My Underdog Story: Why I Am Happy Being One

This post is inspired by @andywong31 who has been a great and really inspirational friend.
To check out his underdog story you can click here

"UniUyo (University of Uyo)? Really? 100 - 0, that should be the most flawless of victories."

But before I get to narrate my story, let me tell you what led to the above statement. Can I?

The Background of the Competition

The Society of Petroleum Engineers organizes annually a fast paced quiz amongst its student chapters to bring them up in the knowledge of the oil industry. This international competition is known as the Petrobowl Competition.

In Nigeria, the Society of Petroleum Engineers Nigerian council (SPENC) organizes a Petroquiz Competition which serves as a prerequisite for participating in the Petrobowl championship. The top three schools at the end of the Petroquiz competition get to represent their region at the international stage during the ATCE (Annual Technical confetrence and Exhibition).

Since the inception of the Petroquiz competition, the favorites to win the competition have been the: Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE), UI (University of Ibadan), RSUST (Rivers State University of Science and Technology), UNIPORT (University of Port Harcourt), UNILAG (University of Lagos), and the University of Benin (UNIBEN) as far as my memory could go. These schools were top notch when it came to academics.

Road to 2017 Petroquiz Competition

It was 2017, UniUyo won the bid to host the annual Student Technical Conference and Exhibition (STCE), where the competition is always the highlight of the conference, and for the first time it was going to be a Petroquiz competition which qualifies you for the International stage.

The schools flooded in with their delegates just as formula 1 teams do converge with their racers whenever there was a car racing competition. Our team UniUyo being the host watched with admiration as the schools trooped in en masse.

But we weren't prepared for this contest not when the draws came out and we knew we were to face the Toughest of them all. FUPRE, the champion of champions who were the defending champion having won the past 3 years in a row. For this university, the PetroBowl competition was their right. There was this feeling we had on realising we will be facing the most dreaded of them all.

Petroquiz Begins

The 33 universities nationwide travelled down to Uyo, where they gathered at the newly completed 1000 seats capacity TETFUND lecture theatre at the permanent campus of the University of Uyo, Uyo

The moderator announced the University of Uyo versus FUPRE, and the whole crowd went agog, chanting flawless victory. I knew how bad it was going to be so I sat down and just got lost in my thoughts. The student chairperson came and told us, beware of this guy pointing to the team captain of FUPRE. Man, I was terrified, how could they make such a bracket, tagging us against the most ferocious of beasts, the FUPRE team. Mr FUPRE as I referred to him, smirked with a grin which showed how underrated we were in his eyes. "Come on, uniuyo is this the best you guys could do, aren't they tougher schools?"

"Uniuyo? 100 - 0" he said finally, as we moved for the podium...

I made sure I was the last to sit down as I couldn't help noticing the crowd waiting for the fatality that was to befall the underdog, team UniUyo.

The Much Coveted Trophy

The questions rolled in, and the trophy was there for the taking. The first and second rounds consisted of 4 different bouts comprising of Reservoir engineering, Mathematics, Geology and Health, Safety & Environment (HSE).

We were down already at the geology section, as they were smiling sheepishly, why wouldn't they smile, they were of course on a route to victory. But we weren't to be deterred as we equaled their score of 48 after the HSE bout thanks to @uwemedimo, whom we still call supersub till today.

The Captain Spurring the Team

But a game doesn't end without a winner and so the moderator had to summon the 60 seconds of fame which is a much dreaded summoning. The 60 seconds of fame is a fast paced toss of questions where the school with the most correct answers after the 60 seconds win the tie. This round needs your brain to be processing information faster than a 12 gigabyte ram of the fastest super computers.

UniUyo you're to go first, the moderator started reading out the toss up questions and we were giving answers comfortably to them, I still thank my mentors for having made me memorize a question which I never thought would be asked. But it was one of the questions which contributed to our answers.

I could still remember vividly when the moderator asked "Dake Defined compaction drive as what?" and the answer was just "Pore Volume". I didn't let the moderator finish the question as I knew from the beginning the answer was always going to be pore volume, on hearing Dake, I told the team captain it was pore volume. No need to waste time in a 60 seconds of fame tie. And at the end we supplied 8 correct answers. I could see the tension building up, as contestants were sweating profusely amidst the cool air blowing or emanating from the ventilation.

Skip, skip, Uhmm, skip again. FUPRE had asked the moderator to skip their first three questions during their 60 seconds of fame, from where I sat, I watched with joy as the timer was counting down, I knew that if they continued this way we would have put the champion to the sword.

Unbelievable, UniUyo just knocked out the reigning champion, the dreaded dragon, can you believe it? Team UniUyo just emerged victorious.

For most schools, they were very happy, as we just made the way to the finals more easy for them and they couldn't wait to knock us out, after all we are just mere underdogs.

Now if you're wondering about the picture of the dog, think no more, that was actually the look I had on my face after we won FUPRE, the "what were you saying again?"

It was indeed a keen contest, and Team UniUyo edged Team FUPRE after competing passionately.

If the first episode was a keen contest, then the second was crazy, yes absolutely crazy!

We had barely settled down after the first round, trying to catch our breath, when we were now being called upon to compete with the most renowned institution in Nigeria, the great University of Ibadan (UI).

Round 2

Ogbe oh I said to myself in pidgin, which meant "What kind of a life is this? So we're finally going to be sent to rest and enjoy the top dogs run the show."
Anyways I was glad we won at least a school, and not just any school, the Petrobowl tycoon herself, FUPRE.

Just in a manner similar to the bout against FUPRE, the contest ended in a tie. The 60 seconds of fame was to be summoned again, since one school needed to progress to the next round, the quarter finals, known as the Elite 8.
Once again we were given the nod to start, and we racked up 6 correct answers in 60 seconds. Again, Team UniUyo stood tall as UI supplied just 4 correct answers.

The watching crowd marvelled as the hall went into frenzy. The visiting schools could not fathom it. Or it was unfathomable for the visiting schools. As proceedings for the first day of the conference came to an end.

The fight for USA

With just 8 schools remaining and at such the term elite 8, only 3 schools were to represent Sub Saharan Africa at the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition holding scheduled to hold in Houston, Texas. USA.
This was going to be a cracker, a tumultuous and a real taste of faith.
After all, we were more interested in going to the States than the reason for going.

Judgment Day

Everyone could sense the confidence building up within Team UniUyo while frustration herself was seen hovering around the eliminated teams.

Once again, the Elite 8 stage witnessed a "brain battle" derby as two sisters battled it out for supremacy.
Team UniUyo and Team UniCal (University of Calabar) competed, albeit it turned out to be an "ANNIHILATION" in Edet Antigha's word.

Yes team UNIUYO trashed their neighboring university, team UNICAL. 48 points against 17 points. What a crushing!!!!. No forlorn hope for you neighbours.

The Race Against Time

The exploit did not end since that was not the end of the PETROQUIZ XV edition. To call a spade a spade, the penultimate and the last stage were a whole new ball game.
After watching with grin how team UNIUYO outsmarted team UNICAL, team UNILAG vowed to avenge for UNICAL in the semi finals.

"Perhaps the UNILAG guys had an axe to grind, but wishes are not horses, if they were, beggars might ride. As usual, the stage was set and the two teams faced off in order to settle their scores.
Team UNILAG were aggressive, they competed with vengeance but we remained calm. Of course the adage: slow and steady wins the race could not be overemphasized. They were completely oblivious of it. Their youthful exuberance was put in check throughout the competition as we emerged victorious once again."

At the end of the semi finals, I leaped for unfathomable joy. It was a perfect mix of phantasmagoria as I couldn't bring myself to absorbing what just happened. Reaching the finals meant we were already qualified to represent sub Saharan Africa at the international stage during the ATCE scheduled to hold in the United States.

I literally felt like there wasn't any need for the competition again. My only dream has been achieved, making it to the States. I was going to have a great time there while at the same time having a first class experience of the Western culture.

Give Up? The Urge to Never Give Up!

How we acted during the finals

In Edet Antigha's description,

The climax was the final. It was battle for the ages. The trophy and the medals were displayed right in front of them, their destinies were in their hands. Team UNIBEN VS team UNIUYO was both a classic and a climateric. After the first three rounds, team UNIBEN took the lead. Horror loomed round the host but it baffles me where they got their resilience from.
Epical comeback!. Yes, quite phenomenal. The next two rounds saw team UNIUYO leading by a margin of 9 points. Again team UNIBEN remained unyielding, they wrestled vehemently and reduced the lead by team UNIUYO to 4 points in the penultimate.
The final round got everyone standing. Thanks to Israel Umana.
SPE matters, the moderator reiterated as the timer set in.
The last round of the bout saw team UNIUYO supplying one correct answer to the first questions as team UNIBEN did same. Team UNIUYO was completely at the sea when they were asked the third question.
Then onus was now on the UNIBEN guys to supply the correct answer and snatch the trophy from the jaws of defeat. They were literally exhausted. Their 'chis' could not help them. They blew the last question and team UNIUYO emerged victorious, Kings and Queens of SPE. What an absolute cracker!!

54 points against 52 points was evidence of how close the tie was. That was indeed a beauty of a final as there was apparently no time for a brain lapse. And I'm still grateful to the team for not giving up.

History was created, as we were the first school to host the contest and go on to win it.
We were able to prove a lot of people wrong at the conference that day that regardless of your "status", if you put your mind and effort into something, you can achieve success.

Nobody believed what happened, the most underrated of schools, toppled the toughest of universities on their way to success.
In @uwemedimo words, "Against all odds, we came out top".

From L to R: Team UniUyo, @uwemedimo, @photon12, the team captain Solomon, @prosperfresh, and @nexrules

Seeing my lecturers and fellow students happy was a real boost to me and the urge to keep striving hard.

The Message

This story of mine, goes out to all the "underdogs" out there, are you willing to give up? Are you going to wilt in the face of a challenge? No, I would not advise so, not when you have come this far. Always remember that with determination, consistency, hardwork and the urge to improve on yourself, you are surely going to make it. For it's a true saying that "Where there is a will, there is a way"

Match 13

We made it to the International Stage

Set positive goals and strive each day to attain them.

The above statement keeps me going, by following suit, you will be making a difference and improving yourself daily.

I love the way @andywong31 puts it and to conclude I'll use his advice, "and if you're ever in doubt of your abilities, always keep the following quote in mind:"

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Hello everyone, I've been MIA for some weeks now, and I am sorry about that because school isn't giving me a breather.

I will continue my Steem Oil and Gas blog as time goes on, while also keeping you abreast about how the International competition turned out to be.

Do you have an underdog story you would like to share with us? Are you fine with being an underdog at some point in your life? You can share with us.

Thank you for visiting my blog, I'm grateful. Cheers!

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Image Sources

1. The first picture is courtesy of pixabay.

2. The last picture is gotten from @andywong31's blog and this is the link to the original picture.

3. The remaining pictures are sourced from the Society of Petroleum Engineers Nigerian Council facebook page.

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References

1. SPENC

2. Andy's Underdog story