I hope you saw the first installment of my interview with 4-time Jeopardy! champ Buddy Wright yesterday. If not, please go back and read it. You’ll be glad you did!
Before attending Texas A & M and majoring in history, Buddy was quite the force in high school: Besides being a National Merit commended student, student council president, and senior prom king (as if that is not enough!), Buddy was active on his school’s quiz bowl team. (By the way, Buddy did love the clue asking for identification of the initials “A & M” on Jeopardy! two days ago.)
Buddy says of his quiz bowl experience, “I owe a lot of my success on Jeopardy! to high school quiz bowl. It forced you to think quickly. My teacher and sponsor, Gail Shewmake, was really instrumental in that effort. She was constantly encouraging, pushing, keeping me focused. So it was a lot of fun volunteering with David Madden in the National History Bowl and Bee.” He’s referring to one such bowl that took place in Plano, TX on February 19th. I had a particular interest in Buddy’s role as a volunteer because I will be volunteering at the National Championships in Washington, D.C. in April. Buddy says he moderated, read questions, and kept score at the Plano event. He says, “There were several teams competing at the same time, so I was not the only moderator on site.” These events are taking place all over the country and they are open to the public, so you should check to see if there’s one near you!
As you can see, Buddy’s life experiences paved the way for him to succeed on Jeopardy! He says, “I always wanted to be on Jeopardy! Now I may get my chance at the Tournament of Champions. After that…who knows?”
More from 4-time Jeopardy! champ Buddy Wright
