Aggies to compete in Questival World Championship

In a few short days, six Aggies will represent Utah State University in South America at the Questival World Championship.

After winning the first-ever Utah State Questival last fall, Team MesoMagic qualified for the seven-day competition in Belize along with nine other teams across the country.

Questivals are intense scavenger hunts, but in the weeks leading up to the world championship, planning the trip has been a challenge of its own.

“I guess it’s fun and stressful, but they’re not telling us everything,” said Brenton Hull, one of the team members. “If we knew everything, we could plan and it would be too easy.”

New details are emailed to them each week.

“it’s extremely vague,” said team member Mary Dowden.

Even without all the information, the team plans as much as they can. They meet every week to go over duties.

“People scoff and laugh at the fact that we meet every Tuesday. They’re like, ‘What do you do?'” Hull said. “But we do a lot because we do want to do well.”

In order to set themselves up for success, each team member has specific assignments.

“Larry’s kind of the driving force behind everything. Not only does he have the most passion, but he’s the most invested,” Hull said. “It drives all of us.”

Dowden is responsible for country research and mapping out their journey.

“She’s just a little thing of information. She knows more than all of us combined,” Hull said.

Leah Calder, a seasoned traveler, is in charge of the packing list and assignments. Beginning in Belize, the team will travel through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Most Questivals are city-based, and as far as Team MesoMagic knows, they are the only group representing a university.

“We’re all definitely hardcore Aggies,” said Larry Bucio. “We’ve been involved a lot, we love Utah State, and we’re going down there to represent.”

There is one other team from Utah, but teams also come from as far as San Francisco and the East Coast.

“That’s what makes it fun. We’re all from different places,” Hull said.

During the Utah State Questival, the team had a different team dynamic. With a new team name and social media presence, Hull described the group as “fairly legit.”

“Before it was a lot more about creativity and being goofy, trying to stand out,” Hull said. “We’re still trying to stand out and be ourselves, but we’re trying to be a little more serious. We want other teams to look at us and think, ‘They’re legit, but also still cool.'”

Larry Bucio, the team leader and webmaster, said they are competitive, but not looking to make enemies.

“I think that whenever we make contact with anybody, we want to show people that we’re a happy bunch, adventurous,” Bucio said. “We’re in it to win it, but we’re going to be kind and helpful — looking for ways to do service and learn about the culture and the people. We want to leave it better than when we found it, I guess.”

For the most part, the team will be staying in cheap hostels. They get a daily stipend for housing and food, but they must go to certain checkpoints every day in order to “earn” their stipend.

The competition begins on April 23 and ends April 30. The team is planning on extending their stay, however, since the airfare is paid for.

“We have the ability to do anything we want, but we’re probably just going to go to Costa Rica and relax,” Hull said. “School will be over for us at that point.”

Various community groups are showing support for the team, including Locker 42, which is donating matching Utah State T-shirts. Other sponsors include Chaco, Solo Eyewear and Munk Pack.

“Also, a huge shout-out to the Huntsman School of Business, because without them none of this would be possible,” Hull said.

Anyone can follow Team MesoMagic’s adventure and show support on social media. Voting from the public will play a role in the competition, and the team will post pictures on their Instagram and Twitter accounts. They will also be using the USUAggies Snapchat account during their adventure.

“We’re excited to represent Utah State in the world,” Hull said.

— brennakelly818@gmail.com
@bckelly8