Five intrepid players conquered the remains of a surprise Wednesday snowstorm to convene at my house on Saturday for our monthly tournament.  That made six of us.  Mitch Bayersdorfer is creative in recycling his trophies. This time, he gave one to Adam Henderson for his first-place finish and to me for best word (GLACIATE) having to do with national parks.

I’d love to share pictures and descriptions of other tournaments and events, but someone has to send them to me.

Dear WGPO members,
I’m writing today on behalf of the WGPO board to officially inform you that our board president, Steve Pellinen, stepped down from his post recently to focus on his health. The remaining members of the board have unanimously agreed to appoint Laurie Cohen president in his stead. Conrad Bassett-Bouchard and I (Will Anderson) will become co-vice presidents to backfill Laurie’s role

Long before I ran for any elected Scrabble position, I greatly respected Steve for his wisdom and selflessness in serving our community. My time on the WGPO board has only deepened that respect. As the board works to take on Steve’s many responsibilities, I find myself amazed and inspired by the sheer amount of work Steve has done for WGPO and for Scrabble more generally, all while managing serious health issues.

In fact, while I’m proud of the work the board has done to keep WGPO’s business moving, including preparations for Word Cup 2023, sponsorship of the School Scrabble Championship, our ongoing website rebuild, support of regional tournaments, and much more, the simple fact is that Steve will be impossible to replace.

Nevertheless, as the board’s longest serving member and as a highly respected presence in the Scrabble community, Laurie is the right choice to take on Steve’s office. The rest of the board will support her to the best of our abilities.

We hope you will join us in wishing Steve well, and we thank you for your patience as we strive towards a great year for WGPO in 2023!

For the WGPO board,

Will Anderson

Laurie Cohen and Juraj Pivovarov teamed up to put on a continuation in the long series of Phoenix tournaments begun in the ’80s by Barbara Van Alen and expanded when she joined forces with Larry Rand.  It’s become a winter tradition for many to make the trip from the frigid North to usually sunny Phoenix.  This year, there were some clouds, but no rain.  Very pleasant.

Barbara visited during the tournament.  It was good to see her.  Larry is in decline and was unable to come.

I was unsuccessful in picture taking, but James Johnson shared this one:

Gary Smart was successful in capturing photos of the winners:

Eight Oregonians and six Washingtonians convened in Oregon City Saturday for a six-game tournament.  Mitch Bayersdorfer hosted and directed.

Portland typically has a decisive win in the Portland/Seattle interclub tournament.  The trophy was prominently displayed on Mitch’s mantel yesterday.  Seattle got their revenge yesterday, with Adam Henderson winning Division 1 and Jane Bissonnette triumphing in Division 2.

But we’re all friends and enjoyed each other’s company, indoors on a rainy day.