The World Geography Bowl is held during the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG). Each regional division within the AAG is eligible to enter a student team, and this year’s tournament saw nine regions vying for the championship title. After an early loss to the powerhouse team from the Southeast Division (SEDAAG), APCG finished the preliminary rounds with an overall record of six wins and two losses, qualifying the team to again face the undefeated SEDAAG team in the finals. Team captain Zia Salim and 2009 MVP Jon Rossiter, both of San Diego State University, led the team in a first-round shutout of SEDAAG. While Round Two saw SEDAAG make a spirited rally, APCG held onto its lead to emerge as the 2009 champions.
Salim congratulated the team for maintaining their competitive spirit without taking themselves too seriously: “From intense practice before the conference, to making an APCG banner, to planning strategy, our team worked hard but had a lot of fun. It was an extra exciting moment at the very end when all that effort paid off in spades (and in Las Vegas of all places!).” “For me, the GeoBowl was the highlight of the annual meeting this year,” added Humboldt State Geography Professor and co-coach Joy Adams. “I think this is the first time that APCG has ever won the GeoBowl, and I was so excited about our team’s outstanding performance that I could hardly sleep Tuesday night!”
This year’s team roster included HSU alumni Jenny Novak (class of ’07) and Denielle Perry (class of ’06). Novak is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Southern California, and Perry is completing her master’s thesis at the University of Nevada-Reno. The team was co-coached by HSU alumna Dr. Bronwyn Owen Haugland (class of ’96), currently a faculty member at Truckee Meadows Community College, and Professor Adams.
Rounding out the team roster were Melinda Alexander and Nick Burkhart of Arizona State University; Ted Eckmann of the University of California-Santa Barbara; and Sarah Champion, Caitlin Chason, Jon Rossiter, and Zia Salim of San Diego State University. Rossiter took top MVP honors, winning an illuminated globe for earning the highest point average per game among all individual players. APCG’s sole undergraduate player Nick Burkhart also placed within the top ten individuals. Team members competing in the finals received a deluxe world atlas and travel book from event sponsors Penguin Books and National Geographic. Prizes were presented by HSU alumna Kaitlin Yarnall (class of 2005), who is now employed as a Research Cartographer with National Geographic Maps.