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A TRAVELOGUE: THE 2014 NATIONAL RECREATION & PARK ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONGRESS

By Jennifer Kiesewetter (RPTA ’15), Cal Poly Quiz Bowl Team Member

The academic year started off with a bang for the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Department by sending four students to the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Congress. We traveled to Charlotte, N.C., with Professors Brian Greenwood and Bill Hendricks to attend Congress and attempt to reclaim the NRPA Academic Quiz Bowl championship title.

Team members Mike Higgins, captain, and Josh Pighetti, Hayley DeCarolis and I have all been on the team for two years, and were proud to finish our final year with a win. We met over the summer and communicated via email to keep up our knowledge, and our efforts paid off! At the competition, we first defeated Brigham Young University and University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”) and then defeated East Carolina University in the second round. Our team swept the competition in park maintenance and management categories. After months of preparation, it was an honor to win and represent Cal Poly and the RPTA Department as the best in the country.

But Congress isn’t just about winning the Quiz Bowl title. Congress also provided the opportunity to attend several seminars and workshops and explore Charlotte, N.C.

The week started with a bit of uncertainty. We left from San Jose, Calif., early on a Monday morning. But thanks to weather delays, we did not make it to our hotel until 2 a.m. the next day. Bright and early, and a little short on sleep, we headed to the convention center to meet Professor Greenwood and attend the general opening session.

Upon entering the conference center and being surrounded by recreation professionals, I felt a flurry of excitement. It was noisy, there were lots of people, and being part of the action was fun. I enjoyed being in a place where everyone was alive with energy and anticipation.

Name badges on, we joined about 7,000 other attendees at the general opening session to listen to an address by NRPA President and CEO Barbara Tulipane. The theme of her speech was that recreation leaders are also public health leaders. Parks are directly related to the health and wellness of people and communities, and we, as professionals in the field, have the power to improve the world by providing inclusive, quality programs in every area of the recreation field.

After the opening session, we headed to the exhibit hall. It was easy to get lost in the huge room, with enormous, brightly colored play structures and lines of vendor booths creating a maze of sport, park and recreation products and services. Later that evening, we attended the annual Leisure Research Symposium’s opening talk. Keynote speaker Troy Glover of the University of Waterloo shared his thoughts on applying leisure research to achieve greater social impacts.

The next day, was the big day: Quiz Bowl. I was a little nervous about the evening, but my anxiety subsided, thanks to the great seminar I attended with teammates Higgins and Pighetti before the competition. The seminar was about climbing and mountaineering, and the speakers discussed motivations and constraints of women climbers and mountain guides. Higgins, Pighetti and I agreed that these seminars are critical to the success of our field because they provide education and professional development opportunities, introduce new research, and highlight growing trends in the industry.

We had a break before Quiz Bowl and used that time for some last-minute studying. When 5 p.m. rolled around, we had a pre-competition meeting to hear Professor Greenwood’s final tips and encouragement. We took our places on stage, and the emcee introduced each team and explained the bracket assignments. Thanks to a good team, lots of studying, and wonderful professors who prepared us well, Cal Poly took home the title of Quiz Bowl champions.

 

On the team’s last day, we had breakfast with the Texas A&M Quiz Bowl Team. (It’s something of a tradition to dine with this team; but last year, we had to celebrate their victory with barbecue in Houston.) After breakfast, we walked around, exploring the city. Although the week passed quickly, our team accomplished and experienced a lot. Between Congress, Quiz Bowl, and some free time, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip, and we thank the RPTA Department and faculty for their support and guidance.

On a special note, Cal Poly’s RPTA Department has won the NRPA Quiz Bowl three out of the five times the event has been held, securing the championship in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Coincidentally, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in these same years. If you get the opportunity to be a part of -- or to support -- the RPTA Quiz Bowl Team, capitalize on it -- the Giants might be counting on you!

Thanks to Josh Pighetti and Mike Higgins for their contributions to this article.

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