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NSSC 2007 Commentary: Round 4

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Round 4

After last night's pizza party, the students steamed out to evening events, including the nearby IMAX theatre and the traveling circus at the nearby Dunkin Donuts Center. Many chose to play more games in the after hours playing room at the nearby Biltmore Hotel. The playing room was overflowing with students and coaches, so some played at tables spread out around the grand balcony overlooking the lobby and others still plopped down at select spots on the carpeting. I saw Scattegories, Anagrams, SCRABBLE^®, SCRABBLE^® Jumble, and other games being played around the room. The Lexington MA SCRABBLE^® Club 108 (MA) team took on Joel Sherman, event official and former World SCRABBLE^® Champion. He won the game handily, but spent the next half hour combing over the plays made and the racks the students held at certain points in the game. That kind of lesson is priceless to a pair of burgeoning SCRABBLE^® players. Both of these students play with adults at the Club #108 in Lexington, MA, directed by Judy Horn, and both can play a mean game of SCRABBLE^®!

Annette Bailey was also in the room and she emailed me a few of her observations.

During the after-hours play, it was great to see students interacting with each other and with adults. SCRABBLE^® coaches, parents, and staff from expert to novice were delighting in the joys of our favorite game.

However, SCRABBLE^®S was not the only game being played. At one point, Ben Greenwood, Hannah and Noah (from Randolph Middle (NC)), John Chew, and David Stein, were sprawled on the floor in a serious game of Scattergories. The students seemed to delight in competing against expert level players and the experts seemed to enjoy relaxing after the long day. Some played a SCRABBLE^® dice game while others were playing Boggle. Anagrams were being tossed around at one of the tables.

An after-hours game was in serious progress as Joel Sherman single-handedly took on the challenge of playing Brandon (Lakeland Copper Beach Middle (NY)) and Matt (Ridgefield Library Team 1 (CT)). This game was remarkable because it ended in a score of 415 to 405. The student team played bingos such as ALIENATE and PRONATED and Joel Sherman had a late game bingo of GASOLIER. In a strong endgame, the student team held VUU. One of the things that was special about this game was the fact that Joel Sherman took the time to sit with the team and the onlookers to examine and do the post-game analysis. After 10 minutes of discussion and review, it appeared that there was no obvious winning outplay for the student team. What a thrill for them to play a champion player and to lose by only 10 points AND learn they played the best they could in their endgame.

Others caught playing SCRABBLE^® included Luke Friedman paired with Annette Bailey. Luke leaned over and said, "If we play this, we'll have a better leave and a chance of constructing a better rack next time." Annette, trying to keep up with him, replied "yes, 'tiles,' 'synergy,' yes, they are crucial." (She took out her notebook and was started taking notes.) Friedman had a wonderful sense of humor at the beginning of his game. He was seen handing his tile bag over and stating that he had a disability and needed help. He was serious. He had the good fortune to pull the A to go first and then he proceeded to draw all consonants for the first rack. His retort "See? I told you I have a drawing disability!"

Christine Economos (NSA Educational Consultant and NSA member) paired up with Seth Lipkin (coach and NSA member) for a game that resulted in a fantastic after-hours win of 450 plus points to 370. Not too shabby for either side. Their bingos such as THIRLAGE and DRONERS were seen on the board.

This morning, students and coaches shared enthusiasm over today's schedule over breakfast in a dining room set up next door to the ballroom. Coaches discussed the trials of having their 5th graders play those "mean" 8th graders. I admitted I thought the multi-grade exposure was good for all the students, toughened them up.

John D. Williams, Jr., was the first to take the podium this morning to greet the students. They weren't quite paying complete attention, so he said, "Hey, I found a box of blank tiles, who wants them?" All the hands went up in the room and he had their complete and undivided attention thereafter. Director Ben Greenwood made some brief opening comments, too, with a pair of TODAY Show camera operators beneath his podium, listening in for this "you may begin" comment. I laughed when they told him they would be doing this as I thought about the other big event going on today: The Kentucky Derby. I wonder what they say to start that race?

As the games began, I walked by and observed some interesting opening plays. At table 22, Thayer Public Library (MA) openend with ZOEA. At table 30, Runkle Team 2 (MA) opened with FLUX. Table 37 had two "riding themed" opening plays: SADDLE and HIDE. The players here were Jackson Avenue Elementary Team 1 (NY) and Seneca Middle Team 2 (SC).

Then, something totally arresting took place at table 27, in front of my very eyes. Winterhaven (OR) took advantage of an R being placed in the triple lane to plop down PAINTERS through the second R for 149 points. The play was so beautiful and so quickly added up! The TODAY show camera folks came over to take a quick picture of this great find. The opponents were Western Hills Middle (RI). The game ended, 489-211 in Winterhaven's favor.

At table 17, I see the beautiful play of CLOuDIER through the L for 78 points. This find, in a game between Buckingham Browne & Nichols Team 2 (MA) and Brookline SCRABBLE^® Club (MA).

At table 46, I see SLIVERs/AXE for 73 played by Home School SCRABBLE^® Club (TX) in their game against Northern Lincoln Elementary Team 3 (RI).

At table 29, Walter C. Young Middle Team 1 (FL) played PENDINg/PI for 93 on a triple in their game against Westridge - C.P.R.D. (OR).

At table 21, in a game between Our Lady of Victory Ruby (MD) and Edward Devotion Team 1 (MA), I see SOILErS* on the triple and OVARiAN.

From the "loud whisperers" at table 7, I can hear everything Advanced Math & Science Academy (MA) students say to each other from about 3 feet away. Their opponents, North Clay Jr. High Team Red (IL), seem to be so into their own game, they aren't noticing it. I see the play POINTED on their board.

At table table 9, Evangelical Christian Team 1 (TN) had a monster win, 566-196, against Our Lady of Victory Topaz (MD). The winning team played sEXTAIN for 93 on the triple, CRAZIES for 120 also on the triple, and INSANER for 70. (While typing this line out, I asked Joel Sherman the definition of SEXTAIN and he rattled it off word for word, amazing Annette Bailey who looked it up. It's definition: a stanza of 6 lines.) Their opponents got down GRAVEL on the triple for 37.

A student from Seawell Elementary (NC) pulls me over to their table 15 game. They won, 437-308, vs. R.D & Euzelle P. Smith Middle Team 1 (NC). On the board was EQUAL played from the E for 72 and XI for 28.

Media attention was very intense this round with cameras everywhere. A game that featured prominently in all this coverage was at table 2, between Bridgewater SCRABBLE^® Club Team (NJ) and John Glenn Middle (MA). The Bridgewater team prevailed again, 458-308, maintaining their all winning record. Plays on this board were just terrific: TEHbAINE for 61 played through the A and LASHERS for 68. Bridgewater got away with MARVELER* for 64, but their opponents challenged DACINGS* and made them take it off the board.

Annette Bailey typed up some stuff that I'm pasting in below:

In the "ugly rack" department, Table 27 Winterhaven (OR) held QIIIOTH while their opponents, Western Hills Middle (RI), were shuffling JURSINE tiles around on their rack.

At the same time on Table 40, Hampton Bays Jr. High Team 2 (NY) could have been Winterhaven (OR) team members' psychic tile-drawing twins. They were looking at QIIIIUE. Adam Horton and Rebecca Layman had a serious question about the validity of their opponents play: MINT which hooked to make THA* on the triple word score. They held and shuffled and decided to challenge. Although the phoney went away, their QIIIIUE tiles were still on their rack when they got back from word judging and their smile about a good challenge turned to consternation as they went back to shuffling and discussing their options.

Nearby, White Brook Middle (MA) was shuffling AACEEIY. They chose to play ACE in a brave attempt to balance their vowel heavy rack in their game against Our Lady of Victory NY Team 2 (NY).

Walter C. Young Middle Team 5 (FL) showed great rack management when they exchanged leaving a blank and T. They drew PATIE and were seen shuffling their tiles to find many bingo anagrams that would play while their opponents, Eastern Greene Elementary (IN) were playing with RRRNLIO on their rack.

There were some kid-friendly words being played on the boards in this round. W We saw a fun word--INTEL* on board 32 and later learned it was played by Our Lady of Victory Diamond (MD) in their game against Plymouth South Middle (MA). This is a word students see everyday, so it is understandable that the play went unchallenged.

Other fun kid words were flying off the racks and onto the boards: On the board between Our Lady of Victory Opal (MD) and Woburn Public Library (MA) we saw ZIT and GROSS. SPAZ for 55 went down in a game between Meigs Magnet Middle (TN) and Lakeland Copper Beach Middle (NY). It pluralized another word and stretched to the triple word score.

Our Lady of Victory NY Team 2 (NY) and White Brook Middle (MA) were seen admiring their final board which had common but fun words like DOGGIES, SLUGS, and KITE.

It was great to see good sportsmanship in the room as students congratulated each other on good plays and shook hands or gave high fives.