July 12, 2024
Leesburg Librarian Robert Voyles Earns Respectable 2nd Place Finish on Jeopardy
By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg Librarian Robert Voyles Earns Respectable 2nd Place Finish on Jeopardy
Robert Voyles, a public librarian in Leesburg, Florida, got to live out a dream and test his wits on the legendary game show, Jeopardy! That opportunity happened last evening as Voyles competed against one of the top competitors on Jeopardy in 2024.
Robert faced stiff competition from Isaac Hirsch, a formidable six-day champion who had accumulated winnings of $141,388. Despite the pressure, Robert held his own throughout the rounds. He strategically picked categories where he felt confident, such as “1980s Amateur Wrestling” and “States That End in Hampshire.” His knowledge and calm demeanor propelled him to success, steadily accumulating points. As Double Jeopardy approached it was Isaac in the lead with $6,400, Robert with $1,000 and Liz with $0
(Robert Voyles is a Leesburg Public Library Adult Services Librarian. He represented Lake County with pride last night finishing 2nd.)
During Double Jeopardy, Robert seized the opportunity on a Daily Double, wagering wisely to boost his score significantly. However Isaac seized control of the game headed into Final Jeopardy as he had $18,400 while Robert managed $5,800 and Liz $1,200.
As Final Jeopardy approached, the category was “Countries of the World,”. The clue was challenging: “Until 1991 this country, named for a river, had a capital whose name means ‘lakes’ in Portuguese.” Robert carefully wrote down his answer, hoping it would be correct.
Isaac confidently wrote his response and was the only one to guess correct. Isaac increased his total to $20,000 for a seven-day total of $161,388.
In the end, Robert Voyles finished in a respectable second place with $5,800. Though he didn’t win the game, the experience was a one that he will take with him forever. He had fulfilled his dream of appearing on Jeopardy! and had proven his abilities on national television. I know there were a lot of people watching from Leesburg, Florida and the surrounding communities last night rooting Robert on! Robert is one who is beloved by his community, we are proud that he represented Lake County and we want to congratulate him on a very respectable 2nd place finish!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
