Ridgefield Library Team 1 (CT) prior to the finals.

Atlanta Tucker Community Center (GA) prior to the finals.

Finals room: Jason Katz-Brown, preparing to annotate for Atlanta Tucker Community Center (GA).

Finals room: Gregg Foster, preparing to annotate for Ridgefield Library Team 1 (CT).

Finals room: Outfitting the students with their own microphones, getting tiles into the bag, and providing score/tracking sheets with a few cameras around.

Finals room: Final sips of water before microphone testing.

Finals room: "Aune, as in Ow-Na," Aune repeats the pronounciation of her name for the sound truck.

Finals room: Testing the shooting around the annotation laptop tables.

Finals room: Ben Greenwood and John Chew.

Finals room: Ben Greenwood kneels down to go over the final's procedures.

Finals room: Gregg Foster.

Finals room: Jason Katz-Brown.

Dave Liefer, the coach of Atlanta Tucker Community Center (GA) had a work complication so his Massachusetts-based son, NSA member Scott Liefer came in his stead to sit with Joey & Dorian's families.

View from the internet table of the big screen through a plethora of media on cameras and sound.

View of the standing room only theatre room. With the lights dimmed, it is hard to see the sea of people.

Another threatre room crowd shot.

From midway back in the theatre room. ESPN's broacast footage from the finals room on the left screen, Joel Sherman in black and white stripes emceeing the game, the giant SCRABBLE^® board with the game's plays, and giant racks with the teams tiles on tall tables in front of the board.

Students in the back, opting to listen to the finals while they quietly played their own game on the carpet.

Joel Sherman proving live expert commentary, Hannah Lyons placing plays onto the board, and Matt Hopkins replenishing the teams' racks as they were broadcast to us on the screen.

The game in progress.

Intense concentration in the finals room and in the theatre room as possible plays were being entertained.

View of the board as it was being turned.

Coaches, parents, and siblings line the front row, enjoying the game enormously.

Dorian's mother and sister taking it all in.

The final board, 373-321, Ridgefield Library Team 1 (CT) is the 2007 NSSC Champion team!

The students sitting quietly with the finished game in front of them.

The TODAY show kneeling in to speak with Matthew's parents

The TODAY show kneeling in to speak with Aune's mother.

Finals room: John D. Williams, Jr., congratulating the students on a terrific finals game.

Finals room: Ridgefield Library Team 1 (CT) posing for their first championship photo over the board.