April 4 - The Tale of the Lucky 13

The frustration had been growing. Too many Thursday nights, in the heat and the cold, had ended in defeat. There had been consolation prizes of course - the odd jug of beer, a Jesus Disco Lamp - but nothing that could be considered victory. There were moral victories - the night just three showed up only to lose by the smallest of margins was one moment that is still spoken of with pride. There were 'could have beens' - the failure to recognize 'Complicated' as Avril Lavigne's first single, or forgetting the name of the dog in the Brady Bunch, being talked into naming Suzie Quattro as the voice of 'I Love Rock & Roll'. Such is the life of a trivia team. To compete is to court disappointment and, yes, a difficult life of regret and shame.

So a plan was formed. A plan that would bring glory to each of them. A plan that would end the frustration. A plan so audacious that Danny Ocean himself would walk away without taking a cent. An all in, all star assault on the Lord Newry Hotel's monthly trivia crown. For once invites would be sent two weeks before to rally the troops. The rally cry was simple - Help us win. No exclamation mark, nor all caps, were required. And rally they did. Three returned to the team from time away. New faces joined. The torch bearers, who had more than their fair share of disappointment, all arrived. The Lucky 13, as they were to be known, had assembled.

There was nervous laughter as the host began his opening monologue. Would they be victorious? Did they have all the major knowledge categories covered? There were an awful lot of humanities teachers of course. The first question threw seeds of doubt upon their fragile alliance. Where the hell was Fanny Bay? There was much head scratching, biting of lips and gnawing of teeth. And then the power of the 13 became realized. One of the new comers had been there! With much prompting they recalled the trip and low and behold the state was realized! One point to the Lucky 13!

Their relationships would be tested. There was furious debate as to which hit was Lady Gaga's first single. One declared that this was "Sk8r Boi all over again." No phones were used and the answer was selected. It was wrong but it would not matter. The first round would be won by a solitary point. A jug of beer was the prize and they celebrated clearing this initial hurdle (much like you will celebrate when I stop using cliches and mixing metaphors). The subsequent music round played to the groups strengths with 17/18 scored and another round win. The final round was flawless. Each team member contributed.

And they were made to wait. The ShitHouse Showcase was played before they announced the winner! The tension built. Men headed for the bathroom while women stared stone faced at the host. Finally, after an exhaustive wait (at least as long as it takes for an AFL goal review), the Lucky 13 knew the result.

They had won. Finally they were victorious. Two years of frustration and moral victories ended. They now held the title of Monthly Trivia Champions. Thirteen unique minds who bound together to defeat more than 80 others. It was glorious. They celebrated together before heading separately into the night.

Until next month when they will defend their crown.  As David Bowie would say: they are heroes, just for one day.

(You were expecting the final part of the Star Wars remake? Come back over the weekend. You won't be disappointed.)