EMULATION . . . I want to be like _________
Who Do You Admire? There are a lot of people who shine in their field who inspire the multitudes. ‘I want to be like Mike’; ‘I want to be like Amelia’; ‘I want to be like Martin’; ‘I want to be like Abe’.
While kids are growing up their heros are usually closer to home. Moms, dads, and teachers provide inspiration to many children. When we reach our teens, before our brains are fully formed, we often emulate our peers. (Sometimes that is unwise and gets us into a bit of a jam.)
Later in life when we choose our life’s work and leisure we often stand in awe of others too. For me is was Nate Fine, Sherwin Wine, Bill McGrane, and Jack Boland. When I stumbled upon competitive scrabble my heros were Chuck Armstrong, Rodney Nivison, Paul Epstein, and Jean Carol. They are inspiration personified.
I was a scrabble newbie when I first met Chuck. His scrabble reputation was larger than life. He was one of the few National Scrabble Champions. When I watched him play, there were usually 5, 6, or more words that were Greek to me. If I were a golfer, I’d never have the opportunity to play with Arnold Palmer. If I were a chess player, I’d never have the honor of playing with Bobby Fisher. But there I was at the Livonia, Michigan scrabble club, every Tuesday evening, having the opportunity to sometimes play with Chuck Armstrong. Over the course of 7 years I had many games with Chuck. I was humbled time and again. Then on one evening, in the 6th year, as we played, I got all the good stuff, and I was playing like a champ. The tiles were down to a precious few in the bag. I had a small lead in the score. Then I played ‘pacified’, beginning on the second space from the top, through a ‘c’ for a TWS on the left side of the board ( 104 points ), raising my lead to 137 points. I grinned from ear to ear as I drew the remaining tiles from the tile bag. Chuck had five minutes remaining on his clock. I sat back confidently as the seconds ticked away. With one minute remaining on his clock he began laying down his letters. He began with an ‘o’ over ‘pacified’ on the TWS and continued across the top playing ‘obviate’. I screamed ‘CHALLENGE’. But to no avail. The play was good. He earned 140 points plus the points from my rack and snatched victory from me again. Yet, I was able to admire Chuck’s brilliance.
A few weeks later, on March 14, 1995, I finally achieved a win over Chuck, 442 to 418. I asked Chuck to sign the scorecard and I photographed the board. That commemorative still hangs proudly on the wall in my home.
I give thanks to Chuck and the others who have provided me the challenges and the inspiration. I want to be like them all.