2004 NSC Player Information

Thank you for registering to play in the 2004 National SCRABBLE^® Championship. To make sure that your trip to the NSC is hassle-free, please make sure that you:

Book your hotel accommodation and travel arrangements well in advance. There is an airport shuttle bus that runs between the airport and downtown hotels, costing $13 and taking about 40 minutes. Cab fare is roughly twice as much, and there may be additional charges for extra baggage or for three or more passengers. Louisiana Transit runs a bus between the airport and the central business district. Buses leave every 10-20 minutes during the day, fare is $1.50 (exact change), and the trip takes about 45 minutes.

Bring a set of Protiles and a game timer. Every player is responsible for bringing these, and we are not responsible if neither you nor your opponent came equipped. Boards will be provided by Hasbro.

Likewise, boards will be set out for your use in the after hours playing room, but not tiles or game timers. Need new gear? Click on the links in this paragraph to order from the NSA Word Gear catalog.

Bring a completed W-9 tax form. You may fill one out at registration instead, but this will delay your check-in process. If we do not have a W-9 tax form (or equivalent tax form for registered foreign nationals) on file for you at the beginning of the tournament, then we will have to withhold 30% of any prize money you receive, as per IRS regulations.

If you have a digital photo of yourself that you would like to add to our player database, please follow the instructions given in our photo submission form. We will make sure that any photos received by the registration deadline are posted; after that, we can't guarantee it.

You may change your division at any time up until the registration deadline of July 10th. If you have ended up registering for a division for which you are overqualified, you must reregister. To do so, please contact Sara Hallock at sh@scrabbleassociation.com.

You are responsible for arriving in time to register in the Acadia Foyer between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. on Saturday, July 31st. Registration will be done by division under the supervision of each division leader, so this will be a good time for you to meet your division leader and some of your fellow competitors. If you do not arrive before 4:00 P.M., we will have one table set up during the opening reception in Salons A-E between 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. We strongly encourage you not to rely on this, as the time you spend waiting in line may detract from your enjoyment of the reception. If you are unavoidably delayed past 7:30 P.M., your registration packet will be left under your name at the front desk of the New Orleans Marriott. As soon as you pick it up, in order to be considered registered, you must use a house phone to leave hotel voice mail for NSC Coordinator Laura Klein, stating your name and division, and that you have picked up your registration packet. You must register on Saturday, July 31st in order to play in the tournament.

Familiarise yourself with NSA Telecast Rules, especially if you are in Division 1, as the best-of-five finals in that division will be telecast by ESPN. These govern, among other things, sportsmanlike behaviour and use of offensive words during the final games.

Please check this web page as the event draws nearer for the answers to questions people ask us, and just before you leave in case we have last-minute instructions. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at info@scrabble-assoc.com.