the future of northeastern tournaments
As lordiceman has mentioned on more than one occasion, the demand for Scrabble tournaments in the Northeast has far surpassed the supply of them. I'm looking to do something about that, and I have the following ideas in mind:
1. The second annual Maine Event
This should be definite, and I plan on once again holding this tournament over Labor Day weekend. Details will come later, but I'm pretty certain that we will be playing elsewhere. I don't like limiting potentially big tournaments to only the first 48 players who can commit, so I'll have to look for a bigger and better place. I hope to have at least one more assistant than I did this year. I can handle 48 by myself, but not much more than that.
2. Massachusetts vs. New York
There's the Can-Am, Montreal vs. Toronto, and Portland vs. Seattle, but no Massachusetts vs. New York. Considering how many elite players hail from each state, it's about time that the best players clashed from these two locations. For the venue, it would either alternate states from year to year, or it would be held in some central location such as Connecticut each year. I'm not sure how exclusive it should be. Top 7 from each state like Can-Am? Or multiple divisions like Montreal vs. Toronto? I personally like the more exclusive format, but this could go either way. This idea has been brought up several times, but it's never gotten off the ground.
3. Another high stakes tourney
I loved comfortdiner's idea of a tournament with such a high top prize for a short weekend. If I were to host such a tournament, I could easily accommodate 20 players at my house during a weekend that my parents are away. I know Cape Elizabeth doesn't have the same ring to it as New York City, but you're just a quarter mile from the ocean, and that alone has been enough of an attraction to me to live here for 18 years. The way it would work, is that instead of announcing an entry fee, I would ask what the most 20 players would agree to spend. Even if it's only $500, the top prize would be in the neighborhood of $5,000, with the same elimination format as the Big Apple Showdown. As I've learned at SWILLNS, hosting a tournament at someone's house is very convenient for the director, and I'm already home when all the games are over for the day!
At the very least, I could organize the latter two tournaments as unrated events, but there's something about having it rated that adds a little something extra. Hopefully, I can get these approved by the NSA if there is enough support.
This has a chance to be very exciting, but it's all up to you players. Let me know what you think, whether it's venues, time of year, etc.
1. The second annual Maine Event
This should be definite, and I plan on once again holding this tournament over Labor Day weekend. Details will come later, but I'm pretty certain that we will be playing elsewhere. I don't like limiting potentially big tournaments to only the first 48 players who can commit, so I'll have to look for a bigger and better place. I hope to have at least one more assistant than I did this year. I can handle 48 by myself, but not much more than that.
2. Massachusetts vs. New York
There's the Can-Am, Montreal vs. Toronto, and Portland vs. Seattle, but no Massachusetts vs. New York. Considering how many elite players hail from each state, it's about time that the best players clashed from these two locations. For the venue, it would either alternate states from year to year, or it would be held in some central location such as Connecticut each year. I'm not sure how exclusive it should be. Top 7 from each state like Can-Am? Or multiple divisions like Montreal vs. Toronto? I personally like the more exclusive format, but this could go either way. This idea has been brought up several times, but it's never gotten off the ground.
3. Another high stakes tourney
I loved comfortdiner's idea of a tournament with such a high top prize for a short weekend. If I were to host such a tournament, I could easily accommodate 20 players at my house during a weekend that my parents are away. I know Cape Elizabeth doesn't have the same ring to it as New York City, but you're just a quarter mile from the ocean, and that alone has been enough of an attraction to me to live here for 18 years. The way it would work, is that instead of announcing an entry fee, I would ask what the most 20 players would agree to spend. Even if it's only $500, the top prize would be in the neighborhood of $5,000, with the same elimination format as the Big Apple Showdown. As I've learned at SWILLNS, hosting a tournament at someone's house is very convenient for the director, and I'm already home when all the games are over for the day!
At the very least, I could organize the latter two tournaments as unrated events, but there's something about having it rated that adds a little something extra. Hopefully, I can get these approved by the NSA if there is enough support.
This has a chance to be very exciting, but it's all up to you players. Let me know what you think, whether it's venues, time of year, etc.