Its with great honor and humility that Im pleased to announce Im once again my familys champion at Trivial Pursuit. It was a tough fought game between myself, David Denning, Rob Denning, and Brian Denning. It was played under trying circumstances, in Davids new house, just hours after our arrival from a cross country trip. I salute David for defending the integrity of this storied championship under difficult circumstances. Youd expect nothing less from a former and champion. For those of you who dont know much about it, a short history. At my sister Rachel Sprengers wedding in 1991, a famous Trivial Pursuit match was played between many people. A good time was had by all and a tradition was born. Several years later, at the house of our good family friend Gary Mitchell, the tradition took a bitter and controversial turn; but one that added to the glory of the championship. I was playing David in a one on one match, moderated by Gary. I dominated the early stages of the match, taking a quick five pie to none lead. All was well. I stormed to the Science and Nature category for my sixth and final pie (although, as you know, you still have to answer a question in the middle on a category of your opponents choosing). The question was, When a pig digs for truffles, what part of its body is it using? Carefully, I reasoned it out and responded its snout. Calamity ensued. In an effort to be fair--and Gary was as fair an adjudicator as youd ever want--Gary consulted the dictionary. He even phoned a friend. Ultimately, he ruled against me. The answer was gruntle. David came back to win the match and I was crushed. Ever since then its become a tradition among the Denning boys to play a Title Match anytime the current champion is in the presence of three other brothers. So you need a quorum of four out of the seven. In 1994, I brought back the Crown below, which I bought from a North African vendor outside the Colosseum in Rome. Whoever wins the match wins the Title of Family Champion and the Crown. A new tradition was born at one point, I think by my brother Mark, where the Champion could put a pin on the Crown. The pin might have something to do with the location of the match, or just something particularly relevant or important to the winner. You can see there are now about 25 different pins on the Crown, each telling the story of a different match held at particular time and place. There is a Hollywood pin, from when Mark lived in California. There are heaps of Colorado pins, including one from the H Bar G Ranch, where Christine Denning, Michael Joseph Denning, and Rachel were all married. There are pins from France, England, Mongolia and Australia. Pins for Longs Peak. Pins owned by my dad (the Caduceus in the middle) and by my mom (the angel pin). Lots of sports pins (the Avs, the Tour, the Orioles, and of course, the Dallas Cowboys). By the way, how bout them Cowboys!! Yes, the tradition is exclusive in both the positive and negative senses of the word. Its a boys only event, for me and my seven brothers. Maybe it should be expanded and changed. God knows weve made our sisters and in laws and nieces and nephews and friends endure enough late night games and arguments and noise. But...its still a great tradition, which to me represents the willingness to make time to be with your family no matter what the circumstances. Weve played at weddings and graduations, and after the funeral of family and friends. The questions and the game itself are, of course, trivial. The tile and the Crown, though, are glorious. And since Im the current champ, I decided it was high time to share the story. Long live the Crown!
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 17:30:57 +0000
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