the team played at the RC Cola Open tournament in Chattanooga with Christine Adams becoming the first female in Chattanooga tournament history to place first in the Music round competition. At TRASH Nationals in Austin in April, the team was presented with the top "first time" award at TRASH Nationals. Captain Grady Hobdy led the 05-06 team with members Christine Adams, Chandra Clay, Mariama Early, Kiesa Green, Jesse Gantt, Chris Mburu, Dalice Sheffield, Brandon Stanton, Brandon Watlington, and Benny Watts.
The 2006-07 Season
A September start at UGA's "Early Bird" tournament gave rookie Isaac Thomas his first game experience, where he placed in the top 20 scorers for the event. After hosting TRASH Regionals in November and earning a host bid for TRASH Nationals, the team played at Trashmasters in Chattanooga in December. Isaac Thomas and Richard Williams both placed in the top 30 scorers at the 2-year Invitational at Tallahassee Community College in January, and Christine Adams repeated as a top ten scorer at the NAQT 2-year Regional in February held at South Georgia College. In March, the GPC team won the Tournament by the Sea held in Athens, Georgia; a tournament usually held on Jekyll Island, but moved this year for logistical reasons. GPC team captain Christine Adams led the team through an undefeated run in the round robin and in the playoffs. Adams, Thomas and Williams improved on GPC's TRASH Nationals .500 record from the previous year by going 5-1 in the C bracket for a 10-5 overall record at TRASHionals X at College Park, Maryland with last minute assistance from Coach Bush and free agent Joseph Dion. Adams and Thomas led the GPC team to five wins in the Division II bracket of the RC Classic at Chattanooga in late April, losing to eventual champion Virginia Tech (hooray Virginia Tech!). As the defending champion of last year’s RC Classic music round, Adams finished in a tie for third in this year’s music round with Thomas finishing eighth.
The 2007-08 Season
After taking off Fall Semester 2007 to re-group and recruit, the GPC team played in Sword Bowl at UT-Chattanooga giving game exposure to rookies Ali Simon and Mahnaz Chowdhury. Veteran player Isaac Thomas served as captain with high school NAQT vets Robert Slade and Holly Tinkey, and GPC engineering major T.J. Moseley. At the NAQT 2-year Regionals, Slade topped all scorers with Tinkey and Thomas placing in the top 15 as GPC placed second with a 9-3 record, losing two of three matches to Chipola (Fla) College. However, GPC's record, tossup and bonus conversions were notable enough to earn at bid to the NAQT ICT in St. Louis in April. In March the team placed third while trying to defend their title at the Tournament by the Sea. In late March GPC took third place in Division 2 at the Moon Pie Invitational at UT-Chattanooga where Robert Slade topped all D2 scorers in tossups. Slade also topped all 2-year school players at the NAQT ICT in tossup scoring in the overall tournament. Slade was awarded third place as awards were based on preliminary matches before playoff seeding, but Slade's performance in the three final playoff games put him over the top. GPC won their final two games at the ICT after a series of close losses in the playoffs.
2nd place at NAQT Regionals 2008
UT-Chattanooga D2 coordinator Ruth Jackson and Wally Edmondson award 3rd Place to GPC at Moon Pie (UT-Chattanooga)
GPC with NAQT Division 2 coordinator Craig Barker
NAQT D2 coordinator C. Barker with Robert Slade- top 2-year scorer
At the Washington University gate
At the top of the Gateway Arch
The 2008-09 Season
The GPC team played in the Early Fall Tournament mirror held at Vanderbilt University in October finishing second among two-year schools in the field and achieving a 5-6 record overall in the University dominated tournament. In November the GPC team finished second at Berry College's Southeastern Open narrowly missing out on the Carper Cup. The Fall Semester concluded in Chattanooga at Trashmasters with the team taking second in the Undergrad division. Before classes started for Spring Semester, the GPC team travelled to Florida for the Seaside Academic Tournament finishing with a 9-2 record. We hosted the NAQT CC Georgia Sectional at Clarkston campus in late January earning an at-large bid. A late loss in the preliminary rounds at the NAQT CC Championships took GPC out of the top bracket of teams going on the the ICT; but, GPC finished 7th in the field of the 24 top 2-year school competing in NAQT. The team concluded the season with a second place finish at UT-Chattanooga's Moon Pie Classic in March, and second place at Cedar Shoals 3M hybrid in April.
GPC top scorer Robert Slade at Seaside with tournament director Aimee Watts, and at NAQT CCCT with director R. Robert Hentzel.
At NAQT CCCT in Orlando, top: Dylan Kepes, Erin Obrock, Robert Slade, bottom: Anthony Bush, Toussaint Moseley, Brian Little
The team also hosted the annual Constitution Day quiz and the quadrennial Election Night quiz won by Pappy Harmon.
Election night trivia winner Pappy Harmon with GPC Quiz Bowl team captain Brian Little
