Local News Posted on Thu, May. 15, 2003 Mount De Sales grad to compete in 'Jeopardy' finals By Gray Beverley Telegraph Staff Writer Perhaps it was the current events game in Chester Pierce's 10th-grade class at Mount de Sales Academy. Mark Dawson was pretty good at raising his hand or slamming his desk to announce the correct answer. Now, some two decades later, Dawson will test his skills again, on national television. Tonight and Friday, Dawson will appear in the finals of this year's "Jeopardy" Tournament of Champions. The winner gets $250,000. "It was a lot of fun," Dawson said Wednesday. "The intensity is very real." The shows were taped in March. Although he has been asked not to reveal who won, the key to making it this far, Dawson said, is having a good wagering strategy, keeping your cool and correctly timing the buzzer. Knowing when to press the button is "absolutely huge," Dawson said. "For the most part, people are equally frustrated by the buzzer." His best performance is being the first to ring in 23 times. Contestants who push the button too early are blocked out for a half-second. There are 60 questions in a game, not including Final Jeopardy, when the contestants' buzzers are not used. Knowing the answers helps as well. For that, Dawson practiced with quiz bowl teams from Georgia Tech and Emory University, his alma mater. He made thousands of flash cards of "author and title," capitals and topical events. He rented movies. A 1983 edition of Trivial Pursuit he had in the back of his car came in handy. "I see 'Jeopardy' as a game, not as who is smarter or who knows more," he said. "I spent more time just getting mentally ready to be in a good mood." Dawson, who lives in metro Atlanta, first tried out for "Jeopardy" in 1987. He took a vacation to Los Angeles and auditioned for "Password Plus," "Scrabble" and "Concentration," and appeared on the latter the next spring. Dawson's consolation prize was two pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, like the kind worn by Hank Williams Jr., he said. He passed the "Jeopardy" test three times between 1987 and 2001, when he finally appeared on the show and won a Corvette. Some of Dawson's secrets: Study the flash cards until you can correctly answer each of them three times; no cramming, it clogs your mind; and knowing when the Final Jeopardy tune changes key, there's 15 seconds to go. During a commercial break, host Alex Trebek asked Dawson if he had correctly pronounced the Altamaha River. That was one thing that stood out about his experience on the show, he wrote on a tournament Web site. One of the hardest parts of the competition, Dawson said Wednesday, was having to tape three shows in one day, with only about 20 minutes in between. The finals are aired in two episodes, 7:30 p.m. tonight and Friday. Dawson, a business manager for an architecture firm will compete against 26-year-old Eric Floyd of Calhoun who, with $97,800 in winnings, is listed as the third winningest "Jeopardy" player in 19 years. To contact Gray Beverley, call 744-4494 or e-mail gbeverley@macontel.com.