Ample Scrabble
In most places, Monday night is famous for football.
But at the Gardendale Public Library, Monday night features equally fierce
competition and judging.
For Alabama word wizards, on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month,
spelling becomes sport.
And it’s just as intense.
A timer is utilized to keep the game moving. While that timer ticks off the
seconds, every player develops a strategy leading to scoring opportunities.
Jim Pate actually taught Scrabble and word game classes at UAB. Jim says the
root of his love for the game started early.
“I enjoy words, and I won a spelling bee when I was in Junior High
School and so I guess I was equipped for it from that, perhaps?”
So Pate continued to dabble in Scrabble throughout high school and college.
He was fascinated by all the words he could learn just by playing around
with the tiles, though he still thought nothing more of it than a mere
hobby.
“Abut that was before I found out about clubs and tournaments. After
I got out of college in the 70s, I found out about the National Scrabble
Association, and made my first trip to a club session in Mobile, Alabama to
just see what it was all about. I’ve been enjoying it ever since.”
Other Scrabble enthusiasts travel to Gardendale from all over the state
some from as far away as Huntsville and Auburn.
And while players don’t share hometowns, many do share philosophies and
strategies for winning, among other things.
“Passion for the game! From the lowest-ranked person to the
highest rank, we all have passion for the game.”
John D. Williams is executive director of the National Scrabble Association
and co-author of “Everything Scrabble.” He says there really is no typical
scrabble player.
“If you go to a National Scrabble Tournament, you’ll see
600-plus people – every size, shape, color, profession, educational
background whatever, they’re all doing it. The top people tend to be – uh,
skews a little male, skews a little more on the math and computer side – not
the language side.”
Believe it or not, says Williams, the words, while important, can only
produce points if the player can strategize on where to put them.
Stefan Fatsis agrees. A sportswriter for the Wall Street Journal and regular
contributor to NPR, Fatsis has also written a book titled “Word Freak,”
about Scrabble club members.
“Over the years, Scrabble experts have figured out the
mathematical variations that yield the best words, so you learn which words
are most efficient to study which letters are most likely to emerge on your
rack when you reach into the bag.”
If players draw the letter Q without the letter U, no harm done. There are
acceptable words like Q-A-T, pronounced cat, and T-R-A-N-Q, or trank. There
are even words with no vowels and no consonants.
As a self-described addict, Fatsis admits the education is important too,
despite the fact that most people don’t use QAT – a type of shrub or
TRANQ — short for tranquilizer, in a sentence.
“You end up learning thousands and thousands of words that are
good for one thing – scoring points on a board during a game – and that’s
OK.”
Are those the letters O and K, or O-K-A-Y? Only one of them in acceptable in
Scrabble. To win, you have to know which one. And you’ve got to find the
best place for that word on the board.
Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed
The six U.S. service members who died in the crash of a U.S. military refueling aircraft included an Alabama father who had just been promoted and deployed. The U.S. government released the identities of the deceased service members Saturday.
Alabama poised to drastically overhaul utility regulation. Will it lower electric bills?
The Alabama Senate unanimously voted to expand the public service commission, and create a Secretary of Energy to address rising electricity prices. A bill in the House would go even further, requiring rate case hearings and limiting utility profits.
Musher from Alabama is going for back-to-back Iditarod wins
Riches and paid appearances haven’t followed Jessie Holmes since he won the world’s most famous sled dog race, the Iditarod, last year. He doesn't mind.
Bill would move Alabama to closed primaries
Right now, any Alabama voter can participate in a primary election. Lawmakers in Montgomery took up a bill this week that would change that system.
Auburn football player uses NIL funds to open a community hub in Birmingham
Jourdin Crawford, a freshman defensive lineman at Auburn, used earnings from a Name, Image, and Likeness deal to give back to his hometown.
Ivey commutes death sentence of inmate whose accomplice fired fatal shot
Charles “Sonny” Burton was sentenced to death for the killing of Doug Battle during a 1991 robbery. However, another man shot Battle when Burton had left the building.
