Hiatal Thoughts
So far this has been a really good hiatus and I've been thinking about the role I want Scrabble to play in my life. I really like the game of Scrabble, and interesting positions truly captivate me...I LOVE LOVE LOVE discussing them and trying to find the best move. Studying words is often fun...though I prefer to do it sporadically rather than with a strict schedule. It's great to be in the Bay Area where there are so many awesome Scrabble players who also happen to be awesome people! So I haven't seen a good reason to stop playing Scrabble.
Yet I don't like the competitive side of Scrabble. Sometimes I like it, as I can get a bit of adrenaline from it, but this is only a tentative, and indeed unstable rush. A lot of people know that I get really frustrated at tournaments. From my breakdown about playing badly against Jerry in the October Berkeley tournament, to my similar aggravation at my challenge of LEGENDRY against Lester in the California Open, to my numerous breakdowns against Conrad, which sometimes even escalated to attacks, obviously I am a poor sportsman and have lackluster competitive psychology. Besides the extreme breakdowns, I just don't love flopping up and down in the standings, blowing games, feeling inadequate, having to balance fun and good tournament rituals, and knowing that improvement requires regimental study.
I don't like shelling out money to experience these things over and over again in tournaments. Of course, it's true that I could improve my competitive behaviors. But it would certainly take substantial extra work and time, and I find that time better spent doing other things. And it's true that I usually don't have to pay as much as the entry fee, and often profit from tournaments. But this is usually small, especially counting expenses, and even more the time that it took to make the money. Of course, there are a lot of fun aspects of tournaments, but I don't have to play Scrabble to experience those.
All these factors indicate a natural strategy: stop playing tournaments. After all, the Scrabble environment where I live is highly conducive to club and casual play, and often to just hanging out at a tournament and not playing. One other strategy some have suggested is just playing tournaments and not taking it too seriously...but I find that pointless if you can do the same thing in a free club or casual environment.
After having thought about this for awhile, I think it's a good decision for me to abstain from tournament Scrabble play.
Yet I don't like the competitive side of Scrabble. Sometimes I like it, as I can get a bit of adrenaline from it, but this is only a tentative, and indeed unstable rush. A lot of people know that I get really frustrated at tournaments. From my breakdown about playing badly against Jerry in the October Berkeley tournament, to my similar aggravation at my challenge of LEGENDRY against Lester in the California Open, to my numerous breakdowns against Conrad, which sometimes even escalated to attacks, obviously I am a poor sportsman and have lackluster competitive psychology. Besides the extreme breakdowns, I just don't love flopping up and down in the standings, blowing games, feeling inadequate, having to balance fun and good tournament rituals, and knowing that improvement requires regimental study.
I don't like shelling out money to experience these things over and over again in tournaments. Of course, it's true that I could improve my competitive behaviors. But it would certainly take substantial extra work and time, and I find that time better spent doing other things. And it's true that I usually don't have to pay as much as the entry fee, and often profit from tournaments. But this is usually small, especially counting expenses, and even more the time that it took to make the money. Of course, there are a lot of fun aspects of tournaments, but I don't have to play Scrabble to experience those.
All these factors indicate a natural strategy: stop playing tournaments. After all, the Scrabble environment where I live is highly conducive to club and casual play, and often to just hanging out at a tournament and not playing. One other strategy some have suggested is just playing tournaments and not taking it too seriously...but I find that pointless if you can do the same thing in a free club or casual environment.
After having thought about this for awhile, I think it's a good decision for me to abstain from tournament Scrabble play.