The Scrabble Rousers were big winners Saturday, and so was Literacy New York.
The Scrabble Rousers fended off all comers in winning the 10th annual SCRABBLE tournament hosted by Literacy New York––Fulton, Montgomery and Schoharie Counties.
Held at Radez School in Richmondville, the tournament included 26 teams, all vying to finish in the money and many sporting green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Literacy New York finished in the money, too. The organization, which teaches reading skills to adults, raised nearly $16,000 for its programs.
The four-person Scrabble Rousers––Robin Suits, Helen Suits, Tracy Robbins and Christina Suits––took home medals and the $200 first prize.
The tournament format was three SCRABBLE games, all with different rules, and total points from all three determined the winner.
The Scrabble Rousers trailed Games A Plunder after two games but rallied big time in the third, when scores were doubled for all teams.
Games A Plunder finished second, Cobleskill United Methodist Church LitWits took third, and Theory of Relativity was in fourth. All three won $100 each.
Emcee Brian Dineen drew a team at random, and The Love Letters also won $100.
Literacy New York raised several thousand dollars Saturday, though most donations came from businesses and individuals who sponsored the tournament. (See related story.)
“Everyone was very generous this year,” said Lisa Cardilli, Literacy New York executive director. “The community knows what an important program this is and gives it great support.
“And so do the players and teams who came out Saturday.”
Besides the three SCRABBLE games, there was a huge raffle, and Mr. Dineen awarded prizes during trivia contests between games.
Justine’s of Cobleskill provided a buffet breakfast––at no charge––and Cobleskill-Richmondville custodian E.A. Shaw had the Radez gym ready way before the tournament started at 9am.
Volunteers, many of them Literacy New York tutors, wore their traditional green shirts with “READ” emblazoned on them. They served as judges and runners for special requests from players.
“Many, many people made this a huge success,” said Ms. Cardilli. “Brian, E.A. and Steve and Joanne Salerno of Justine’s were just wonderful.
“And our Literacy volunteers did their part, as always. It shows their dedication to the cause.”