“What does rectangular imply?”, the query has lived in Diego’s head for 50 years. It was one of many many who he needed to reply within the “Trump Auction” program, which was broadcast on black and white tv within the early seventies. Now half a century later, Diego and his companions have met once more in Granada to keep in mind that contest that they virtually gained and that marked their lives.
The workforce was made up of eight younger folks from Benalúa, a city of simply over 3,000 inhabitants within the Guadix area, in Granada. “Most of the groups represented instructional facilities from everywhere in the nation, however we represented our folks and ourselves,” explains Diego Martínez, who was elected captain as the one grownup.
The workforce was divided by themes to face the completely different exams of the competition. “Some had been in command of letters, others of the inventive, sports activities or political information exams,” explains the workforce captain, who was in command of the science questions. The program was recorded in Madrid and for a lot of it was the primary time they’d visited the capital.
The contestants in 1971 in Benalúa.NIUS
‘Auction of triumphs’ changed the legendary ‘Basket and factors’, a program introduced by Daniel Vindel the place faculties and institutes competed by way of questions and solutions. In 1970, the brand new schooling legislation opted for much less rote studying and tv was tailored with a brand new contest with the identical philosophy and the identical presenter, however now additionally included sports activities and inventive exams, along with educational ones.
Travel to Madrid
“We had been townspeople,” says Diego, “a few of us hadn’t even gotten into an elevator.” And all of a sudden they had been in Madrid, in a tv studio earlier than a number of cameras. “The expertise of going to Madrid was very good, seeing the motion that circulated by way of town, visiting Galerías Preciados…”, says Diego, “we realized and found many issues”.
Two weeks after every recording, this system was broadcast on tv. “Everyone on the town was speaking about it,” and the eight contestants grew to become well-liked not solely in Benalúa, but additionally within the surrounding cities. “We had been those on TV and a sure commotion was created wherever we went,” recollects Diego, and so they got here to star in an institutional act of gratitude on the city corridor.
Eliminated within the semifinals
In whole they participated in 4 packages and the workforce from Granada reached the semifinal, the place they misplaced to the Instituto Cisneros in Madrid. “In the court docket that evaluated our proof there was a member of the institute that we had been going through,” explains Diego, who believes that the elimination of his workforce was unfair.
Even so, all through their participation they gained a number of prizes, together with a wristwatch that didn’t should be wound. “We had been all educating it,” boasts Diego. Besides, every one selected their very own prizes. A file participant, a violin… and in Diego’s case, a wood tennis racket, a flamenco guitar and a typewriter that he took to the college and nonetheless has.
Meeting of the contestants with some buddies.NIUS
After that every one took his manner. “Some of us hadn’t seen one another for a very long time,” he informed NIUS. It is troublesome as a result of every one lives in a metropolis; Seville, Madrid, Barcelona or Elche, the place Diego has spent a big a part of his life. Now after so lengthy they determined to satisfy once more. “The solely factor lacking was a companion who has handed away,” laments the captain.
institutional act
After this casual assembly, the Benalúa Town Hall desires to arrange a extra institutional act for this summer season with all of the individuals, in addition to pictures and movies of the competition. There may also be an exhibition the place you possibly can see a few of the items they gained, amongst which Diego has already promised to supply his typewriter.
“Going out on TV marked us,” says the captain. It was fairly an apprenticeship for eight boys from a city in Granada that they nonetheless keep in mind with nostalgia at the moment. Life separated them, however the contest has introduced them again collectively and half a century later they keep in mind collectively these exams and questions they had been requested on tv… just like the one Diego will always remember: “What is rectangular? Something longer than it’s extensive” .