Revision as of 10:44, 14 May 2009

The 2009 National SCRABBLE® Championship will take place on August 1–5, 2009 at the Dayton Convention Center at 22 East Fifth Street, Dayton, OH, 45402.

Message from Chris Cree

March 21, 2009

Welcome to the 2009 National SCRABBLE Championship! The Dayton Convention Center will once again house the event. Those who were there in 2007 know just how much space we had. There is all sorts of room for play, after hours play, posting of pairings and results, vending and other after hours activities.

This year’s event is unique. The event was originally signed and contracted to be the second Players Championship. Then, as many of you know, things started happening last December as far as organized tournament SCRABBLE, Hasbro and the NSA were concerned. At that time, 17 players and 4 members of the NSA staff, including John and Jane Williams, were asked by Hasbro to attend a meeting at Hasbro –Games headquarters in Massachusetts. At that meeting, we received the not unexpected, though still shocking news that Hasbro was no longer going to fund the tournament scene and instead focus their support to the NSA on School SCRABBLE and casual player outreach beginning January 1, 2010.

To Hasbro’s considerable credit, they could have merely told the NSA to tell us they were finished and that would have been that. They offered a full 13 months of transition time. We felt it wise to not have over a full year of transition issues and get NASPA going as quickly as possible. July 1, 2009 will be the turnover date.

In between now and June 30, membership in either the NSA or NASPA will suffice to participate in a sanctioned tournament. Beginning July 1, one must be a NASPA member to participate in a sanctioned tournament.

Among the issues addressed at this meeting was the issue of the National SCRABBLE Championship. It had for many years been a biannual event. With an ESPN television contract in the early ‘00’s, the event went annual. In 2006, Hasbro announced the reversion to a biannual event. This brought forth the idea of the Players Championship to complement the Nationals every other year to still give us our annual convention-type event.

With the announcement of separation, we were told that we would be organizing our own National Championship. May we go back to an annual event? Yes. May we call the Players Championship already scheduled for 2009 the National SCRABBLE Championship? Yes. So, here we are.

This event is different from any NSC in the past. It will not have official NSA support, though Hasbro has promised a reduced sponsorship. This year’s NSC will be similar to the PC in 2007 - player organized and funded.

In 2007, we received approximately $8,500 in cash plus various articles for awards in player donations and $10,000 in Hasbro sponsorship. We are hopeful of similar or greater sponsorship from Hasbro and still very much need your donations to help make this a grand event befitting of the NSC moniker. In addition, we need volunteers for staff and equipment provision. Please contact the 2009 NSC’s Director, Mary Rhoades, at mrhoadestx@gmail.com with your offer of financial assistance, gift or personal service. Onward and upward,

Chris Cree NASPA Copresident

About Dayton

Dayton has a metropolitan population of almost one million and is located in southwestern Ohio. It is a center for industrial, aerospace and engineering research, and home to major multinational corporations.

The last major SCRABBLE tournament to be held in Dayton was the 2007 Players Championship, contested by 450 players from around the world.

The nearest international airports to the Convention Center are:

• Dayton (DAY): 13 miles
• Cincinnati (CVG): 67 miles
• Columbus (CMH): 78 miles

For local information about what businesses and entertainment are within walking distance of the Convention Center, please visit our Google Map or the Dayton Most Metro web sites for the Central Business District and Oregon District.

Schedule

Accommodation and Dining

We have room blocks reserved at three nearby hotels. If you stay at one, you will be helping to support the NSC by contributing to our guest night quotas. If you do not, you will have to pay a commuter fee instead.

Crowne Plaza

Located at 33 East Fifth Street, Dayton OH 45402, across the street from the Dayton Convention Center, the Crowne Plaza also has a covered elevated walkway to the Center.

Hotel block dates will be available December 19–July 13, 2009 NSC09 room nights: July 31–August 4

NSC Group Code and Room Rate: The group code is CMC. $99+tax for 1 or 2 people, king bed or 2 queen beds.

Click here for online reservations and be sure to click on "Corporate, Group & IATA Identification" to enter our group code, CMC, under Group Booking Code.

To make your reservations by phone for the July 31 & August 1–4 nights, please call 1-800-381-9553 and ask for the special rate for the 2009 NSC (group code: CMC).

For those who wish to arrive early and/or stay late, please call the hotel direct at 937-227-6963 and mention our code: CMC.

Free parking in the Crowne Plaza/convention center parking garage for tournament players/committee staying at that hotel. Free Crowne Plaza airport shuttle for hotel guests from 7 A.M. to 10:30 P.M. Call the hotel to schedule your shuttle. Greyhound bus station only a few steps away from convention center & hotel.

Doubletree

Located at 11 South Ludlow St., Dayton, OH 45402, the Doubletree is just three blocks from the Dayton Convention Center.

NSA Group Code and Room Rate: The group code is SPC. The room rate is $94+tax. Indoor valet parking is $5. There is a complimentary airport shuttle for hotel guests.

For reservations, phone 800-222-TREE (800-222-8733) or book online; use the group code “SPC”.

Marriott

Located at 1414 S. Patterson Boulevard, Dayton, Ohio 45409, the Marriott is about a mile from the Dayton Convention Center but offers a shuttle service for the event days for $20/person if you buy a pass.

The room rate is $112+tax for 1–4 people. Complimentary on-site parking. There is no airport shuttle.

For reservations, call 800-450-8625 or book online; use the group code “scbscba”.

Roommate Wanted?

If you need a roommate and would like a listing here, please contact Mary Rhoades and specify your requirements: male, female or either, smoking or nonsmoking, etc. She will put a listing in this section. If you already have a room, please tell what nights your room is reserved. You can list your email address or phone number. Several people successfully found roommates for the PC this way.

• Mike Early is looking for a male, non-smoking roommate. Please contact him at mrearly99@yahoo.com.

• Vivienne Muhling is looking for a female roommate, hopefully at the Crowne Plaza. Please contact her at vivienne.muhling@gmail.com.

Restaurants near the Dayton Convention Center

• 5th Street Wine & Deli, 416 East 5th Street
• Arby’s 160 South Patterson Blvd.
• Cafe Boulevard, 329 East 5th Street
• Citilites Restaurant, 109 North Main Street
• Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers, 22 South Jefferson Street
• Gallery Grille, 110 North Main Street
• Greek Deli, 12 East 3rd Street
• Jay’s Seafood Restaurant, 225 East 6th Street
• McDonald’s, 410 South Main Street
• Oregon Express, 336 East 5th Street
• Pacchia, 410 East 5th Street
• Quizno’s Subs, 38 North Main Street
• Smokin BBQ, 200 East 5th Street
• Spaghetti Warehouse, 36 West 5th Street
• Stars Restaurant & Lounge (Crowne Plaza)
• Super Subby, 1 South Main Street
• Swishers Too Cafe, 110 North Main Street
• Take a Break, 26 South Main Street
• Thai 9, 11 Brown Street

Registration

Who can register? If you live in the United States or Canada, you must have an NSA tournament rating as of when you register. You can get a rating by playing in any sanctioned tournament listed in the calendar. If you live outside of the United States and Canada, you must have at least one of the following as of when you register: an NSA tournament rating, the equivalent rating in your country, or an international WESPA rating.

A Minor Release and Consent form can be downloaded for players who have not reached the legal age of majority. It can be mailed with your registration or alone if you have paid online to Chris Cree, 3708 Bryn Mawr, Dallas, TX 75225. Alternatively, it can be signed by the accompanying parent or guardian at the NSC in Dayton.

By registering for the 2009 NSC, you agree to abide by the NASPA Tournament Rules and Code of Conduct. In particular, some games at this tournament, probably the highest Division 1 board without a Gibsonized player, will be annotated live. If you refuse to play a designated game with annotation, you will forfeit it, and may at the director’s discretion be assigned a spread penalty of -200 points.

Before you register, please read our player bulletin, and check it again for last-minute updates before you travel to the event.

This year's Championship has five divisions, split at ratings of 1700, 1500, 1300 and 1000. Entry fees are $150 for all divisions. For the first time, unlimited play up will be permitted: anyone can play in Division 1, but for example only players rated below 1000 can play in Division 5. As in past years, a peak rating system will be used to calculate the qualifying rating (QR) that determines the lowest division in which you can play. If however your current rating at time of registration would place you in a lower division than your QR, then you may register in either your QR division or the next lower division. Ratings earned at any segment of a split-rated tournament count toward the QR. The qualification period runs from the beginning of August 2008 (immediately after the 2008 NSC) and ends on July 7th, 2009 (after the results from the past weekend are tabulated). A link to a list of each player’s QR will be posted here shortly. You may change your division after you register, as long as you do so before July 15th; to do so, contact John Chew. If your QR rises above the limit for your division, you will automatically be moved to the lowest division for which you qualify.

If you are ready to register now, you can do so in one of three ways:

1. online registration with online payment using major credit or debit cards, bank transfers or PayPal accounts (all provided through PayPal)
2. online registration with subsequent offline payment (if you do not wish to pay online)
3. Print the paper registration form, follow its instructions, and mail your payment.

We prefer that you use the first option if at all possible, and will apply a $10 manual processing fee to your registration if you choose the second or third options.

Check-In

To play in the first round on Saturday morning, you must check in between 10:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. on Friday at the NSC check-in desks in the convention center lobby. You may ask a friend to check in for you by proxy, if you cannot check in in person. If you check in by proxy but do not show up to play, then neither you nor your proxy will be permitted to check in by proxy at future events. If you do not check in before the desks close at 10:00 P.M., you may join the championship in progress as soon as it is convenient for the pairings staff to add you back in; this may not take place before Sunday morning. No refunds will be issued to latecomers.

When you check in, you will be given an announcement sheet. This is to reduce the number of announcements that have to be made on Saturday morning, so that the event can get underway quickly. You are responsible for reading the announcements and schedule!

In an emergency, if you are delayed en route to check in or for any session, call Mary Rhoades at 817-718-3115.

Player Helpers

We need three kinds of volunteer help from the player community: division assistants to work with the division leaders, “runners” to perform general errands, and the loan of laptops to run word judge software. Please contact Mary Rhoades if you can help in any capacity.

Division Assistants

The division assistants will work closely with division leaders collecting result slips and delivering them to the data operators, keeping the division tidy, and any helping with any other needs the division leaders have.

The following committed so far to work as division assistants:

• Andy Saunders
• Amy Krafchick

Runners

The other volunteer/interns we call “runners” do the following sorts of things:

• Greeting visitors
• Getting supplies
• Running errands
• Tidying after play

If you live in the Dayton area, or will be travelling with a friend or family member to the NSC, please consider donating one or more days of your time to working behind the scenes to make the event a success.

The following committed so far to work as runners:

Division 2 Tidy-person

Connie Creed

Division 4 Tidy-person

Rebecca Owen

Laptops

We need 12 people to volunteer to bring laptops for word judging. The laptops should be set up and left running in the playing room from 8:15 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. each day. They should run the latest version of Zyzzyva using the OWL2+LL word list, and the screen saver should be disabled during playing sessions.

The following people have volunteered to provide their laptops to the NSC:

• Brad Mills (4 laptops)

Staff

Sponsorship

Please contact Chris Cree if you are interested in sponsoring the NSC, with donations of merchandise or cash.

Sponsor list:

Gene Tyszka, manufacturer of digital timers, boards and tile racks

Limited edition Zircote deluxe SCRABBLE board (signed and numbered-only 4 ever made), including board cover, two matching stained racks with pouch, and a tile bag, to be given in raffle with raffle proceeds donated to the NASPA organization as seed money.

National SCRABBLE Association

Printing of NSC09 paperwork

Kathy Johnson

$100

Anonymous

$100

Luise Shafritz

Quilted board cover

Mary Krizan

Tile bags for players who come in last in each division

Vendors

If you have a product to sell to SCRABBLE players, this is the place to do it. The 500+ most avid fans of the game will be in one place with money ready to spend at your table. To find out more about becoming an NSC vendor, please contact Mary Rhoades.

The following vendors have signed and returned the vendor agreement with any monies owed, if applicable, listed in the order the vendor agreements were received.

• Gene Tyszka, manufacturer of digital timers, boards and tile racks

More Information

For more information, please check our player bulletin and the 2009 NSC FAQ first before emailing the Championship Committee.