The Toronto SCRABBLE(R) Club (NASPA Club #3)

Time 2020-10-15 22:08:33

Web Name: The Toronto SCRABBLE(R) Club (NASPA Club #3)

WebSite: http://www.torontoscrabbleclub.com

ID:83475

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Toronto,The,SCRABBLE,

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City of Toronto announcedtoday that all community centres would be closed tomorrow, Saturday March 14th, to help control the spread of COVID-19. Accordingly, there will be no further meetings of the Toronto Scrabble Club until Earl Bales Community Centre reopens.On April 7th, we were informed that EBCC will not reopen before June 30.The Toronto SCRABBLE Club (originally constituted as National SCRABBLE Association Club #3,now North American SCRABBLE Players Association Club #3)is the longest-running NASPA club.It was founded in 1975 by Harold Klesmer and Mike Wise,and directed by Mike from 1976 until he passed away in 1998.Since then, John Chew has been director,joined in 2001 by codirector Lisa Kessler.The club attracts 30 40 players a week and about 150 over the course itsSeptember June season.Many regular members of our club have represented Canada in internationalcompetition at events such as the Can-Am SCRABBLE Challenge and theWorld SCRABBLE Championship. In 2011, club members Jackson Smylie and Alex Li won $10,000, placingfirst at the (U.S.) National School SCRABBLE Championship in Orlando, FL.During the club's June tournament in 1997, John Chew and Zev Kaufmanset a world record for the highest-scoring tied game at 502-502; their score has since been eclipsed overseas but is still the NorthAmerican record.Our club s activities outside of our regular meetings andtournaments include helping to organize the Canadian National SCRABBLE Championshipand Toronto School SCRABBLE Championship (including a Scrabble-expert-in-the-school outreach programme),and charity fundraisers such asSCRABBLE With The Starsand the SCRABBLE Corporate Challenge.Many of our members also serve on committees at every level of theNorth American SCRABBLE Players Association, including its Executive Committeeand Advisory Board.We have regular players from throughout the greater Metropolitan Torontoregion and as far away as Brantford and Hamilton, and have visitors fromoverseas each year. Newcomers are always welcome, and we have playersof all ages and playing abilities.Visit us on Facebook!For information about past seasons or to see how people are doingthis season, see theclub archive.When and Where We MeetWe meet every Wednesday throughout the year,usually beginning our season on the first Wednesday after Labour Day(September 4th in 2019),a little before our annual opentournament,usually with a hiatus when our venue is unavailable around Christmasand ending with aclub tournamentheld on three Wednesdays in June(June 3rd, 10th and 17th in 2020).We meet regularly at the Earl Bales Community Centrenear Bathurst and Sheppard in Toronto.(If you haven t been to the club since we moved in 1988, we no longermeet at Don Mills Collegiate Institute.) PDF, GIFGoogle.In the Google satellite image,the community centre is between the large rectangular parking lot and the amphitheatre,and Raoul Wallenberg Road is the name of the park access road.(Raoul Wallenberg Road, with no street number, is a good address to search for in electronic maps.) Subway to Sheppard or Downsview station, then Sheppard West bus to Bathurst and Sheppard. If the subway is not running (e.g. before 9:00 A.M. on a Sunday for one of our tournaments), you can take the Bathurst bus all the way up from downtown or ask one of our many club members for a ride. From the corner of Bathurst and Sheppard, walk south along Bathurst until you see a small access road leading into Earl Bales Park, at the end of which you will find a parking lot and the community centre. If you walk too far south, you'll reach the stoplight at Raoul Wallenberg Road, which is the main public road into the park; if so, follow the road into the park, bearing left until you get to the community centre. 4169 Bathurst Street(at the stoplight one block south of Sheppard). Enter and bear left allthe way into the park until you get to the community centre.Parking is free in the lot past the centre, and forbidden inthe driveway in front of it.If you're approaching from the east on Highway 401, take the BathurstStreet exit (kilometre 366), which somewhat counterintuitivelyleaves you on Wilson Avenue. Turn right (east) from the ramp ontoWilson, then turn left (north) immediately at the first stoplightonto Bathurst Street. Drive several blocks until you see the park on your right.If you're approaching from the west on Highway 401, the situation isalmost as complicated. Take the Avenue Road (Highway 11A) exit(kilometre 367). Turn right (south) at the light onto Avenue Road,turn right (west) again at the next light onto Wilson Avenue, drivethrough the first stoplight, through the tunnel under the 401, thenturn right (north) at the next stoplight at Bathurst Street.Drive several blocks (1.5 km) until you see the park on your right.If you are driving from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ),allow thirty minutes unless highway traffic is unusually heavy.Follow signs for Highway 401 East (usually via Highway409 East), then continue with the instructions above on approachingfrom the west.If you are driving from Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF),allow at least 2.5 hours.Take Route 33 W 1.6 miles to I-90W (New York State Thruway toward Erie).Take I-90W 4.8 miles to exit 53: I-190N (NYS Thruway toward DowntownBuffalo/Canada).Leave I-190N at Exit 9 (Fort Erie Canada/Peace Bridge), follow signsover the Peace Bridge, go through the border checkpoint.Continue straight on Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) 85.6 miles to Highway 427(toward Pearson Airport and Highway 401).Take Highway 427 (north) 4.2 miles to Highway 401 East.Continue with instructions above on approaching from the west.If you get lost, try calling club director John Chew at 416 876 7675;if he is out of town, his voice mail message should give further instructions.Registration is from 6:00 (P.M.) to 6:30.If it s your first time at a NASPA club, please arrive at 6:00, so that our newcomer orientation person has a chance to talk with you.Regular members may arrive between 6:15 and 6:45 if they have calledthe week s director(John Chew 416-876-7675 about half the time from September to May,guest directors in July and August, but check the weekly announcements to see who s on duty this week)before 6:15 to say they re coming.Players who arrive after 6:30 without calling ahead will be paired moreor less at random with whomever else arrives late;players who arrive after 6:45 may have to sit out the first round of play.We play three rounds, beginning at :45 past each hour, and finish around 9:45.If you can t arrive in time for the first round but want to play anyway,then make sure that we are aware that you are playing no later than fifteenminutes before the start of the round that you want to play (7:30 is fifteenminutes before the 7:45 start of round 2; 8:30 is fifteen minutes beforethe 8:45 start of round 3).If you call ahead and arrive late, your clock will be started at :55 pastthe hour.If you call ahead, do not call to cancel, and then do not show up, youwill no longer be allowed to call ahead to reserve a place.Fees and PrizesRegular weekly fees are (as of 2015-09-09) five dollars, which you may pay either each weekas you sign in, or in advance at the beginning of the club season(in which case you are entitled to a 10% discount on the total fee,but with no refund if you attend fewer than 90% of the games).If you attend at least 20 nights between September and May, the clubwill pay for a year s membership inNASPA for you,or extend your existing membership.The club cashier accepts quarters, loonies, toonies and five-dollar bills.If you find yourself at the club with only smaller change or larger bills,please ask a club member to change it for you, not the cashier.Public school students, high school students and senior citizens (60 and up)pay only four dollars. Occasional visitors from out of town play for free.If you only have time for one or two of the three rounds of play,you still pay the full rate,but please make sure that the director knows that youwill be arriving late or leaving early.You ll be paired against opponents of similar ability, and if you win allthree of your games, you collect a ten-dollar prize at the end of theevening.We also give out nine two-dollar prizes each week, to the highest-scoringbingo (seven-tile play) that uses the week s designated bingo letters ,to the winner of a weekly challenge , andto the highest-scoring game by a player who does not collect the ten-dollar prize in each of three rating-baseddivisions.If you are directed to sit out a game (based on a formula the director uses, whichdepends on how many times you have sat out and how many games that you have played),we will refund you $2 per game sat out.Your First Time at the ClubIf it s your first time coming to a Scrabble club, here s what you need to know. We play tournament-style Scrabble: one-on-one, with chess-styletimers set to 25 minutes per person per game, following NASPA rules (you don t have to memorize them)and using the most recent copy of theTWL lexicon(similar to the Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary). To help you get used to the game until you have won at least threegames at our club, we give you the following handicaps:you can look at a list of the two- and three-letterwords (which we will provide), you may challenge any word that you reunsure of without risking the customary loss-of-turn penalty,and you do not have to deduct a time penalty if you run overtime. You shouldbring your entry fee ($4.00 or $3.00, see above) and a pen orpencil. If you re particular about equipment, you may want to bring adeluxe board, tiles, scoresheets, timer, etc., but there are generallyenough to go around.You can also download and print our newcomers' guide which goes over club procedures and includes the list of short words.The Toronto SCRABBLE Club offers equal treatment to every personwithout discrimination because of race,ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed,sex, sexual orientation, age (except in providing discounts to seniorsand students), marital status, family status or disability. Our community centre is fully wheelchair-accessible.If you have other questions about coming to the club for the firsttime, please call club director John Chew at 416-876-7675.You could also read the book Word Freak, by Stefan Fatsis,to see what you may be getting yourself into.Club StandingsAnyone who plays at our club is given a club rating, based on a systemsimilar to the NASPA rating system. Every year, the playerwho finishes the club season with the highest championship rating(subject to a minimumgames criterion) is awardeda trophy designed by Ron Manson.Beginning in 1999-2000, the name of the club championship year willbe abbreviated to the year in which the championship ends (2000).Past Club Champions Season Champion(s) 2019 Tony Leah (3rd title) 2018 Mark Edelson (3rd title) 2017 Mark Edelson (2nd title) 2016 Tony Leah (2nd title) 2015 Tony Leah 2014 Jackson Smylie (3rd title) 2013 Evan Berofsky (10th title) 2012 Evan Berofsky (9th title) 2011 Evan Berofsky (8th title) 2010 Evan Berofsky (7th title) 2009 Evan Berofsky (6th title) 2008 Evan Berofsky (5th title) 2007 Evan Berofsky (4th title) 2006 Evan Berofsky (3rd title) 2005 Zev Kaufman (13th title) 2004 Evan Berofsky (2nd title) 2003 Evan Berofsky 2002 Lloyd Mills 2001 Zev Kaufman (12th title) 2000 Zev Kaufman (11th title)1998-99 Zev Kaufman (10th title)1997-98 Libero Paolella (2nd title)1996-97 Zev Kaufman (9th title)1995-96 Zev Kaufman (8th title)1994-95 Mike Wise (11th title) Zev Kaufman (7th title), tied1993-94 Zev Kaufman (6th title)1992-93 Zev Kaufman (5th title)1991-92 Zev Kaufman (4th title)1990-91 Libero Paolella1989-90 Zev Kaufman (3rd title)1988-89 Mike Wise (10th title)1987-88 Zev Kaufman (2nd title)1986-87 Peter Morris (2nd title)1985-86 Peter Morris1984-85 Zev Kaufman Mike Wise (9th title), tied1983-84 Mike Wise (8th title)1982-83 Mike Wise (7th title)1981-82 Mike Wise (6th title)1980-81 Mike Wise (5th title)1979-80 Mike Wise (4th title)1978-79 Mike Wise (3rd title)1977-78 Mike Wise (2nd title)1976-77 Ron Manson* Mike Schulman** (2nd title)1975-76 Mike Wise* Mike Schulman*** Awarded based on high won-lost percentage** Awarded based on high average game scoreBeginning in 1998-99, we have honoured B and C divisional champions.To be eligible for these titles, a player must have played at leastone third of the possible games in the previous season, 55% ofthe games in the current season, and all of the games in the end-of-seasonclub tournament. (These restrictions apply to the overall champion as well.) Players are assigned divisions according to annually updatedclub rating cutoffs.Players within fifty points of a divisional boundary may play up ordown if they so state at their first evening of the new club season.In 2001, we began compilingon-line memorialsfor deceased club members.Club Library and Other ResourcesWe have an archive of thecomputer-generated word liststhat our club members ask for from time to time.club librarywas founded in 2000, and all of its books are availableto club members on one-week loan.member directoryis accessible to members only.The official organization governing club and tournament play in North America is theNorth American SCRABBLE Players Association.Members are encouraged to subscribeto our club selectronic mailing list.

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