Varilux® Optometry Student Bowl™

Jennifer Che
UCB Trustee-Elect

With the beautiful backdrop of National Harbor, it would seem almost impossible for one to not find excitement at Optometry’s Meeting^®. Many of the events found optometrists gathering and reconnecting with former classmates and even stirring up long-standing rivalries over which optometry school was the best of the best. To answer that all-important question, representatives from all 19 optometry schools attempted to prove their superiority in a battle of optometric knowledge. And while the competition over board certification may have been fierce in the House of Delegates, it was no match for the competition displayed at the 18th annual Varliux^® Optometry Student Bowl™.

After months of careful planning and mini-student bowls held across the country, the day everyone had been waiting for finally arrived. Students assembled eagerly by school with matching t-shirts, banners, posters and more. Each school showed their spirit in an innovative and creative way, with everything from whistles and noisemakers all the way to the incredible collection of pirates shipped all the way from NOVA to Washington, D.C.

The night began with the presentation of the rules video, filmed with pride by students from Pacific College of Optometry in Oregon. The video brought many a laugh by the addition of clips featuring President Obama. Once the rules were thoroughly explained, it was time to begin the competition.

While each school’s representative had their own unique journey to the Student Bowl™ stage, one contestant in particular stood out. Proudly wearing a red and white baseball shirt emblazoned with a bespectacled lobster, New England College of Optometry contestant Aarlan Aceto stepped onto the stage and into the record books. Aarlan became the first contestant ever in Varilux^® Student Bowl™ history to compete for the trophy for an astounding three times!

Aarlan, a fourth year student at NECO, is known quite well on the Boston campus as the master of optometry knowledge and the reigning local Student Bowl™ champion. At the 2007 Optometry Student Bowl™, held in Boston, Aarlan placed second, and at the 2008 event in Seattle, he finished third. When word broke that Aarlan would, once again, be vying for the crown at the NECO mini-bowl, many would-be contestants shied away in fear. After his victory at the mini-bowl, many wondered if at the national event this year the third time would be the charm.

This year, the most intelligent students from schools across the nation joined Aarlan on the stage. Tensions ran high, as contestants struggled to be the first to ring in with their buzzers. Judges were called upon more than once to make decisions about sketchy or unclear answers, with their rulings always sure to cause an uproar from the crowd. Nevertheless, Aarlan sailed through the first two qualifying rounds and into the finals.

When it came time for the final question, Aarlan had more points accumulated than any other contestant. NECO students held their breaths as the final question was read, hoping that Aarlan knew the answer to the difficult question about prisms.

It seems only fitting that in Washington D.C., a place rich with so much history, the Varilux^® Student Bowl™ would also have a historical outcome. After three years of trying, Aarlan finally became the Varilux^® Optometry Student Bowl™ champion, winning the stunning crystal trophy and $1000 in prize money. Aarlan’s win made him the first ever winner to hail from NECO, further cementing his place in Student Bowl™ history.

But the winner of the Student Bowl™ was only part of the fun at the event. After months of planning how to properly show their superior level of spirit, each school was eager to find out who the judges had selected to be the winner of the coveted Spirit Award. This award carried with it, in addition to bragging rights, the prize of being the school to film the rules video for the 2010 Student Bowl™. The video, shot by professional filmers, is always one of the biggest hits of the entire event. After a short deliberation, the winner of the Spirit Award was determined to be the Ohio State University College of Optometry. With their huge, enthusiastic crowd of supporters, it was no surprise that Ohio State was able to take the Spirit Award crown.

As the last of the confetti was swept off the stage, and the glow necklaces lost their luster, optometry school students from across the nation could put aside their rivalries and agree on one thing….the Varilux^® Optometry Student Bowl™ was AMAZING!

Past Super Bowl Winners

Super Bowl XVIII (2009)	Aarlan Aceto	NECO
Super Bowl XVII (2008)	Brian Snydsman	UCB
Super Bowl XVI (2007)	Hanish Patel	SUNY
Super Bowl XV (2006)	Marisa Chung	UCB
Super Bowl XIV (2005)	Shawn Beilby	SCO
Super Bowl XIII (2004)	Kari Burchett	SCO
Super Bowl XII (2003)	Mike Monson	SCO
Super Bowl XI (2002)	Bradley Hines	UAB
Super Bowl X (2001)	Bill Barnes	PCO
Super Bowl IX (2000)	William Witt	NSU
Super Bowl VIII (1999)	Robert Rhodes	NOVA
Super Bowl VII (1998)	Jason Miller	OSU
Super Bowl VI (1997)	Gregg Steele	UAB
Super Bowl V (1996)	Dave Leonard	SCCO
Super Bowl IV (1995)	Tracey Curry	UW
Super Bowl III (1994)	Shane Laster	NSU
Super Bowl II (1993)	Shane Laster	NSU
Super Bowl I (1992)	Ron Sayers	OSU