SCRABBLE - The Last Word Newsletter

T O U R N A M E N T N E W S : R O C K Y M T . R U M B L ETournament NewsFor the most up-to-date tournament results and the official calendar of upcoming tournaments,players should consult the NASPA results and calendar. Detailed information about past andupcoming tournaments is also posted at www.cross-tables.com. Here we will feature atournament or two each issue, plus list winners of recent tournaments. Directors who would like tosubmit results and photographs from their tournaments are welcome to send them toCorneliaSGuest@gmail.com.______________________________________________________________________________2009 Rocky Mountain Rumbleby Angela Dancho with photos courtesy of Zana AndersonIs hosting a tournament in Denver in November crazy? It hasn’t been for the last two years! Wehave had great weather since the revival of the Rocky Mountain Rumble (I hope I didn’t just temptfate or doom us for next year by mentioning our luck). This year it was sunny and 75 degrees whenwe started at noon on Friday, and the great weather continued throughout the weekend. Of course,only ten days before we had a foot of snow; but as the joke goes, “If you don’t like the weather inColorado, wait 10 minutes and it will change.”Our tournament was held at the lovely Crystal Inn in Aurora, which is near the airport. The hoteloffers a free airport shuttle and a complimentary hot breakfast buffet, and rooms are equipped witha fridge and microwave. Our tourney was in the same room as this year’s Can-Am Challenge, andwe hope that some of the word knowledge from the expert players is still lingering around the room.New Yorker Barbara Epstein took advantage of the great weather to visit the John Denver memorialin Aspen before playing in the main event.The Division 1 Early Bird winner was local player DominickMancine, who is currently the top rated player in the state.Dominick’s record was 4-1 +469, but it is estimated that hewill lose 2 rating points. Hopefully the $100 prize will easethe pain. Division 2 winner Nancy Druskin (sister ofDenver’s club director Laura Scheimberg) also took home$100. Newcomer Thomas Patton from Boulder wasundefeated in Division 3. Congrats to Thomas for hisoutstanding tournament debut! This was the firsttournament for Julia Van Arsdale and Kim Pettit also –welcome to the tournament SCRABBLE® scene!Early Bird winnersCompetition in the main event was fierce after a round robin in each division. In Division 1, it wentdown to the last game between Laura Scheimberg and Ken Kasney. Ken bested Laura in that finalgame, winning the division with a record of 11-6 +477. Dave Johnson took second with a record of10-7 +636, and Laura came in third, finishing up 10-7 -174.12