It is 19 h exactly and my whole family is in front of the TV set. The famous Skočko mascot appears on the screen. TV Slagalica quiz is about to begin. This has been so for thirty years already.

I fell in love with quizzes in my childhood. Watching quizzes was and still is an opportunity for my family to get together over a common activity. My parents, my elder brother, and I used to “compete” with each other in who would know more correct answers, developing our imagination and curiosity in this manner.

My first encounter with direct participation in a quiz happened in my secondary school. Together with three of my schoolmates, I took part in the quiz entitled: ‘How Much do We Know Each Other?’ The quiz was organised by the Vojvodina Radio and Television in collaboration with the Provincial Secretariat of Culture and Education. The contestants were secondary school students from the Province of Vojvodina. The topics of the quiz were: culture, art, history, customs, and other important details related to the peoples and ethnic groups who lived in the territory of Vojvodina. The participation of my school team was a success – we reached the finals and finished third. However, what was more important than the official result was that we learnt how similar we were in our differences and that prejudices, if there were any, could be conquered by knowledge.

After that secondary school quiz, I participated in quizzes such as Potera, TV Slagalica, and The Weakest Link. Each of the quizzes has its specific competition system, which makes them especially interesting and challenging. I was always satisfied with my entry, regardless of my official score, because each of these quizzes was a priceless experience and realisation of my own capabilities.

On another note, sport has been an integral part of my life for years, with running and yoga as the main activities that have helped me in maintaining my psychological and physical health. Although the connection between sport and quizzes is not obvious at first sight, they actually share a few interesting links. Preparation for and participation in a quiz is a mental exercise of its own kind which is equally demanding as physical preparation of athletes. Active physical exercise, especially running, taught me never to give up, especially when push comes to shove. Perseverance helps me in being focused on the goal and to fight, even when I am losing. This strategy has often proved successful, since I have many times managed to turn the tide in my favour and win.

Yoga techniques help me most in mental preparation for a competition. My favourite definition of yoga is that ‘yoga is calming of a restless mind’. Physical exercises (asanas), techniques of breathing and relaxation, concentration and meditation are techniques that appease the mind and contribute to a better mental focus and concentration, helping me to overcome stage freight. These techniques require dedication and discipline, because as elsewhere, consistent practice yields results.

My participation in quizzes has never been motivated by winning only (although it feels good to be the best in something 😊). My main motive is to have fun, meet interesting people, gain new experience, move my own limits, and learn something new on the way. I find it interesting to challenge myself and discover what I yet have to learn. The knowledge required for participation in quizzes is acquired throughout your whole life and it depends on your own curiosity and interests, on what you read and watch, on what kind of people are around you and to what degree you are ready to soak up all that and incorporate it into your own personality.

In the end, I would recommend everybody to dare and try to compete in a quiz, to challenge themselves and conquer their own insecurities. Regardless of the outcome, they will certainly be richer for a new experience.