The air was filled with camaraderie and competition as teams battled for the title of Trivia Bowl champion and the coveted Rice Cup.

On October 9, 2009, Los Angeles area journalists, lawyers and corporate sponsors gathered at the Japanese American National Museum for the 15th annual Asian American Journalists Association Los Angeles Chapter Trivia Bowl.

The event pits teams against one another as they answer 100 questions in four rounds. ABC 7 Anchor David Ono served as masters of cermonies for evening.

After the trivia questions are read each round and teams get two minutes afterward to deliberate the answer before handing in their answer sheet. The team with the most correct answers wins the competition.

After each round of competition, attendees had the opportunity to bid for live/silent auction items and win prizes from raffle drawings.

With all the proceeds going towards scholarships, stipends, and fellowships for students as well as professional journalists, many guests were more than willing to support the cause.

For first time,  the chapter awarded the Sam Chu Lin Memorial Scholarship, funded by Southern California Edison.

Dinner for the night was provided by Wahoo’s Fish Tacos and dessert was sponsored by Blackmarket Bakery.

For a complete list of sponsors visit: http://aaja-la.org/trivia-bowl/sponsors-of-trivia-bowl/

After some fierce competition, the Japanese American Bar Association emerged as the winner. Second place went to the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and third place was the Los Angeles Times.

For more photos, see the Trivia Bowl set by Derek Lieu.

The applicants were asked to submit a resume, an official school transcript, two letters of recommendation, a short essay and work samples. Students were selected on the basis of their commitment to the field of journalism, sensitivity to Asian American and Pacific Islander issues, journalistic ability, scholastic ability and financial need.

This year’s judges were Bob Bayer, a retired longtime editor at the Los Angeles Times; Frank Buckley, co-anchor of KTLA’s “Morning News” and a former AAJA scholarship winner; Henry Fuhrmann, assistant managing editor at the Times and a former AAJA-LA chapter president; and Traci Tamura, a senior producer with CNN. Frank and Henry co-chaired the selection committee.

$2500 AAJA Sam Chu Lin Scholarship

Stephen Nelson, Chapman University

Stephen is the first recipient of the Sam Chu Lin Memorial Scholarship, funded by Southern California Edison, and a most worthy candidate to carry on Sam’s legacy in Los Angeles broadcasting. Stephen, a third-year student, is working toward bachelor’s degrees in television/broadcast journalism and public relations/advertising. At Chapman, he has created, hosted, written and acted in radio and TV shows. His instructors extol his writing and leadership skills; his colleagues with the Los Angeles Angels, for whom he works as a camera operator, cite his professionalism and eagerness to learn. In the judges’ view, Stephen has what it takes to become an accomplished sports broadcast journalist.

$2500 AAJA Los Angeles Scholarship

Stephanie Lau, USC

Stephanie, a third-year major in public relations and East Asian languages and cultures, stood out among the applicants for her sensitive take on issues of culture and ethnicity. As diversity beat reporter for USC’s Daily Trojan, she wrote an impressive news feature in response to media claims that the election of Barack Obama had toppled racial barriers in politics; the comments she elicited from fellow students told a more nuanced story. Stephanie so impressed her bosses during an internship last year at AsianWeek that they appointed her one of two managing editors of their 2008 Beijing Olympics special insert. Her philosophy: “With words, I can reveal truths, battle ignorance and inspire change.”

$1500 AAJA Peter Imamura Scholarship

Tercius Bufete, LACC/CSUN

Tercius is “the future,” as one of our judges put it: a multi-platform journalist who has demonstrated his talents as a cartoonist, writer, Web designer and video producer. In his writing, an English professor notes, Tercius offers “sophisticated insight which doesn’t go out of its way to announce its complexity.” In his scholarship essay, Tercius offers examples of such insight: “It is not wealth, property or fame that is essential but family, respect and spirituality, the foundation of the Asian community, which we should cherish.” He plans to enroll at Cal State Northridge after graduating from LACC.

$1500 AAJA Los Angeles Scholarship

Saba Mohtasham, UCLA

Saba is a third-year student at UCLA, majoring in international development studies. She impressed her editor during an internship at Entertainment Weekly as a “terrific writer, enterprising reporter and skilled surveyor of the cultural landscape.” There, he said, Saba delivered work that rivaled that of professionals with decades of experience, including a well-received blog covering “Flight of the Conchords.” Saba is trilingual, with aspirations to learn more languages. She writes: “I’ve always believed that the best way to make this world a better place is to understand it to the best of our abilities.”

$500 AAJA Los Angeles Scholarship

Jane Suh, UCI

Jane is a fourth-year student at Irvine, pursuing bachelor’s degrees in literary journalism and French. She is a dean’s honor list student and Golden Key Scholar. Jane impressed the judges with her literary journalism project on North Korean refugees and the difficulties they encounter in the free world. One of her instructors cited her “antenna for the telling nuance.” Jane, who has traveled widely in Asia through missions and youth outreach programs, aspires “to write about the people that are transforming the world … the ordinary, average people who are making a difference on a daily basis.”

$500 AAJA Los Angeles Scholarship

Joseph Prado, CSUN

Joseph won over the judges as an energetic, talented broadcast journalist. He has done every job imaginable – field reporter, writer, camera operator, teleprompter operator, audio technician, editor and anchor – for the campus news program “Valley View News.” Joseph is a sports intern at KABC and is set to graduate from Northridge this semester. One of his professors describes Joseph as “the kind of person we want in our industry.” He not only covers sports but plays them – football and rugby – and impressed his instructors by overcoming a serious jaw injury to complete his studies.

Scholarship recipients will be honored October 9 at the chapter’s Trivia Bowl fundraiser.

Last year, the team of Fong & Chun and the law offices of Stuart Folinsky scored 70 of a possible 100 points, defeating 20 other entrants for first place and possession of the coveted Rice Cup. In doing so, they proved yet again that the lawyers were superior to the journalists in their knowledge of trivia.

By Joyce Chen

GLENDALE, Calif. — When lawyers and journalists are put in the same room, there is usually cause for large amounts of tension and heated debate.

At the Asian American Journalists Association’s 14th annual Trivia Bowl held on Friday, Oct. 17, 25 teams battled it out over five rounds of trivia questions, ranging in topic from current events to sports and California lifestyle to arts and entertainment.

“The lawyers always show up and ruin our fun,” quipped David Ono, anchorman for ABC- Channel 7 Eyewitness News and host for the night.

His comment was met with uproarious laughter, journalists chuckling at the friendly rivalry.

The Immigration Law Offices of Fong & Chun and Stuart Folinsky took home first prize last year, and would later sweep the competition away at this year’s event with a repeat performance.

Wahoo’s Fish Tacos was the official food sponsors for the night and Dot’s cupcakes provided much-needed sugar fuel.

After a few opening remarks from AAJA-LA President, KNBC and NBC correspondent Jinah Kim, the trivia bowl began, and the room simmered down from its initial joking banter into a muted hush as everyone racked their brains for answers.

At the end of each round, a panel of judges, composed of editors and real judges, tallied scores and adjusted the ranking for each of the 25 teams.

Whoops of delight echoed throughout the room whenever a team fared well, and even when teams didn’t do as well as they hoped, the vibe of friendly competition stayed on through the course of the night.

At the Wahoo’s Fish Taco Team II, made up of AAJA scholars and friends, the mood quickly turned from confidence to uncertainty as a large number of unanswered questions began to emerge in the midst of other, more obvious trivia questions.

“Governor Sarah Palin said famously that the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is what?”

“ER is in its final season this year. What are the names of the two main character love interests on the show?”

“Who played shortstop in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts?”

By combining knowledge and using each member’s area of expertise, however, the team was able to make a momentary gain before falling to last place at the end of the final round.

Their consolation prize? Pouches of ramen, fitting for a team composed entirely of college students.

“It’s okay, we meant to play the bowl this way,” said Alvand Abdolsalehi, a junior broadcast journalism major at the University of Southern California and a recipient of an AAJA Los Angeles Chapter scholarship. “The economy’s horrible right now, so we knew we’d need food – our best bet was to lose. And we did it!”

Likewise, the winners from the Immigrant Law Offices of Fong & Chun and Stuart Folinsky celebrated their first place win.

“The Trivia Bowl is always a fun night, and we’re so glad we can support the association in some way,” said J. Fong, a partner in the firm. “I still remember back in the day up in San Francisco when Wendy Takata was the only big Asian American name out there in the journalism world. Now, there’s definitely a shift in the scene, and I think organizations like this one have helped to make that huge difference.”

For other participants of the Trivia Bowl, the impact of the event hit home in a different way.

“We really get a sense of camaraderie here,” said John Dalsass, a second-year coach for the El Camino High School team. “We like to come to this competition year after year because it really does help to structure some form of bonding, both within our team and with the professional journalists.”

Michelle Woo, an incoming AAJA board member and managing editor for KoreAm Journal and judge at the Trivia Bowl, similarly praised AAJA for its continued work to bring together the journalism community.

“If you look around the room, there’s not just journalists and there’s not just APAs here. I really think the Trivia Bowl brings together so many people from the community, and it’s always cool to see the different sides of journalists that you might not get to see otherwise,” Woo said. “Asian Americans in the media are extremely important because they bring about a new perspective, and can possibly tell stories that might go untold otherwise. It’s great to see so much support for an organization that wants to bring about that kind of change.”

 1. In July, this English soccer star signed a multi-million, multi-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. His name is David Beckham and he is married to former Spice Girl Victoria. What are the names of this couple’s three children?

Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz

2. In September, athletic apparel manufacturer Nike sponsored a running event in Los Angeles called Run Hit Remix. Name the musical artist who was the headline act at the finish-line concert.

MC Hammer

3. What is the name of the Australian skateboarder who fell to the near flat-bottom of the X-Games Mega-Ramp earlier this year at the annual X Games, held at the Staples Center?

Jake Brown

4. This American man won the 100-meter and 200-meter spring gold medals at the World Track and Field Championships, held in Osaka, Japan in August. Name him.

Tyson Gay

5. Name the school, along with its team name, that beat the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor in the first weekend of the 2007 College Football Season.

Appalachian State Mountaineers.

6. Name the Major League Baseball player who this season became the most recent member of the 3,000-hit club.

Craig Biggio

7. Members of this university’s women’s basketball team found itself at the center of the news following radio personality Don Imus’ demeaning and racially charged remarks. What is the university?

Rutgers University

8. It’s the first game of the 1988 World Series and L.A. Dodger Kirk Gibson has just hit a pinch-hit homerun for the victory. Here is Vin Scully’s call: “ In a year that has been so ___________… the __________ has happened! Fill in the blanks IN ORDER.

Improbable…. Impossible (must get exact order)

9. After anchoring three-straight shutout matches in the prelims for the World Cup, this goalkeeper of the U.S. women’s soccer team was benched for the semifinal match against Brazil. What is her name?

Hope Solo

10. At which university does the 1993 college football movie Rudy to take place?

The University of Notre Dame

11. This popular hiking spot, near Pearblossom California, features gigantic tilted slabs of rock, thanks to the collision of two earthquake faults. Name this spot.

Devils Punchbowl – Devils Chair

12. Who has won the title of LPGA Player of the Year for the second straight year?

Lorena Ochoa

13. What is the Southern California city named in honor of the Roman goddess of Fruit?

Pomona

14. What is the state route number depicted in the David Hockney photomontage work “Pearblossom Highway #2”?

138

15. Horticulturist Kate Session popularized this blue/lavender flowering tree throughout Southern California. Name the tree.

Jacaranda

16. What city is at the eastern-most end of L.A.’s Metro Green Line?

Norwalk

17. What movie is Disneyland’s reopened Submarine Voyage based on?

Finding Nemo

18. Earlier this summer, Southern California’s Cambodian population celebrated the official designation of “Cambodia Town.” What city is this neighborhood located in?

Long Beach

19. What was the name of the mascot for the 1984 Olympic Games?

Sam the Eagle

20. What is the name for Lockheed Martin’s advanced aircraft research facility in Palmdale?

Skunk Works