From: jjchew@math.toronto.edu
To: crossword-games-pro@yahoogroups.com, nsaclub3@yahoogroups.com
Message-Id: <20080228160532.B1F9D381B2@math.toronto.edu>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:05:32 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [cgp] NSA Club #3 celebrates 33 years

Last night, the Toronto Scrabble Club (NSA Club #3) celebrated its 33rd
birthday at a party attended by 51 club members including four founding
members and one newcomer.  Most players arrived early for pizza, after
which we had our customary Leap Year Sadie Hawkins Pairings: the club
lined up in ratings order, and beginning with the lowest rated each
person chose their first-round opponent.  Some chose their favourite
regular partner, a few brave ones walked the length of the room to
challenge the experts.  

During the first round, players were challenged to make words using two
of the eight three-point tiles (BBCCMMPP), and the first to do so in
each division won a package of three gourmet chocolate chip cookies from
Dufflet.com in honour of the 1933 invention of the chocolate chip cookie.
Congratulations to Allan Aucoin, Elizabeth Spivak and Craig Rowland for
winning the cookies.  After Round 1, the birthday cake was cut and served.

For Round 2, players were challenged to be the first in their division to
reach a triple-word score.  Winners received a back brush to help scrub
all 33 of their vertebrae.  Congratulations to Paul Wigley, Lynda Wise
and Zev Kaufman.  After Round 2, we took photos of the four founding
members and of the whole group.  

In Round 3, players were challenged to make a play scoring exactly
33 points.  Winners received a Scrabble mug, which admittedly has very
little to do with the number 33, but I think they were very nice mugs.
Congratulations to Anna Miransky, Janet Carrington and Shirley Drucker.

Players were also offered one of three $3.33 prizes throughout the evening
for playing a triple-triple.  Joseph Bowman spent ten minutes confirming
that AEIRRST? can't be arranged to place the E in the fifth position;
no one ended up claiming any of the prizes, so they'll be carried over
to future weeks.

Many thanks to the members of the Toronto Scrabble Club for their
attendance and helping make the event a success, to my codirector Lisa
Kessler for looking after most of the prizing, to Lynda Wise for arranging
for all of the catering, to her late husband Mike Wise for building the
best Scrabble club in the world, and to the late Idelle Weinstock for
her generous donation to the club party shortly before she passed away.

John

P.S. A selection of photos from the event can be found at the event's
Facebook page: http://utoronto.facebook.com/event.php?eid=22412314736 .
-- 
John J. Chew, III * jjchew@math.utoronto.ca * +1 416 876 7675
Director, Toronto SCRABBLE(R) Club (National SCRABBLE(R) Association Club #3)
http://www.torontoscrabbleclub.com