Many area students become involved with their school's High School Bowl teams because of a love of trivia, an interest in intellectual pursuits ... and, perhaps, a deep-rooted desire to ring a buzzer and answer a question just like contestants do on the television show ''Jeopardy!''
Recently at Jamestown Community College, four teams of High School Bowl competitors had a chance to hear from and meet with Jason Zollinger of South Dayton - a man who has both rang in to answer High School Bowl questions in Jamestown and buzzed in to respond to Alex Trebek's queries in a television studio in California.
''I just want to let these kids know that this is a possibility, and that this is one of those starting points for a lifetime quest for learning,'' Zollinger said. ''It's just a game, but it can lead to something big if you keep reading, keep learning.''
Zollinger competed in High School Bowl during his 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade years at Pine Valley from 1985-86 to 1987-88. More recently, he gained local fame with seven appearances on ''Jeopardy!'' that aired in mid-January - earning $149,404 in winnings during his six-game win streak.
While Zollinger is the top winner on ''Jeopardy!'' so far this season, he said he is not assured a place in the show's Tournament of Champions, which is scheduled to begin taping in March. He is anxiously awaiting notification on whether he will be invited, he said.
Teams from Falconer, Silver Creek, West Valley and Tidioute were in the Lenna Teleconference Theatre at Jamestown Community College for Wednesday's High School Bowl taping that Zollinger visited, on an invitation from moderator Jane Lindboom.
Dennis Webster, longtime host of the academic competition, interviewed Zollinger prior to the beginning of the afternoon's matches, allowing for Zollinger to give the students in attendance a message that told them to not give up on their dreams, no matter how difficult they may seem to achieve.
''Getting on the show was something that I had worked at for my entire life - I spent 22 years trying to get on the program,'' he said. ''For it to work out as well as it did was a dream come true. It was something that I never could have imagined.''
Zollinger first tried to qualify for the ''Jeopardy!'' Teen Tournament as a high school junior, during his second year of competition in High School Bowl. Wednesday, he brought information about registration for this year's Teen Tournament to any students who might be interested in attempting to follow in his footsteps.
At the conclusion of Webster's interview, the floor was opened for students and team coaches to ask Zollinger questions. He was asked everything from questions about the show's production to whether he ever guessed on any of his responses. John Hertlein, Silver Creek High School principal, asked him if he had any advice for students on how to better prepare themselves for their High School Bowl matches.
''My advice would be to read as much as possible in as many different areas as possible,'' said Zollinger, wearing the tie featuring photos of his daughter, Muriel, that was made famous on television. ''Make connections with what your main interests are, and any kind of connections you can make between new information and information you already have will better enable you to recall that information later.''
Now in its 49th season, WJTN's High School Bowl is the longest running academic competition of its type in the United States.
