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NSSC 2007 Commentary: Round 2

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Round 2

I caught Home School SCRABBLE^® Club (TX) vs. Winterhaven (OR) at the word judge machine! QAT, AH, TELS was challenged and the play was acceptable. Immediately afterward, another set of teams ran up and challenged TAQ*, which was ruled not acceptable.

This round, Annette Bailey wrote down a sheet of words she spotted on various tables. ING bingos: REARING, STORING, BURRING, HEARINg, DRAWING, EDITING, and RIOTING. ER bingos: REVISER, IGNITER, CLAWERS, STARTERS (through the second R), WRITERS, JINGLERS (played through the N), STEERER, DIAPERS, and STAINER. Other bingos: CLOTtED, EQUATES, StARRED, ALATIoN, AILERON, MISFEED, REFILLS, SUSTAIN, sTATIONS (played from the first S), TRILLION, and PHONIEs/HEARINGs.

One thing I notice in School SCRABBLE^®: a lot of students sit atop their legs folded up underneath them. I attribute this to young limberness, but also to height. Some find it hard to see the board and a players can elevate themselves by several inches by sitting this way.

Christine Economos, working the event in a black and white referee shirt, wears another hat for the NSA. She is an educational consultant who written many books that the NSA had published through Houghton-Mifflin. During this round, she noticed two plays REJUGGLE and GAUIAC. Both words are good, she discovered when she looked them up. REJUGGLE is just a GREAT play. GAUIAC is a four-vowel six, which is a low-probabilty play and a terrific find. In her opinion, the level of play in this room is very high and it is clear that the students have been studying.

Walking through the room, I find REJUGGLE was played by Eastern Greene Elementary/Jr. High (IN) for 107 points. They also got down CLAWERS for 85, and defeated White Brook Middle (MA), 493-175.

At table 5, in a game betweeen Hopkinton Middle Team 1 (MA) and Bloomfield Public Library (IN), I see DETAILINg, JOKERS, and ALOT*. This last play makes an editor cringe!

Hannah Lyons, an event volunteer, points out table 28 to me. It is full of overlapping 2 and 3-letter words that go from one corner of the board to the other in a diagonal fashion. I check scoresheets and see that it is Dover-Sherborn Middle (MA) vs. R.D & Euzelle P. Smith Middle Team 1 (NC). One play was KA/KI.

At a Walter C. Young Middle Team 2 (FL) vs. St. Gabriel School (CT) board, I see a 13-point play: BRUISER played to the ER by the latter. It isn't a high-scoring play, but I'm always impressed when students incorporate the board. Some games consist of fitting a word found on a rack onto the board. Other games feature plays where tiles from the board feature in the words played. It is a subtle thing, but it actually takes a lot of skill.

At table 2, Grisham Middle (TX) has a great game with Solomon Schechter Day Team 1 (MA), winning, 376-275. I see Grisham's DIXIT for 35, AILERON for 62, and REvEALS for 62. They admit to trying RYLANdS*, which their opponents challenged off.

Alex from Emerson Team 1 (CA) is a ham. I catch him drawing tiles with the bag way above his head. He sees me see him do this and kicks his leg out, makes a face, and poses in an exaggerated way for me. Above all, SCRABBLE^® is a fun game, after all!

At table 17, St. John Lutheran Eagle SCRABBLE^® Club (IN) tells me that they challenged their opponents 11 times, losing 8 of those challenges. Their opponents, Evangelical Christian Team 1 (TN), went on to win, 494-229. From the losing team, Cassidy said quite matter of factly, "hey! it was fun!" I see the winning team's DIAPERS for 95, TRIENES for 76, and STATION for 65.

I find Runkle Team 1 (MA) out in the foyer between rounds and ask how they are doing. At 2-0 now, they are most proud of two plays: BINDerS and SUSTAIN. I tell them to keep on truckin'.