Back to WSC (1997)

From: Lynne Butler <scrabblyn@clear.net.nz>
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 97 19:02:01 +1200
Subject: Re: WSC97
Message-id: <199712090558.SAA07542@fep1-orange.clear.net.nz>

Bob Schoenman wrote:-

Can we hear from the others who played who are online? Lynne Butler? John Holgate? any Brits? C'mon, just cuz you didn't win doesn't mean you didn't do well....

Firstly, congratulations to GIJoel!! For a while there, we were hoping for a NZ victory (and possibly a "Down Under" WSC in 1999) but it was not to be.

Jeff, Kendall, Mike and I met up at Auckland airport ready for our long trip across the Pacific. The plane was so cramped we were unable to play any practise games to help pass the time. 11 uncomfortable hours later we arrive in LA. We cleared customs and immigration and boarded our plane for the 5 hour flight to Washington.

"There is a small problem with one of the doors, but we will be departing momentarily", chirped the Captain. For the next two cooped-up hours we were to hear several variations of that message. We were eventually offloaded from that plane (phew) and we reboarded another DC-bound craft. We settled in again. "Good evening", chirps the Captain, "I have some good news and some bad news! The good news is that headsets will be complimentary on tonight's flight - the bad news is that there is an instrument failure. However we will be departing momentarily." GROAN. This plane did eventually depart - one hour late and we arrived in Washington buttsore and tired at 2am.

Ditto Bob Lipton's travelogue. We happily traded our sore butts for sore feet and thoroughly enjoyed our 3 sightseeing days in DC. What a pretty town and great weather too! Not as cold as we were expecting. We also delighted in seeing the squirrels busily gatering their stores for the winter!! Saw so many interesting things - the Hope Diamond, the Enola Gay, Fonzie's leather jacket.... Even let a giant cockroach crawl over my hand at the Museum of Natural History.

Thursday night arrived and off we went to the reception. Wonderful to catch up with old friends, Hi Susi and Laura! and meet fellow cgpers - Hi Sherrie!! Great reception, good food. A surprise for us was the attendance of the NZ Ambassador to Washington - maybe he was just attracted by the free drinks!;) Nope. He and his wife invite us back to the Embassy for drinks the next night.

Friday comes and back to the Mayflower. Such splendid surroundings!! The tournament room looks great. In the random draw for the first game I get John Grayson, England. He REbOOTS, I played ISLANDER through the S. Later I get UNDERdOG through the O, block the 39point QATS play and scrape in with a 387-365 win. Game 2 I make 2 serious mistakes against David Acton. He played beautifully and thumped me 478-282. Lester Schonbrun too makes mincemeat of me 413-292. I play a little better against Gareth Williams (Wales) but still lose 378-340 and now I'm 1+3.

Oh well, being so far down the back of the room maybe I'll have an "easier" game? Not likely - I draw Adam Logan!! I get the J and the Z and Adam wins easily 434-305!

1+4 is the pits! My son Chris, will be watching this on the Internet and will be disappointed. The 6th game is against Wone Mamadou (Kuwait). I play ADEEMED to start the game - Wone answers with DEFLATES. It's nip and tuck until I draw an S and play DOZIEST for 115points. A comfortable win 455-368. Phew! 2+4, Chris will be a bit happier! The last game for Day 1 I play Asad Ul-Haq (Qatar). For the first time that day I draw well and win 466-349, with SPARKLER for 102 points helping along the way.

End of Day One and I feel a bit happier at 3+4. However I did feel the urge to whinge a tad about the tiles - after all, out of the top 70 tiles I saw only 29!!

Off to the NZ Embassy for drinks. Then back to the hotel where there is a fax waiting from my 10year-old, Chris. "Dear Mum, Hope you win lots of games. This will give you confidence and make your life filled with happiness.......plus I'll get me a new bike!"

This is getting a bit long and I've gotta go to S******* soon.

More later,

Lynne