Regional Scrabblers in the NSC

My non-Scrabble-playing friends might be surprised to know that, for five days in late July, 662 people gathered in Orlando for the 2008 National Scrabble Championship. For my friends who do Scrabble, you probably already know the players from our region who made the trip and the huge commitment in time, energy, and resources. To the Scrabblers I've had the pleasure of spending some time with, sharing some meals with, or just sharing some of this here blog with, congratulations for simply enduring:

(If I got your stats wrong, please e-mail me. I may not sleep but I do get a little...unfocused at 1:00 a.m.)

	STEVE GROB, Fenton, MI Steve finished 43rd in Division 1 (the top division which had 103 players) with a win/loss of 15-13. Steve writes a little in his blog and the general consensus among those who are in the know and have a sense of humor is that he should write more. I realize it's probably difficult for him to find time, though, because he's a stay-at-home dad and spends hours making flowery wreaths for his hair.
	DAN STOCK is the ever-patient, frequent tournament director from Rocky River, OH. Out of the 134 players in Division 2, Dan came in 16th with a record of 17-11. Dan is seen here wearing a purple shirt but only because he couldn't find one that had a green collar on one side.
	JEFF CLARK (Linden, MI) placed 24th in Division 2 (134 players) with a win/loss of 16.5-11.5. Jeff often finds himself teamed with Dallas Johnson (below) in the task of getting women to pay attention during poker games (after Scrabble tournaments). Is that why they call him "Mr. Lucky?" Hhh.
	GARY PERMAN, Blairsville, PA Gary hails from my husband's ancestral home of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), PA and I got to talk with him some during dinner at Bluegrass Kitchen after the April tournament here in Charleston. Gary completed the tournament with a great record of 18-10 gaining him a 12th place finish in Division 3 (133 players). (I love the Pittsburgh accent!!)
	LINDA HOGGATT, Blachester, OH Linda is fun, not too serious, and appropriately loud when there's not a Scrabble game going on (a super combination). She brought home a 37th place finish in Division 3 (133 players) with 16 wins and 12 losses.
	KEN DUTCH is the director from what is essentially our "sister" club in Lexington, KY. He, too, came out with a winning record of 15-13, putting him in the 42nd spot (out of 133) in Division 3. Ken has given me some good Scrabble tips and is not, as his profile picture would imply, blurry.
	KATYA LEZIN Out of 113 players in Division 4, Katya finished with a win-loss of 15-13 gaining her the 45th place. She's a public-interest attorney in Charlotte, NC and still finds time to volunteer as a School Scrabble sponsor. I'd like to find time to read her book.
	DALLAS JOHNSON (Stow, OH) is also a director and, no, he probably doesn't think it's funny if you ask him if he's from Tex...uh...Akron. When Dallas isn't helping Jeff try to keep poker games moving along, he's winning 15 out of 13 games in the NSC and finishing 48th out of 116 in Division 4.
	JOYCE STOCK (Rocky River, OH) recently had her first first place finish in a tournament!! In the NSC, she placed 41st out of 96 in Division 5, with a win-loss of 14.5 games to 13.5 games.
	CECELIA HUBER (Cleveland, OH) Cecelia wrapped up her week with 15 wins and 13 losses, gaining her the 63rd spot (out of 96) in Division 5. She recently raised $2,000 for the 2008 Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day walk by raffling off five custom Scrabble boards! Oh...and she walked 60 miles in three days for that same event!!
	NOAH LIEBERMAN (Charlotte, NC) Noah is one of the up-and-coming young players gaining momentum in the Scrabble world. Prior to the NSC, his rating had gone up almost exactly 300 points in the last twelve months. In the NSC's Division 5 (96 players), he finished 78th with 12 wins and 16 losses.
	JOHN SPANGLER is an attorney from Versailles, KY. He wrapped up the NSC with 38th place out of 80 in Division 6 and a win-loss of 14.5-13.5. John has a booklet of every person he's ever played in a Scrabble tournament...so don't go trying any of your old tricks on him.
	HANNAH LIEBERMAN (Charlotte, NC) was featured in the Sunday Gazette-Mail's photo spread of the April tournament here in Charleston and she's well on her way to gaining the experience to be a contendah. In the NSC, she gave some very experienced players cause for concern, winning 12 games and losing 16, netting the 62nd place out of 80 players in Division 6.

You all played Scrabble for five straight days, and you survived! Barring any change in plans, I'll probably see many of you at next year's Player's Championship in Dayton. Until then, I hope to see you in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan!!