I'm pretty tied up today and don't expect to show up for club.

I will be meeting with a  prospective player - Bill - and his friend Jessica - at the Tates Creek Library from 2 til about 4 or so Friday.   Anyone interested in coming over for a couple games, feel free! :)
Matthew

						old	new		avg	avg.		first
NAME		W	L	Win %		rating	rating		score	bingos		club rating
Marc		4	4	50 %		1759			399	1.5		1795
Steve		17	6	73 %		1685	1698		428	1.5		1680
Matthew		44	19	69 %		1615	1616		414	2		1724
Will		29	9	76 %		1578			430	1.8		1503
Jim		19	20	48 %		1340*			338	0.8		nr
Joe		5	5	50 %		1157	1151		366	1.2		1169
Martha		3	5	37 %		1135*			331	0.3		nr
Betty		32	20	61 %		1117	1113		370	1		947
Eric		3	1	75 %		1096			388	1.5		1086
Margaret		2	5	28 %		958	965		343	0.7		968
Wendy		4	3	57 %		949			368	1.3		931
Lisa		5	6	45 %		909*	916*		343	0.5		nr
Victoria		20	23	46 %		908			357	1.4		863
Kelly		2	7	22 %		879			325	0.6		894
Jan		17	33	34 %		705	707		329	0.3		652
Janney		11	25	30 %		448	437		314	0.1		312
Cheryl		3	28	9 %		311			285	0.1		311

Results, 8/24

Steve               3-0        +326                           The first two games listed were the final round of the afternoon. 
Matthew          3-1        +720                           -Three- nines!
Joe                   3-2           +5
Margaret          2-2        (145)
Jan                   1-2           +8
Lisa                 1-2         (285)
Betty                2-3        (376)
Janney             0-3         (243)

Matthew  634          Betty  248                       Joe  419                  Margaret  364            
EPITOME               SEASONED                   EGOLESS             INITIA(TO)r
RAVIGOTE                                                    (EX)ONERATE
UNREPAID
REGLAZED
B(AL)LERINA

Margaret  345         Janney  267                      Betty  346              Jan  342                         Steve  437              Matthew  388
PRIORITY                                                      RESEEDS                                                    ENTHRALL          ACTINGS
                                                                                                                                              ORALISM

Lisa  339                 Jan  315                            Jan  352                 Janney  316                   Matthew  509         Margaret  299
FOLLIES                                                                                                                              EPICALLY
                                                                                                                                              TENTHLY
                                                                                                                                              TERRINE
                                                                                                                       BINGERS

Steve  397               Betty  339                         Joe  421                 Janney  292                   Margaret  392         Betty  350
GOLIARD                                                       RACIEST                                                     WANGLES           RESINED

Steve  545               Lisa  326                           Matthew  521        Joe  348                         Betty  455               Joe  359
OPENING                                                        BANTERS            MOTIONER                  BLASTING           TURDINE
AIRWOMAN                                                   ORIENTAL                                                 RETINAS
DILATED                                                         PILSNER
SELENATE

Joe  421                  Lisa  331
RACIEST

Before it gets too far down, please see Steve's post about his new NASPA position - hooray!

Since you've asked for ideas about competitive play improvement... :)

If NASPA wants a shot at more media coverage, I think it must build some interest for nonp-layers.  One arbitrary way to do this is give viewers a reason to root.   Geography.   State vs. state/club vs. club tournaments are already popular (ie: the Michigan v. Ohio annual event).  Why not all the best from various states competing against one another?  

Invite, say, the top 3 players from each state as teams.   Set up elimination brackets, seed the teams. 

ESPN used to pony up a $50.000 prize pool for an All-Stars event, invite the top 50 players.   Throw in state names, I think you give people a little more reason to possibly give a darn.

Why does NASPA offer Collins play?  I'm not at all sure it should.

The National Champion NASPA endorses is from TWL.  It's less prestigious now that so many North American experts are playing in the Collins division.  I assume NASPA still has as a goal for tournament play to be more media-relevant, get more coverage like it used to (like on ESPN).   Splitting our experts into two divisions seems contrary to that.

If NASPA had as a goal to get all of us to switch to the Collins dictionary, that'd be one thing.   I've always heard that's not true, and its new relationship with Merriam-Webster seems to solidify that. 

If NASPA is worried about losing players  (and thusly money from player dues and fees), I don't think they would.  Even if some top-flight experts want to compete via Collins for bigger prizes in WESPA events abroad, I don't believe they'll quit playing stateside.

(For club members who may not be in the know, the word list we play is TWL.  Collins is the "world English dictionary" played overseas  It has all our words plus thousands more.  Think metric vs. American standard for measurements.  WESPA is the equivalent of NASPA, runs everything Scrabble abroad.)

NASPA Advisory Board Appointment

Hello Scrabblers, I have an announcement (in case you haven't already heard). I've been elected to serve a 2-year term on the NASPA Advisory Board. Its purpose (from the NASPA webpage) is to "advise the Executive Committee, act as an appellate body for the rulings of Working Committtees, and to act as a general disciplinary body for association members." 

Basically this means that if you have concerns or issues on how things are going with NASPA, and/or have ideas on how we can improve the organization and grow competitive play, please let me know and I can bring it to the AB for discussion. I'm looking forward to serving!

						old	new		avg		avg.		first
NAME		W	L	Win %		rating	rating		score		bingos		club rating
Marc		4	4	50 %		1775	1759		399		1.5		1795
Steve		14	6	70 %		1666	1685		423		1.4		1680
Matthew		41	18	69 %		1611	1615		407		1.9		1724
Will		29	9	76 %		1574	1578		430		1.8		1503
Jim		19	20	48 %		1340*			338		0.8		nr
Joe		2	3	40 %		1157			339		1.2		1169
Martha		3	5	37 %		1179*	1135*		331		0.3		nr
Betty		30	17	63 %		1113	1117		373		1		947
Eric		3	1	75 %		1096			388		1.5		1086
Margaret		0	3	0 %		958			335		0.6		968
Wendy		4	3	57 %		949			368		1.3		931
Lisa		4	4	50 %		909*			348		0.7		nr
Victoria		20	23	46 %		908			357		1.4		863
Kelly		2	7	22 %		879			325		0.6		894
Jan		17	33	34 %		704	705		329		0.3		652
Janney		11	22	33 %		448	448		316		0.1		312
Cheryl		3	28	9 %		319	311		285		0.1		311

Steve          3-0      +247
Betty           3-1      +274
Matthew     2-1        (24)
Marc           2-2      +236
Will            1-1        (33)
Jan              2-2       (143)
Janney         1-2      (275)
Martha        1-3        (63)
Cheryl         0-3       (219)

Steve  431          Marc  377                       Betty  374          Martha  328                        Matthew  453          Jan  283
CODERIVE       EVASIONS                   MOTTLES        INQUIRER                         TIDDLES*             
ERADIATE                                                                                                                     RETUNING
                                                                                                                                         WATERING

Jan  391              Janney  319                    Steve  409          Betty  275                           Martha  373             Cheryl  284
LEARNING                                                                                        

Janney  340        Cheryl  273                    Steve  380          Martha  321                         Betty  405                Jan  313
                                                                  CHARITY         STENTOR                           GONDOLAS
                                                                                                                                          VIBRATED

Will  370            Marc  361                       Betty  475          Janney  205                         Marc  359                Cheryl  296
OREGANOS     SURETIES                     REROUTES
                                                                  ATONIES

Jan  342              Martha  295                   Marc  528           Matthew  292                     Matthew  475            Will  433
                                                                  TENTERS                                                     SLOPABLE*            BIGOTRY
                                                                  URINARY                                                     CIRRATE                 DROOLING
                                                                  GASHEAD*                                                  PHASING
                                                                                                                                         DEFACING

Club Sunday (8/17)

I'll be there tomorrow, and I believe we'll have visitors from Louisville again (Marc and Martha).  Who else?

Club today (8/10)

Sorry for the late notice, but I won't be able to make it today.  What about others?

Good Luck to Will and Matthew at Nationals!

Wishing Will and Matthew all the best on their adventures in Buffalo for the 2014 National Scrabble Championship, which starts this weekend. One thing that I find very exciting is how results are posted online, almost real-time.  Not to put undue pressure on them, but you can follow Matthew, Will, and all your other favorites at the Live Coverage link from the following page:

http://www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/2014_National_SCRABBLE_Championship

Do us proud, guys, and bring back a bunch of rating points, or at least have a lot of fun trying.  I can't wait to hear your tales of triumph and tribulation upon your return!