A student at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is pursuing a lifelong dream and leaving an impact on an internationally recognized event.
Each year, thousands of participants from around the country gather in Stevens Point to participate in the World’s Largest Trivia Contest, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s student-run radio station 90FM.
Frank Ross, Milton, is studying management in the Sentry School of Business and Economics at UW-Stevens Point, a decision that was influenced by participating in the contest growing up.
“Coming to Stevens Point and hearing the same voices on the radio and the birds outside of my grandfather’s house in the spring every year are some of my favorite memories from growing up,” Ross said. “One of the big draws in deciding where I wanted to go to college was being closer to home, and the opportunity to work behind the scenes with Trivia.”
Ross’ family participates in Trivia as Gene Autry’s Ninja Warriors. The team was originally established in 1987 by his mom, uncles and grandparents, and as they have grown families of their own, they have continued to gather in Stevens Point each year to participate. At any given time more than 30 people will join the Warriors throughout the weekend, and they have become a recognized name amongst fellow competitors.
However, this year Ross will not be joining his family in playing Trivia. Instead, he has spent the last several months behind the pen, writing the questions that will be read on air.
The contest runs for 54 hours, and teams answer eight questions per hour along with additional challenges throughout the course of this marathon weekend. No resource is off limits, and no team is too big or small, making this event one of a kind.
For many years, the contest was written and coordinated by Jim Oliva, who many Stevens Point natives know as “The Oz”, and John Eckendorf. In 2023, Amherst native and long-time trivia player Dave Coulthurst, also known as DAC, took over writing the contest with the help of a student co-writer. He hoped that by bringing a student perspective to the table, the contest could draw in younger audiences and have a more modern twist.
“I wanted to write the contest with students because I value the fresh angles youth can add to it,” Coulthurst said. “There’s also a big difference in the way older Trivia players and younger Trivia players consume media. Since this is a pop culture contest, we need to have that perspective in what we ask about.”
In the fall of 2025 Coulthurst was in search of new students to help, and Ross immediately knew he wanted to throw his hat in the ring.
“When DAC (Coulthurst) came to a 90FM general staff meeting and announced that he was looking for a new co-writer, I approached him and expressed my interest along with another student. I was so excited that he asked me to join him,” he said.
Since then, Ross has been working with Coulthurst, along with fellow student Marna Andre. Together, they have the daunting task of writing 428 questions for Trivia 56, themed “The Love Contest.” For Ross, this has been an exciting endeavor that he never dreamed he would pursue.
“I remember back in 2019 when Oz made his retirement announcement, and we were joking about who on our team could take over next,” Ross said. “Seven years ago, I never even thought this was a possibility, so having this opportunity is hard to put into words.”
With the contest quickly approaching, Ross looks forward to experiencing the weekend from a new perspective. One of the things he’s most looking forward to is being able to outwit participants and write the types of questions that stump players.
“I want to see how many people complain about questions I’ve written. I want to make the players as upset as I can, in the sense that they can’t figure out what I’m asking them for,” he said.
Although this year’s Triva theme serves as a nod to several love-related pop culture icons, Coulthurst’s intention in choosing the theme was to highlight the relationships that the contest has forged over its 56 year history. For Ross, this not only represents the bond that he has with his family, but with the friends he has made at 90FM.
“Myself and many others have met their significant others and close friends through Trivia and working with 90FM. Building relationships is exactly what we’re referencing in the theme,” Ross said.
For Coulthurst, having a student who highly reveres the contest as a co-writer has been a great asset.
“Frank is a Trivia lifer,” Coulthurst said. “He’s been a part of 90FM and the contest for a few years now. From volunteering with him, I know he cares about the station, the contest and what both of them mean to the community. If you have that, you know that writing the contest is a privilege.”
Outside of Trivia, Ross is an involved 90FM volunteer. He previously served as news director, and has hosted several talk and specialty programs, which earned him an award at the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Student Seminar in February. Although he hopes to use his degree to work in the hospitality industry rather than broadcasting, he says that the skills and relationships he gained from being involved at 90FM are immeasurable.
“There’s nothing else like this at UW-Stevens Point,” Ross said. “Being able to be on the radio and do so regardless of your major is fantastic. I’m not a media studies major, but I still find incredible joy in volunteering, and I have learned a lot from it. It helped me get over my fear of public speaking, and the sense of community that 90FM and Trivia has is one of a kind.”
Trivia 56: THE LOVE CONTEST is set to take place April 17-19, and registration begins April 13. For more information on how you can participate in the World’s Largest Trivia Contest on 90FM, visit https://90fmtrivia.org/.