Burlington Scholars' Bowl

Lexicon

The lexicon has grown so long we have decided to subdivide it into the following categories:
Terms and Things | Moments in Time | People | Places | Music
* - New items from the 2002-2003 season.

Terms and Things: The terminology and objects which drive BHS Scholars' Bowl discussion.

1984 & Animal Farm (n) - Books by George Orwell which have been literally known to fly around the room during practice.

American (n) - Kiran MacCormick's subliminal term for the many obese people encountered at the Disney theme parks.

Bartok (n) - Card game which was one of the favorite entertainments of the team at the 2001 Panasonic Academic Challenge. Named after Hungarian composer Bela Bartok, the game starts out as Crazy Eights and evolves as each hand is completed. The winner of each hand gets to covertly add a rule to the game and penalize opponents for failing to follow it. Played with THE BIG DECK (see below), which features numerous copies of each card, the favorite rule was YOUR MOM (see below) which allowed players to play exact matching cards at anytime, skipping the next player.

Beach Volleyball (n) - Game in which BHS showed some talent at the 2001 Panasonic Academic Challenge. The team exacted a degree of revenge for its two losses to the Maryland All-Stars in the tournament by routing the Old Line Staters 15-3, 8-15, 15-1, 15-1 in this game.

The Big Deck (n) - Kiran MacCormick's monstrous accumulation of 215 cards drawn from seven different decks. Notable for having a miniature seven of clubs which was changed to a four, a queen of spades which had a beard drawn on and became a king, and a nine of hearts stolen from the CENTERPIECE (see below) of the BHS' table at the 1999 Panasonic Academic Challenge final banquet, it was the source of many entertaining games of Honorary, Spit, B.S., and Bartok on long road trips.

Brad Anderson Award (n) - Most prestigious of the annual "BHS Scholars' Bowl Umm,... Awards" presented by assistant coach Kevin Commo at the year-end dinner to the BHS player best displaying the characteristics of BRAD ANDERSON (see below). Given to the most eccentric member of the team, previous recipients were Francis Lennon (1998), Andrew Malcovsky (1999), Kiran MacCormick (2000), Jessica Agnew-Blais (2001), and Isaac Backus (2002).

Bravo! (intrj.) - According to Kiran MacCormick, the reaction of assistant coach Kevin Commo to a good answer.

The Cup Game (n) - Game in which people clap, tap, and pass cups in a circle in rhythm. Taught to the team by Rachel Winer, this game was used in celebration and to lighten serious situations at the 2001 Panasonic Academic Challenge.

Ducks (n) - Insanely tame animals wandering the grounds at Disney's Contemporary Resort, rumored to repeatedly exclaim AFLAC! Despite their fondness of Chex Mix and potato chips, they managed to avoid the attempts of Isaac Backus and Kiran MacCormick to lure one of them into their room during the 2001 Panasonic Academic Challenge.

Erald (n) - Name given to the stuffed animal cow loaned to the 1996-97 BHS team by the Montpelier squad as a mascot/good-luck charm for the state championship match and Panasonic Academic Challenge. Named after former Vermont-NEA Scholars' Bowl tournament director Erald Medler, it is the source of phrases such as "Kiss the cow," and "I've got a cow on my head!"

FLIV (acronym) - Acronym of great importance to the 2000-2001 Seahorses. Originally it stood for Florida four -- the team's fourth trip to the Panasonic Academic Challenge -- a goal the team achieved when it won the state championship in April. It also came to indicate BHS' showing in the national tournament when it finished in fourth place.

Gangatirkar (v) - To be totally intimidated during the practice round and blown out during a match. Original done to BHS by Essex it is now a regular activity of the BHS team in regional play. As in: We really got gangatirkarred by Riverdale at the National Scholastics Championship! Derived from 1995-96 Essex star Kalen Gangatirkar and his answers such as STAR TREK (see below).

Hair rub (n) - Regular action Jessica Agnew-Blais did to Sheng Li at tournaments, supposedly for luck, after she and Jessie Roberts discovered that his "hair is soooo soft" at the 2001 BHSAT at Yale.

Hazing (n) - Common complain of Sheng Li during his first varsity season whenever he was the subject of kidding by teammates or coaches. The practice, strictly verbal in nature and largely imagined, was most common after Li's regular excessive binges of neg. 5's.

Iced Tea (n) - Beverage Pat Bradley was forbade from drinking in significant quantities during trips of any length to or from tournaments after the team was required to make one too many stops on the way back from Hanover his freshman year.

Kirani's Korner/Psych out (n) - Card games invented by Kiran MacCormick, Pat Bradley, and Kevin Commo at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge. The former emerged from a plan to mix Poker and Go Fish, while the later can be described as a thinking man's War. Both passed into history when BARTOK (see above) gained favor and MacCormick and Bradley graduated.

Kissing Mike Wallace Award (n) - An award founded by assistant coach Kevin Commo to commemorate the most ridiculous or humorous moment of the season. Named after Andrew Malcovsky's kissing session with a bust of MIKE WALLACE (see below) at MGM Studios during BHS' 2000 trip to the Panasonic Academic Challenge, the award's first winners were Sheng Li (2001) for his MEL GIBSON (see below) answer, and Dov Pechenick (2002) for his "MAKE OUT WITH TOBY" (see below) statement.

Lake Memphremagog (n) - Generic answer to any unknown and difficult question given by BRAD ANDERSON (see below) during the 1995-96 season. Synonymous with MARTIN VAN BUREN (see below). Derived from a lake on the border between Vermont and Canada and excesses of Vermont Sites 60-second rounds that season.

*LLLLLLLLLLL (intj.) - The eclamation determined to be issued by Chinese pirates (Chinese people having a difficulty time pronouncing the R sound) -- and Sheng Li -- after James Nadel announced all team members must talk like pirates at a September 2002 practicee.

Martin Van Buren (n) - Generic answer to unknown U.S. Presidents questions first given by Andrew Malcovsky in the 1996-97 season. Usage has since shifted to include difficult and unknown questions in other categories. Synonymous with LAKE MEMPHREMAGOG (see above).

Mismatch (n/v.t.) - Common complaint of BHS' younger players, and occasionally Joel Wertheimer, about the difficulty of practice when Andrew Malcovsky participated. Also describes the situation when any of the other BHS scholars' bowlers tried to guard the 6-7 Malcovsky in basketball.

Once again our hero proves, a Mountie always gets his man but not always his girl (phrase) - Line continuously repeated on the long exit path from Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls at Universal Studios Island's of Adventure. This phrase was so ingrained in the team in such a short time at the start of the 2001 Panasonic trip that it was used in numerous circumstances during the rest of the trip.

Pig face (n) - Odd, contorted, facial expression which Kiran MacCormick used to enliven serious situations. Pictured left, his use of this pose in the window during the semifinals of National Scholastics Championship was instrumental in his capturing the 2000 BRAD ANDERSON AWARD (see above). Pixie Stix (n) - Food commonly purchased at THE STORE (see below) and consumed during the return van ride from the Hanover Round Robin tournaments. Cause of a particularly embarrassing photo of Meg MacDonald.

Kiran MacCormick ('01) demonstrates his "pig face" expression at the 2000 team's year end brunch at the Wertheimers'.

Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas (phrase) - Spanish phrase repeated every time the doors open or close on the DISNEY WORLD (see below) Monorail. Firmly ingrained in BHS diction after numerous rides to and from the Contemporary Resorts and the theme parks.

Pr-auk-tologist (n) - Sketch made by Kiran MacCormick of two anthropomorphized auks -- one a doctor and the other a patient -- in the middle of an intimate medical examination. Drawn just before the team was to compete in the Spring 2001 Knowledge Master Open, this comic work of art is a parody of that competition's excessive use of auk puns.

Repeat! (intrj.) - Exclamation issued by team Maryland at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge when they were about to buzz in on questions requiring extended periods to work out. The Old Line Staters would yell this out approximately two seconds before they were going to buzz as an intended distraction, but it occurred so often (Maryland won the game 321-140-140-138) that it served more as what Pat Bradley referred to as a "you have two seconds left to buzz warning." This interjection reappeared at Panasonic 2001 when Maryland asked for a five-minute Disney video to be repeated prior to a foreign language question it didn't get.

Shipmates (n, intrj.) - Syndicated television dating show that is a favorite of BHS head coach David Rome. After Lee Zerrilla made repeated crude comments about Rome watching this show, Rome made a practice of exclaiming "shipmates" every time he encountered Zerrilla at practice or in the hallways.

Scholars' Chess (n) - Game invented by Steve Winer, Kevin Commo, Pat Bradley, and Kiran MacCormick at the 1999 Panasonic Academic Challenge. An adaptation of normal chess, it required a player to answer a toss-up question correctly to move a piece. This odd format allowed Commo and Bradley to play Winer, then the #2-ranked high school chess player in the country, to a draw.

Screwed & Kaboodled (v) - Joel Wertheimer's description for the situations were circumstances plagued him or the team. Examples include: when a scoring error deprived Wertheimer of a place in the STICK (see below) individual final; when the computer malfunctioned during the Fall 1999 Knowledge Master Open costing the team at least nine points and fourth place in the nation; when the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge judges wouldn't accept GALLIA (see below) causing BHS to finish last in its first-round room; and when Wertheimer was asked the LIZ CLAIBORNE (see below) perfume question for just 8,000 points at WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (see below) during the 2001 Panasonic trip.

Seinfeld (n) - According to Joel Wertheimer, Andrew Malcovsky, and head coach David Rome the best television show ever broadcast. It dominated meal discussion at national tournaments in 1999 and 2000.

Snap Fingers (v) - Action commonly undertaken by assistant coach Kevin Commo during practice when he knows answers to questions before any team member does. Most often seen during American Civil War questions.

State College (n) - An extremely talented quiz bowl team from Pennsylvania and the friends, confidants, and pool-party compatriots of the BHS team. In the 1999 Panasonic Academic Challenge and the 2000 National Scholastics Championship perspective -- at least from the point of view of Joel Wertheimer, Andrew Malcovsky and Pat Lucey -- girls, girls, girls also applied.

Your mom (n) - Subject of nearly infinite jokes and parodied song lyrics (such as "And another bites your mom!") for Isaac Backus and Kiran MacCormick at the 2001 Panasonic Academic. It was also the name of the most commonly used and popular BARTOK (see above) rule used during the trip to Florida.

Moments in Time: The events and questions which linger on in our memories.

3.0 x 10^{Kiss my @$$} (n) - Andrew Malcovsky's response to the Panasonic Academic Challenge practice question, "Give in scientific notation the value of B if A= ...." Coming after a series of nasty math questions, this answer resulted in several minutes of uncontrolled laughter.

41 (n) - The numerical value of the word FUN given that A=1, B=2, C=3, etc. correctly calculated within the 10-second time limit by Kiran MacCormick during the 2001 state semifinals against Essex. This seemingly miraculous answer stunned the audience, the Essex team, and Seahorses' eventual title-game opponents from Mt. Anthony and helped pave the way for BHS' state title.

All-Star Game (n) - Event at the 2000 PACE National Scholastics Championship in which Andrew Malcovsky made an impressive showing, displaying his academic talent by hitting toss-ups -- Super Mario Brothers 3, Tom Lehrer, and Time Warp -- and boni, including his astounding spelling of KWYJIBO (see below) seconds before the team left to race for its flight home.

Beanie Babies (n) - Subject area in which Kiran MacCormick proved his mastery at the 1999 BHSAT at Yale by nearly sweeping a four-part bonus.

Bridge on the River Kwai (n) - Answer which encouraged Toby Crawford to say the following: "That's a good movie ... Actually, I haven't seen it, but I've heard it was a movie." The rest of the Seahorses were mildly amused.

*Bubba (n) -- Incorrect answer to a question seeking the name of a lifelong friend of Forrest Gump, a Curtis bi-plane, and a Swedish singer given independently by BHS' A and B teams at the 2002 Vermont kickoff tournament.

Circuits (n) - The subject of an entertaining team round at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge in which teams were required to build circuits from wires, light bulbs, and switches. Also, the cause of much celebration on the part of Rachel Winer when she finally completed the last requested construction just before time expired.

Douche Mark (n) - The currency of Germany according to a South Burlington player at the 2000 regional tournament.

Gallia (n) - Andrew Malcovsky's answer to the French foreign language question, "what did Julius Caesar call the land he conquered" and the cause of much controversy at both the Spring 2000 Hanover Round Robin and the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge. Resulted in the team's being SCREWED & KABOODLED (see below) at Panasonic when it was ruled that the correct answer should have been Gaul despite the fact that Caesar never used that term.

Gibbs Free Energy (n) - The key answer in BHS' second-place finish in the 2001 Bay State Quiz Bowl Classic. In the first playoff game, Needham, Mass,. led BHS 110-95 going to the final toss-up on thermodynamics. Needham buzzed in first and said Gibbs Free Reaction, which was ruled incorrect, and Sheng Li used this information to determine the answer, despite having no idea what Gibbs Free Energy is. Burlington got 10 on the subsequent bonus to win 115-110 and finished one game ahead of Needham to reach the championship round.

Ginger Ale (n) - Beverage Pat Bradley tried to order at FUDDRUCKERS (see below) during BHS' trip to the 2000 National Scholastics Championship. This order resulted in a curious, stupefied, reaction from the server and much laughing and joking by the rest of the team. This order occurred under similar circumstances to the SHIRLEY TEMPLE (see below) order.

Gods (n) - Josh Kernoff's answer to a question about comets given after the opening line "What heavenly bodies ..." during practice early in the 2001-2002 season.

Hit List (n) - Question about Mafia activity missed by the St. Johnsbury team and stolen by BHS in the final round of the 1996-97 state championship game which turned the momentum and sent Burlington on its way to the state title. Also, what the St. Johnsbury captain placed his teammate missing said question on after the match.

I Challenge Mark (n) - WPTZ TV news segment in which athletes challenge sports anchor MARK SUDOL (see below) to competition. Team captain Andrew Malcovsky dueled Mark on this segment in June of 2000 and won the game 10-1.

Kwyjibo (n) - A large, balding, easily angered, North American Ape used by Bart Simpson to win a scrabble game and a spelling bonus nailed in dramatic fashion by Andrew Malcovsky in the ALL-STAR GAME (see above) at the National Scholastics Championship. With a round remaining in the game and the team having a flight to catch, Malcovsky enthusiastically nailed the answer, said he was leaving on that high note, and walked out of the building. This answer capped Malcovsky's 100-point performance in the all-star game.

Liz Claiborne (n) - Question asking which perfume was not produced by designer Liz Claiborne, valued at 8,000 points, which stumped the audience -- and thus Burlington's Joel Wertheimer -- on WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (see below) during the team's 2001 trip to Orlando.

Make out with Toby (phrase) - Dov Pechenick's comment about the reward for the winning team in an intra squad scrimmage during the 2001-2002 season. According to Pechenick, his intention was to say "The winner can make off with Toby's candy," but the word off didn't come out correctly, resulting in an extended pause between Toby and candy. Despite the fact that Toby Crawford had left a box of candy bars in the room, this line resulted in raucous laughter, much good-natured ribbing, and Pechenick's winning the KISSING MIKE WALLACE AWARD (see above).

Mel Gibson (n) - Sheng Li's answer to the question, "What 13th century Scottish hero ... " given at the 2000 Vermont-NEA Kickoff tournament. The cause of much laughter from the team -- and assistant coach Kevin Commo, who was moderating the game -- this answer was determined to be the most humorous moment of the 2000-2001 season and won Li the inaugural KISSING MIKE WALLACE AWARD (see above).

Mike Wallace (n) - Bust statue located near the ABC sound studio at MGM Studios which Andrew Malcovsky inexplicably gave a passionate kiss during the team's 2000 trip to the Panasonic Academic Challenge. This smooch was the inspiration for the KISSING MIKE WALLACE AWARD (see above), which was established in 2001 to honor the most ridiculous or humorous moment of the season. Nast (n) - Question squandered by Alex Reed and Darius Martin of Hanover High on the game-point question of the championship game of the 1997 Spring Hanover Round Robin Tournament. Alex buzzed in and Darius answered correctly but out of turn, allowing BHS to come back and win the tournament.

Andrew Malcovsky ('00) makes out with a bust of Mike Wallace at MGM Studios during the team's 2000 trip to Panasonic.

National Championship Game (n) - The final six-team showdown at the Panasonic Academic Challenge. Through strategic play, and a good bit of luck, BHS advanced to this pinnacle of competition in 2001. Continuing its strong play, Burlington finished fourth in the game, missing out on third-place (and the corresponding $500 scholarships) by just three points.

No hooka is a gwock (phrase) - Kiran MacCormick's incorrect attempt to answer a ridiculous "if p than q" type question during the playoffs of the 2001 Spring Hanover Round Robin. The source of much laughter every time hookas or gwocks come up in day-to-day conversion.

Oklahoma (n) - Legendary musicals answer of brilliant anticipation given by Casey Lamont in the closing seconds to give BHS the come-from-behind victory over Lyndon in the consolation final of the 1995-96 Vermont State Tournament. Also, the team at the 1999 Panasonic Academic Challenge with the cool shriners' hats.

Pearl Harbor (n) - Steve Winer's answer to a question describing the repercussions of the Japanese attack on Hawaii given before the conclusion of the question, "... were caused by events on what date?," had been read late in Burlington's 1998 state semifinal against Lyndon. The neg. five on this poorly-written question prevented BHS from tying the contest, and Lyndon went on to win the game (235-200) and the championship.

Pizza Boxes (n) - Occupants of the table representing team Idaho when BHS' players and alumni played Vermont state champion Essex in a Panasonic Academic Challenge practice match in June of 2002. Burlington won the game with the alumni second, but, more notably, the pizza boxes took advantage of Essex's numerous CHUCKS (see above) to finish third.

Shave head (v) - Action done to Kiran MacCormick by Joel Wertheimer and Jessica Agnew-Blais at the 2001 Panasonic Academic Challenge after the team made the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (see above). Had BHS placed in the top three -- a feat it missed by a mere three points -- assistant coach Kevin Commo would have also allowed his head to be shaved.

Shirley Temple (n) - Beverage requested by Pat Bradley at BICKFORD'S (see below) much to the amusement of his teammates on BHS' way to the 2001 BHSAT at Yale. Occurred under similar circumstances as the earlier GINGER ALE (see above) order.

Six pack (n) - Isaac Backus' answer to a question about the various uses and meanings of the term washboard at the 2001 Bay State Quiz Bowl Classic. Though given after an obviously related stomach clue, Backus has yet to explain how a six pack assists in doing laundry as the first clue stated.

Snot (n) - Object in the nose of Pat Canavan which caused him to leave the room in search of relief during BHS' first-round match at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge. As no player is allowed to leave a room unaccompanied, this resulted in Mr. Canavan's disqualification from the match.

Star Trek (n) - Correct answer given by Essex's Kalen Gangatirkar after only six words of the question had been read in the practice round of BHS' first match under coach David Rome. This question thoroughly GANGATIRKARred (see above) the Seahorses and Essex went on to a 310-130 victory, still the most lopsided defeat in Burlington's state-tournament history.

STICK (n) - Short for the Seahorse Tournament of Incredible Celebrity Knowledge, BHS' first academic tournament, which was held in December of 1999. Also, a rudimentary device with which assistant coach Kevin Commo occasionally desires to beat the team's freshmen when they continually CHUCK (see above) out wrong answers.

Tennessee Titans (n) - According to the Seahorses, the best team in the National Football League. The cause of much debate during BHS' trip to the 2000 Bay State Quiz Bowl Classic, this was shown to be the case by determining and comparing the combat strength of all the team mascots.

Th ... the legs?!? (n) - Answer to the question "What is another name for the arms of a starfish" given by Steven Winer in practice during the 1998-99 season. Now used to describe any utterly ridiculous answer.

People: The characters who helped define our team character.

The 2001 triumvirate (n) - BHS' trio of senior captains -- Kiran MacCormick, Joel Wertheimer, and Patrick Bradley -- who led the Seahorses to the state championship and a fourth-place finish at the Panasonic Academic Championship during the 2001 season. The three were part of state championship teams which posted a combined 25-0 record in state tournament play over their last three seasons and finished as the second-, third-, and fifth-leading scorers in team state tourney history, respectively.

Alonzo Mourning (n) - NBA star stumped on a question about available free agents by BHS' Joel Wertheimer at ESPN Bar and Grill during the team's 2001 Florida Trip. Mourning happened to be taping a question-and-answer show at the restaurant when BHS arrived there for dinner. Wertheimer's question was good enough to net him a limited-edition autographed basketball card of the Miami Heat center.

Andrew (n) - Illustrious figure who passed over into the annals of BHS Scholars' Bowl history at the end of the 1999-2000 season, much to the relief of the coaches and players of every other school in Vermont.

Brad Anderson (n) - Member of the 1995-96 BHS team now legendary for his peculiar antics and unpredictable behaviors. Most notable for nearly passing out after arriving to a match with strep throat and for recording the first correct answer of coach David Rome's career. Motivation behind the BRAD ANDERSON AWARD (see above).

Chucker (n) - Person who buzzes in extremely early on questions with CHUCKs (see above) of quick anticipation but often a lack of thought. Originally a nickname for Joel Wertheimer, this title now applies to any such acting member of the team; usually the freshmen, Sheng Li, or Isaac Backus.

Corinne (n) - Mythical being from the ancient past of BHS Scholars' Bowl who purportedly accomplished Herculean feats in the program's dark ages. Supposedly this deity had something to do with Burlington's 1996-97 state championship but so much time has passed that it is no longer clear whether this is fact or legend.

Julia Boggs Dent Grant (n) - The official cross-eyed first lady of BHS Scholars' Bowl and, along with STALKER (see below) the Moose, one of the 1998-1999 state championship team's mascots.

Kiranibiryaniburu (n) - The pseudonym (or perhaps the alternate personality), complete with an Indian accent, taken on by Kiran MacCormick at the 2000 PACE National Scholastics Championships, Panasonic Academic Championship and Bay State Quiz Bowl Classic. According to Mr. Kiranibiryaniburu, "You can call me Elvis, Pierre, Robert Jones, Ricky Martin, Rikki Tikki Tavi, or wet (the later applied immediately after his riding Kali River Rapids twice at Disney's Animal Kingdom)."

Margarita (n) - A Mexican woman who was one of three characters that pursued the illusive PAC RAT theme character in the foreign language skits at the 2000 Panasonic Academic. At the national final she entered the room and, while searching the ballroom for PAC RAT, sat down on Pat Bradley's lap and said, "Hmmm ... you're cute!" with her microphone on for all the audience to hear.

Mark Sudol (n) - Answer to the question "Who was the Vermont sportscaster of the year in 1998" given by Mark Sudol on WPTZ TV's June 15, 2000 I CHALLENGE MARK (see above) segment. This answer, however, could not prevent Mark from losing to BHS captain Andrew Malcovsky 10-1 in their mini match.

Mascot (n) - Nickname given to Greg Allard during the 1998-99 season in response to the ceremonial nature of his sitting through practices while waiting for a ride home from Kiran MacCormick. Also applies to ERALD the Cow (see above), JULIA BOGGS DENT GRANT (see above), and STALKER the Moose (see below).

Pat Bradley (n) - A celebrated LPGA tour golfer, winner of the 1981 U.S. Open and the golfer of the year in 1986 and 1991, much to the chagrin of former BHS player Patrick Bradley.

Pope KMac (n) - One of Kiran MacCormick's nicknames, this expression became part of BHS terminology when MacCormick circulated a computer graphic with his face superimposed on a picture of the pope, in full regalia, standing in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

Scholars' b!t¢p (n) - The team's term for a pair of female personalities encountered at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge and another from local competition. Stalker (n) - Player from an area school with the annoying habit of hanging around while the BHS team is preparing for, or playing, in a Vermont State Tournament match. Also, the name given to BHS' 1999 Panasonic Academic Challenge mascot, a stuffed moose with a green sweeter and letters "VT" on front.

BHS team water boy Ben Rome lugs some H20 to help the players overcome parched throats at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge.

Water boys (n) - Title given to Ben and Daniel Rome -- head coach David Rome's sons -- at the 2000 and 2001 Panasonic Academic Challenge. Ben, who made the trips with the team, was given the responsibility of making sure all players had sufficient liquid refreshment during 2000 matches, a role partly (an enthusiastically) taken on by his brother during the 2001 trip.

Places: Some of the memorable locations we've visited in our wayward travels.

Airports (n) - Places in which BHS' seems to have a propensity to get stuck during trips to and from national tournaments. On its way to the Panasonic Academic Challenge the team has had flights canceled in 1997 and 2000, nearly missed a connecting flight in Philadelphia in 1999 after its plane was delayed in leaving Burlington, and was slowed in its trip by smoke in the cabin and a "dinged nose cone" in 2001. Bickford's (n) - High quality eating establishment in Brattleboro, Vt. that features breakfast food all day and delicious fish specials, which has become the traditional stop for the BHS team on its trips to the Bulldog HS Academic Tournament at Yale. This tradition began after the lines at the four-star Friendly's next door proved prohibitive in both 1999 and 2000.

Rachel Winer (right), Ben Rome (lower left) and Pat Canavan ('01) pass the time with a card game as the team was waiting for a flight in the Newark, N.J. airport on its way to the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge.

The Bookstore (n) - A place at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. which has become a traditional stop for the BHS team the night before the Bay State Quiz Bowl Classic. In 2000, Sheng Li's time there resulted in him powering a toss-up on Napoleon and getting a 30-20-10 bonus on Beowulf the next day while in 2001 the team's visit resulted in Li's getting a bonus on John K. Galbraith.

Disney World (n) - Home of the Panasonic Academic Challenge, a national tournament to which the Vermont-NEA Scholars' Bowl sends it state champion each season. Put more simply, BHS' end goal every year. Burlington has made the trip in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Fuddruckers (n) - A restaurant chain that had a location just across the street from the team's hotel at the 2000 National Scholastics Championship in Greenville, S.C. Trying to pronounce the chain's name was a cause of much embarrassment to team members unfamiliar with such restaurants.

Sheng's basement (n) - Seady location in Sheng Li's home in which various people, including the BHS Chinese teacher, have resided during Li's time on the BHS team. Jokingly considered to be a hotbed of communist teaching and various illegal activities, it is also referred to as the Sheng campus of the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH AVENUE (see below).

Spiderman (n) - 3D show/ride at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure which the team found to be particularly good. Became part of BHS diction when Isaac Backus named it as his favorite ride -- to the Disney crowd's great displeasure -- while in hot seat at WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (see below) at MGM Studios during the 2001 Panasonic trip.

The store (n) - Gas station and convenience store in Hartford, Vt., at which the BHS team stops for food items such as PIXIE STIX (see above) and ICED TEA (see above) on the way back from Hanover Round Robin Tournaments. Features several food items dating from the Carter administration and fine literary magazines with pictures of scantily clad (if at all clad) women on the cover prominently displayed by the front entrance.

Temple of the Falling Waters (n) - According to Pat Bradley, a sacred shrine located in the women's bathroom of the Brattleboro, Vt., Friendly's into which Jocelyn Crawford refuses to enter wearing shoes. This definition came after Crawford sprinted across the snowy, half-frozen, parking lot and into the restaurant without stopping to put her shoes on after the team had spent several uninterrupted hours in the van on its way to the 2000 BHSAT at Yale. University of North Avenue (n) - The BHS team's nickname for Burlington College, the institution of higher learning just down the street. Based on his grades sophomore year, Isaac Backus is often warned he must work harder to avoid being the first BHS player to attend this "prestigious" College.

Isaac Backus (left) and Joel Wertheimer (right) pose with the host, Christie, after appearing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at MGM Studios during BHS' 2001 Panasonic trip.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (n) - Show at MGM Studios patterned on the popular ABC television show in which people are chosen from the audience to answer questions for prizes. BHS players Isaac Backus and Joel Wertheimer made it to the hot seat back-to-back, with Backus winning 125,000 points (12 pins, a hit and a shirt) and Wertheimer getting stumped on a LIZ CLAIBORNE (see above) question and settling for 1,000 points (five pins and a hat).

Music: The sounds of scholars' bowl from the BHS perspective.

"I'm Too Sexy" (n) - Right Said Fred's masterwork and the theme song for the 1999-2000 Seahorses, chosen when Andrew Malcovsky brought a CD containing seven different versions of the song to practice in December. Particularly preferential is the song's Spanish rendition.

Piano (n) - The favorite musical instrument of the BHS Scholars' Bowl team. If one could be found at a tournament site anytime between 1997 and 2001, at some point one could almost certainly find either Pat Bradley, Kiran MacCormick, or both there playing tunes like SESAME STREET (see below), THE REAL SLIM SHADY (see below), or the Mission Impossible Theme. Phish (n) - Burlington's celebrated band-made-good. BHS' Jocelyn Crawford missed the 2001 BHSAT at Yale to play a French Horn solo in a benefit concert put on by this band and the Vermont Youth Orchestra.

Kiran MacCormick ('01) plays the Sesame Street theme song on the piano after a BHS' match at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge.

"Rapper's Delight" (n) - Def Squad's rap masterpiece. Most of the male members of the team are noted (or perhaps reviled) for their tendency to recite the lyrics to this classic in unison during long trips to tournaments.

"The Real Slim Shady" (n) - Politically correct tune by rapper Eminem. The ability of Kiran MacCormick and Pat Bradley to play it on the PIANO (see above) particularly wowed the crowd at the 2000 Panasonic Academic Challenge.

"Rock D.J." (n) - Music video in which Robbie Williams ingloriously strips himself of his clothing and then this his body parts. Kiran MacCormick brought a copy of this video to coach David Rome's house for a team dinner during the 2000-2001 season and its playing is speculated to have warped the mind of Rome's youngest son Daniel.

"Sesame Street" (n) - A favorite television show as well as a favorite song of Kiran MacCormick. His PIANO (see above) renditions of this childhood classic have inspired teammates and opponents alike at tournaments across the nation.

"Walk This Way" (n) - The team's consensus favorite Aerosmith song. It became a key part of the BHS play list when it was discovered the song was the background music on Disney's Rockin' Rollercoaster at MGM Studios.

"Washington and Lee Swing" (n) - Burlington High's school song.

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