'Academic Decathlon' - Common App short answer

Here is my <1000 character short answer response about an extracurricular activity.

As I opened the test book, I nearly laughed out loud at the first question.
"Which colors are present on the on the man's shirt in 'Mezzetin?'"
"Who cares?" I thought. That had to be the most irrelevant, useless bit of information on the face of the earth. Lucky for me, I knew the answer because I'd read it in the Art Cram Kit about fifteen minutes earlier. But that was only a coincidence. Did the Academic Decathlon test writers really expect me to know about all the subject areas in such detail?

Simply put, yes they did. In fact, knowing obscure facts about equally obscure subject matter is the very essence of AcaDec. I had no idea what to expect as I opened that test book at my first competition, but what I found was a challenge - a challenge that I would embrace for the next three years.

Thanks in advance

I would suggest including something about how it's shaped you or impacted you.

This is a good start, but it doesn't explain why AcaDec means something to you. You should analyze your experience instead of just describing it.

How's this for a revision?

As I opened the test book, I nearly laughed out loud at the first question.
"Which colors are present on the on the man's shirt in 'Mezzetin?'"
"Who cares?" I thought. That had to be the most irrelevant, useless bit of information on the face of the earth. Lucky for me, I knew the answer because I'd read it in the Art Cram Kit about fifteen minutes earlier, but that was only a coincidence. Did the Academic Decathlon test writers really expect me to know about all the subject areas in such detail?

Simply put, yes they did. In fact, knowing obscure facts about equally obscure subject matter is the very essence of AcaDec. I had always been an inveterate trivia buff, (which is what influenced me to join) but AcaDec gave me a reason to transcend my usual curiosity for the little-known.

I had no idea what to expect as I opened that test book at my first competition, but what I found was a challenge - a challenge to learn everything there was to learn.

I can't add much more; I'm already at roughly 950 characters.

Thanks for the input