…with Gary Moss

In about one week’s time, the baton will be passed from the NSA (National Scrabble Association) to the NASPA (North American Scrabble Players Association).

You say that you’ve never heard of the NASPA? Well, if you compete in sanctioned scrabble tournaments, you better get up to speed or you’ll find yourself out of the loop.

All Good Things Come To An End. The current economic times may have been the factor that caused HASBRO (the owner of the scrabble trademark) to reevaluate its annual contribution to support the tournament scene, via the NSA and its agent John Williams. A meeting was convened, December 2008, which included 10 hand picked players from around the US and Canada. This group was told of the dramatic change and provided the opportunity to take the ball and create an entirely new player association. Co-presidents, Chis Cree and John Chew and their committee formed the NASPA and immediately began to rebuild membership from the ranks and clubs of the NSA.

Several pieces are already in place after only 6 months time. NASPA claims to have more than 1,000 members enrolled to date. Their tournament sanctioning authority takes effect on July 1, 2009. Their first National Tournament is scheduled in Dayton, Ohio, August 1-5, 2009. For more info about NASPA, CLICK HERE.

Meanwhile, the NSA is turning it’s focus to ‘scrabble in the schools’ and ‘casual clubs’.

What does all this mean to those of us who have been the backbone of the NSA for the last 20 – 30 years?

It means adjusting to doing things differently.

Former NSA CLUBs have been invited to join the ranks of the new NASPA. But the neophyte association needs funds, so they have put a price tag on affiliation, in the past the NSA merely required registration and a certified director. As a result of the required fee, some clubs have not affiliated. However, the unaffiliated clubs will most likely continue to meet and play on their regular schedules.

As of July 1, 2009 all tournament players MUST be NASPA members; all tournament directors must pay a fee to be a director (formerly no charge under NSA) and the rating fee for tournaments will increase from previous charges of $1 per player to $ .50 per game per player. That is a significant hike. When the 1st Sunday Tournament had 20 players as a part of an NSA 7 game tournament, I paid $20; the new fee under NASPA will be $150. Who will pay? The players will play via higher entry fees or smaller prize payouts.

“I Hate CHANGE; It will never work.”

But what doesn’t cost more these days? I guess we never knew how good we had it with HASBRO subsidizing the game.

Some players are screaming and threatening to quit the game. That’s silly. There’s nothing cheaper; consider what people pay to play Golf, Tennis, Fishing, Poker.

And consider that diehard scrabble players are as addicted to scrabble as others are to smoking and eating chocolate.

CLUB #350 and The 1st Sunday Tournament will still be here for you and the other scrabble players when you finish having your hissy-fit.