Walking onto the stage of the 16th Annual Marquette Pun Contest, Qirin Mach, freshman, didn’t know he was about to win as a walk-on.
“Before the game was about to start, all my friends were like, ‘Qirin, you should be the walk-on’ and by the luck of the draw, I got picked, and here we are,” Mach said.
Scott Szevery, history teacher; Mike Ebert, language arts teacher; and Junior Principal Dr. Richard Regina held the 16th Annual Marquette Pun Contest during Mod 1 of Ac Lab today to about 150 audience members.
The Marquette Pun Contest includes two parts: a prepared round and an impromptu round. For the first part, Szevery emails participants prompts in advance, giving participants time to prepare. In contrast, the second portion challenges participants by creating puns on the spot. At the end of the competition, the winner is given a plaque.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a very ‘punny’ person, I just think that I am quick on my toes,” Mach said.
Mach was one of eight contestants, including Nico De Castro Troconis, sophomore; juniors Corbin Garrett, Grant Lappin and Arnab Panda; and seniors Teju Sundaresan, Gianna Kensy and Abigail Lechy.
“I just loved the roar of the crowd, whether it’s the cheers or the boos, I just love to know they’re engaged,” Mach said.
Szevery started the Marquette Pun Contest in 2008 with Ebert and Dr. Regina when they noticed students using puns in the classroom and teachers using puns in staff emails.
“We thought, you know, some of these kids are really clever with puns, and so we decided to create a competition out of it,” Szevery said.
Szevery said the contest positively impacts students and promotes community.
“The competition isn’t super serious, you know, it’s fun for kids to win and what not, but, you know, nobody’s heart is broken if they don’t come out on top. It’s about the experience of a good time,” Szevery said.
Today was Sundaresan’s second time participating in the Marquette Pun Contest.
“It started with my track coach, Mr. Ebert, encouraging me to do it because I used to say this one stupid pun a lot during practice,” Sundaresan said. “Since the coaches organized the contest, it kind of just became a tradition for me to always participate in it.”
Sundaresan said she wishes more people would participate in the yearly contest.
“I always encourage people to do it because I think it’s a pretty carefree way to show your creative side, and obviously, it’s pretty lighthearted, too,” Sundaresan said.
