SCRABBLE: Life Always Goes Forward
One frequent topic of discussion among scrabble club members is how to build attendance at clubs and tournaments. Fond memories of the past (that have often been embellished) cause us to envision large numbers of players at past events. Selective memory tricks us into thinking that the past was rosier than today. That may not be the case at all.
The truth is: People Do Things For Their Own Reasons, Not Ours.
Scrabble players of today have so many more options than we did twenty years ago. Back then you either played with your family around the kitchen table or, if you were lucky, you might find a scrabble club close enough to drive to. Today, scrabble enthusiasts can play online with strangers around the world, with friends on iPhones and iPads, or against computer programs of the highest quality. (There is no urgent need to venture out of the comfort of your home to find a scrabble game . . . and you can avoid embarrassing yourself from playing an inane phoney in full view of everyone at the club).
The club players who have continued to play, hand to hand, face to face, nose to nose, through the years, have become masters of the game. Even the lowest ranked club player stands head and shoulders above the very best of home players. I don’t share this to dissuade perspective newcomers from coming to compete, it is simply a fact of what is. Whatever it is that you do for hours ever week, every month, every year . . . you are likely head and shoulders beyond me in that area too.
Most people do not come with the will to learn and progress. Instead they ‘try us on for size’; or they are ‘just looking’. Those folks rarely come back again. What a shame.
If you enjoy the game of scrabble, if you like to learn new words and strategies, and if you enjoy competition, you will learn to love the club format.
Some suggestions for becoming a successful club player:
• Bring ‘thick skin’ with you and be prepared for loss after loss after loss in your initial days.
• You must be willing to experience club play as a learning experience.
• You must be willing to devote some amount of your personal time to build your word knowledge.
• More info about playing at clubs: Click Here
Make sure that you have the proper dictionary (OWL2 in North America). This item is not sold in book stores. Order you copy right here, right now. CLICK HERE
There’s no going back, only forward.