NSC 2005 Player Roster: Detailed, By Rating

Photo Name Rating Home Division
[photo]

Nigel Richards

Age withheld, occupation withheld

Rating: 2041

Record: 2nd (2002), 3rd (2004)

Home: Christchurch, New Zealand

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1997 NZ NSC; 1999 NZ Masters

1
[photo]

Chris Cree

50, used equipment, sales and leasing

Rating: 1998

Record: 35th (1998), 45th (2000), 47th (2002), 4th (2004)

Home: Dallas, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002-02 Salado, TX; 2002-02 Phoenix, AZ; 2002-06, 2003-06 Mid-Cities, TX;2003-08 Houston, TX; 2004-01 Lampasas, TX; 2004-02 Costa Rica; 2004-06 Provence, France

Hobbies: golf, music, reading

1
[photo]

Komol Panyasoponlert

Age withheld, Student

Rating: 1991

Record: 41st (2002), 6th (2004)

Home: Bangkok, Thailand

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002 Thailand Student Champion; 2003 Thailand Match Play Champion; (6th) 2004 NSC; (6th) 2005 WSC

Hobbies: Reading

1
[photo]

Joe Edley

57, Account Executive

Rating: 1987

Record: 17th (1998), 1st (2000), 23rd (2002), 15th (2004)

Home: Coram, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: Three-time National Scrabble Champion; 5 summer Renos; 3 Premier BATs; 5 A.C.s; 2 TNs, along with numerous other wins; 2004-11 Stamford, CT

Hobbies: tai chi, reading, movies, puzzles

1
[photo]

Dave Wiegand

31, Mortgage Underwriter

Rating: 1982

Record: 14th (1998), 3rd (2000), 6th (2002), 86th (2004)

Home: Portland, OR

Awards and Tournament Wins: (9th) 2001 WSC; (2nd) 1994 (3rd) 2000 (6th) 2002 NSC; 2004-05 Seattle, WA; 2004-06 SWILLINS; 2004-09 Portland and numerous other Western US tournament

Hobbies: Bridge, rock climbing, music (trombone, piano). Wife Chris, daughters Samantha (4) and Melanie (1)

1
[photo]

Sammy Okosagah

36, Restaurant manager

Rating: 1951

Record: 12th (1998), 9th (2000), 26th (2004)

Home: Baltimore, MD

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1990 Nigerian NSC; 2004-07 Reno, NV

Hobbies: Movies, music and driving

1
[photo]

Panupol Sujjayakorn

21, Student

Rating: 1949

Record: 9th (2002), 23rd (2004)

Home: Bangkok, Thailand

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002 Thailand Match Play Champion, 2003 World Champion

Hobbies: Football

1
[photo]

Trey Wright

31, pianist

Rating: 1949

Record: 2nd (1998), 12th (2000), 29th (2002), 1st (2004)

Home: Van Nuys, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2nd place, Chicago Nationals 1998; 1st place, Atlanta 2002; 2nd place, Tampa 2004; 1st place, New Orleans Nationals 2004

1
[photo]

Jerry Lerman

55, Risk Management Consultant

Rating: 1948

Record: 16th (2000), 26th (2002), 64th (2004)

Home: Foster City, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002-03 Portland, OR; 2002-12 Campbell, CA; 2005-02 Phoeniz, AZ

Hobbies: Reading, Neighborhood newspaper publishing, Chess

1
[photo]

Nathan Benedict

25, Law Clerk for Pima County Superior Court

Rating: 1942

Record: 11th (2004)

Home: Tucson, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 11th at 2004 Nationals; 2003, 2004 Albuquerque NM; 2004-05 Los Gatos, CA; 2004-12 Tuscon, NM; 2nd place Grand Canyon 2003; 2003, 1999 Reno Early Bird

Hobbies: Yoga, Crosswords, Siamese Cats

1
[photo]

Joey Mallick

25, Chart-man

Rating: 1941

Record: 28th (1998), 21st (2000), 17th (2002), 30th (2004)

Home: Cape Elizabeth, ME

Awards and Tournament Wins: Yes, but not many; 2004-10 Cape Cod, MA; 2005-01 Reno, NV

Hobbies: video games, Internet surfing

1
[photo]

Brian Cappelletto

35, Options Trader

Rating: 1937

Record: 1st (1998), 2nd (2000), 4th (2002), 5th (2004)

Home: Chicago, IL

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1998 NSC; 2001 WSC; 1997, 2004 Boston Premier; 1999, 2002, 2003 Reno

Hobbies: golf, impersonations, fantasy baseball, trivia

1
[photo]

Jim Geary

38, Professional Poker Player

Rating: 1932

Record: 6th (1998), 18th (2000), 68th (2002), 65th (2004)

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 4-time university chess champion; 2nd place, 7th grade fistfight; 1997 US Masters; 2000 Reno WCC + 15 others; (14th) 2001 (12th) 2003 WSC; 1990 SoAZChess Champ

Hobbies: Drumming, learning piano, reading, writing, working out

1
[photo]

Tim Adamson

51, Masonry contractor

Rating: 1929

Record: 44th (1998), 52nd (2004)

Home: Saint Paul, MN

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002-12 Orange, CT; 2002-12 Elmhurst, IL; 2003-03, 2004-11 Twin Cities, MN; 2003-07 Albany, NY

Hobbies: Travel in Mexico

1
[photo]

Pakorn Nemitrmansuk

29, Architect

Rating: 1925

Record: 57th (2002), 7th (2004)

Home: Bangkok, Thailand

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1992 2003 Thailand Champion; (2nd) 2003 WSC

Hobbies: Reading

1
[photo]

Kenji Matsumoto

20, Student

Rating: 1919

Record: 53rd (2002), 60th (2004)

Home: Aiea, HI

Awards and Tournament Wins: Division 2 winner, Westford

Hobbies: Philosophy, billiards

1
[photo]

Scott Appel

34, Statistician

Rating: 1914

Record: 6th (1998), 59th (2000), 39th (2002), 33rd (2004)

Home: Trenton, NJ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-08 Parsippany, NJ

Hobbies: Fantasy Baseball, Crosswords

1
[photo]

Ian Weinstein

Age withheld, Physician

Rating: 1911

Record: 56th (2000)

Home: Coral Springs, FL

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002-02 Stuart, FL; 2002-03 Stuart, FL; 2003-01 Treasure Coast, FL;2003-08 Fort Lauderdale, FL; 2004-10 Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Hobbies: bridge, table tennis, racquetball, poker

1
[photo]

Jim Kramer

47, Proofreader

Rating: 1906

Record: 4th (1998), 8th (2000), 11th (2002), 50th (2004)

Home: Roseville, MN

Awards and Tournament Wins: WInner of 26 SCRABBLE Tournaments

Hobbies: Tennis, Piano

1
[photo]

Marlon Hill

40, Herald (of something LIKE Galactus)

Rating: 1903

Record: 69th (1998), 33rd (2000), 8th (2002), 27th (2004)

Home: Baltimore, MD

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2001-11 Baltimore, MD; 2003-10 Baltimore, MD

Hobbies: surviving in Babylon, wishing on stars

1
[photo]

Matt Graham

Age withheld, Chronically unemployed

Rating: 1902

Record: 65th (1998), 25th (2000), 55th (2002), 37th (2004)

Home: New York, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: (2nd) 1997 WSC; 2002-05, 2003-05 Stamford, CT; 2003-06, 2005-01 Atlantic City, NJ;2004-09 Parsippany, NJ; 2005-01 Oshawa, ON

Hobbies: clabbers

1
[photo]

Randy Hersom

45, Computer Programmer

Rating: 1902

Record: 20th (1998), 5th (2000), 21st (2002), 22nd (2004)

Home: Morganton, NC

Awards and Tournament Wins: (5th) 2000 NSC; played in 1997 1999 2001 2003 WSC; played in 1995 Superstars and 2003 All Stars

Hobbies: CD Collecting, Racquetball, Poker

1
[photo]

Joel Sherman

43, Scrabble player

Rating: 1896

Record: 11th (1998), 14th (2000), 1st (2002), 81st (2004)

Home: Bronx, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: (2nd) 1995 (1st) 1997 WSC; 2002 NSC; 1997 Western Championship, 2001-07 Reno, NV (EB); 2001-08 Twin Cities, MN; 2002-05 Danbury, CT; 2003-07 Reno, NV (EB); 2003-09 Shelton, CT; 2004-09 Atlantic City, NJ. Chapter 8 in "Word Freak" and featured subject of documentary film "Word Wars".

Hobbies: Piano, singing, movies

1
[photo]

Lester Schonbrun

69, Legal Secretary

Rating: 1893

Record: 16th (1998), 41st (2000), 61st (2002), 69th (2004)

Home: Oakland, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Reno champion, Nationals runner-up

Hobbies: Politics

1
[photo]

Peter Armstrong

32, GIS / Data Manager

Rating: 1891

Record: 80th (1998), 71st (2000), 24th (2002), 29th (2004)

Home: Baltimore, MD

Awards and Tournament Wins: Arden Cup 2004

Hobbies: Ultimate Frisbee

1
[photo]

Joel Wapnick

59, University professor

Rating: 1889

Record: 29th (1998), 11th (2000), 10th (2002), 9th (2004)

Home: Montréal, QC, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1983 NSC; (2nd) 1993 WSC; 1998 CNSC; 1999 WSC; (2nd) 2001 WSC

Hobbies: Scrabble (more than a hobby)

1
[photo]

Marty Gabriel

53, School Social Worker

Rating: 1882

Record: 99th (1998), 36th (2000), 65th (2002), 95th (2004)

Home: Charleston, IL

Awards and Tournament Wins: Touch Football All-American ( 9x ) ; Nat'l. Champ.Team ( 7x ), Two 700+ games at club, made 125 consecutive free throws

Hobbies: Basketball, Softball, Golf

1
[photo]

Ben Withers

57, Physician

Rating: 1882

Record: 116th (1998), 18th (2000), 72nd (2002), 16th (2004)

Home: Houston, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-02, 2005-02 Salado, TX; 2005-01 Waco, TX; (51st) 2003 WSC; Texas State Champion 2003 and 2005

Hobbies: Reading, travel, movies

1
[photo]

Jan Dixon

Age withheld, Accountant

Rating: 1881

Record: 66th (1998), 32nd (2000), 52nd (2002), 35th (2004)

Home: Newark, DE

Awards and Tournament Wins: Highest ranking ever achieved by a woman in scrabble, 4th place finish in SuperStars tournament

Hobbies: Hiking, Dancing, Crossword Puzzles

1
[photo]

John Luebkemann

40, Actuary

Rating: 1880

Record: 13th (1998), 19th (2000), 12th (2004)

Home: Pineville, NC

Awards and Tournament Wins: Fellow of the Society of Actuaries; Many Wins, Places and Shows over 20 years of play

Hobbies: Weight Training

1
[photo]

Lloyd Mills

Age withheld, A/C contractor

Rating: 1867

First-time competitor

Home: Georgetown, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2004-02 Atlantic City, NJ; 2004-12 Shelton, CT

Hobbies: hiking, cycling, crossword puzzles

1
[photo]

Robin Pollock Daniel

43, Mom / Psychotherapist

Rating: 1866

Record: 13th (2002), 40th (2004)

Home: Toronto, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Played in 1993 1995 1997 2001 WSC; played in 2002 2004 Can-Am; 2000, 2001 Toronto; 2003 Atlantic City; 2003 Boston Premier

Hobbies: Fitness, Gourmet Cooking

1
[photo]

Lynn Cushman

Age withheld, proofreader

Rating: 1864

Record: 58th (1998), 74th (2000), 58th (2002), 44th (2004)

Home: New York, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1995 Teams Tournament Board 1; Plainview 1998;2nd, Stamford 2003;NSA AB member since 2003

Hobbies: music, reading, yoga

1
[photo]

Rod MacNeil

31, Freelance Sportswriter; Citizen of Red Sox Nation

Rating: 1864

Record: 37th (1998), 76th (2000), 74th (2002), 78th (2004)

Home: Londonderry, NH

Awards and Tournament Wins: Winner: Boston (BAT Div A) 2004; Cape Cod '99, '00, '03; Mohawk Valley, NY '04; Saratoga, NY '04; Rhombus Cup Champion

Hobbies: Hockey, fantasy sports, movies, travel, 24, sushi with C, evading paparazzi

1
[photo]

Chris Lennon

37, Mortgage Underwriter

Rating: 1862

Record: 47th (1998)

Home: Lake Oswego, OR

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2004-11 Las Vegas, NV

1
[photo]

Jason Katz-Brown

18, Student

Rating: 1855

Record: 18th (2004)

Home: Cambridge, MA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Highest-rated under-18 player in NSA

Hobbies: Open-source software development on Linux, golf

1
[photo]

Mark Pistolese

49, land speculator

Rating: 1854

Record: 36th (1998), 20th (2000), 6th (2002)

Home: Hilo, HI

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-11 Fort Lauderdale, FL

Hobbies: swimming, hiking, board games

1
[photo]

Dean Saldanha

22, Engineering Assistant / Student

Rating: 1854

Record: 3rd (2000), 20th (2002), 68th (2004)

Home: Richmond, BC, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: (1st) 2005 Vancouver; (2nd) 2003 CNSC; played in 2003 2005 WSC

Hobbies: Roller Hockey, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Golf, Music, Reading

1
[photo]

Jeff Widergren

43, Firmware engineer

Rating: 1850

Record: 40th (1998), 37th (2000), 76th (2002), 39th (2004)

Home: Los Gatos, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2nd 95 Reno, 95 World Team, 15+ local victories; 2003-11 Los Gatos, CA

Hobbies: Golf, Kids

1
[photo]

Lisa Odom

46, Quality Assurance Analyst

Rating: 1843

Record: 24th (1998), 91st (2000), 123rd (2002), 21st (2004)

Home: St. Louis Park, MN

Awards and Tournament Wins: Top rated woman except when I'm not

Hobbies: singing, guitar, design junkie, light verse, ventriloquist manque

1
[photo]

Rich Baker

43, College Professor

Rating: 1838

Record: 25th (1998), 42nd (2000), 14th (2002)

Home: Eureka, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Atlantic City 2000, Norway 2002

Hobbies: Travel, Reading

1
[photo]

Randy Greenspan

51, retired civil servant

Rating: 1838

Record: 7th (1998), 40th (2000), 110th (2002), 101th (2004)

Home: Buffalo, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-08 Bird-in-Hand, PA; 2004-03 Pigeon Forge, TN; 2004-07 Albany, NY

Hobbies: retrotainment, crosswords and paddleball

1
[photo]

Amnuay Ploysangngam

Age withheld, Businessman

Rating: 1838

Record: 91st (1998), 46th (2000), 33rd (2002), 77th (2004)

Home: Bangkok, Thailand

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994 Thailand Grand Prix Champion

Hobbies: Soccer

1
[photo]

David Koenig

27, Teacher

Rating: 1836

First-time competitor

Home: Englewood, NJ

Awards and Tournament Wins: FIDE Chess Master, Twice NJ Junior Chess Champ, County Champ

Hobbies: Chess, New York Yankees baseball

1
[photo]

Iffy Onyeonwu

Age withheld, Computer Tech

Rating: 1836

Record: 30th (1998), 20th (2000), 30th (2002), 56th (2004)

Home: Austin, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1990 Nigerian NSC; African Champion 1994; 2003-01 Lampasas, TX; 2003-02 Phoenix, AZ; 2004-02 Texas State Championship; 2004-09 Houston, TX; 2004-12 Austin, TX

Hobbies: Soccer and Reading

1
[photo]

Steve Tier

64, Teacher

Rating: 1835

Record: 103th (1998), 85th (2000), 27th (2002), 25th (2004)

Home: New York, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: Long Island Science Teacher of the Year; 2002-07 Albany, NY

Hobbies: crossword puzzles

1
[photo]

Jean Carol

Age withheld, Retired

Rating: 1833

Record: 73rd (1998), 70th (2000), 112th (2002), 110th (2004)

Home: Cincinnati, OH

Awards and Tournament Wins: 4th in Danbury 2001, 4th in Gatlinburg 2001; 2003-04 Panama Canal Cruise

Hobbies: Studying Spanish, Travel

1
[photo]

Frank Tangredi

51, social studies textbook editor; aspiring playwright

Rating: 1832

Record: 62nd (2004)

Home: West Babylon, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: winning my division at BAT every 16 years; $32K winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Hobbies: acting; singing; anagrams; creating elaborate trivia games

1
[photo]

Geoff Thevenot

35, copy editor

Rating: 1832

Record: 122nd (2004)

Home: Austin, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 4-05 1st place Lake Murray; 6-05 1st place Ft. Worth

Hobbies: guitar, keyboards, Baltimore / Washington sports teams, reading

1
[photo]

Ira Cohen

58, electrician

Rating: 1830

Record: 10th (1998), 23rd (2000), 15th (2002), 38th (2004)

Home: Los Angeles, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2001-07 Denver, CO; 2001-09 Northridge, CA; 2001-10 Western Canadian Championship (E.B. and M.E.); 2002-06 Bozeman, MT; 2003-10, 2004-10 Western Canadian Championship (E.B. and M.E.); 2004-06 Bozeman, MT

Hobbies: travel,crossword puzzles,chess

1
[photo]

Evan Berofsky

29, Soon-to-be-returning university student, freelance writer, disturber of peace

Rating: 1826

Record: 17th (1998), 34th (2000), 38th (2002), 36th (2004)

Home: Thornhill, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002-06, 2004-06 Livonia MI; 2003, 2004 Toronto Club Champion; 2003-11 Brantford ON

Hobbies: Anything to get my mind off of Scrabble...

1
[photo]

Darrell Day

48, CEO

Rating: 1826

Record: 76th (2002), 97th (2004)

Home: Richardson, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: former Arlington City Councilman

Hobbies: Basketball, tennis, rackquetball, jogging & movies

1
[photo]

Rusty Peltz

32, software engineer

Rating: 1823

Record: 4th (2000), 43rd (2002), 96th (2004)

Home: San Diego, CA

Hobbies: baseball, golf

1
[photo]

Jason Bednarz

32, musician

Rating: 1821

Record: 4th (1998), 9th (2002), 9th (2004)

Home: Ann Arbor, MI

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-06 Shelton, CT

1
[photo]

John OLaughlin

25, Computer Programmer

Rating: 1821

Record: 10th (2002), 34th (2004)

Home: Hartland, WI

Awards and Tournament Wins: (28th) 2003 WSC; 2004-11 Elmhurst, IL

Hobbies: music, movies, puzzles and computers

1
[photo]

Paul Avrin

62, retired HS math teacher

Rating: 1819

Record: 94th (1998), 49th (2000), 96th (2002), 133rd (2004)

Home: New York, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2001-10 Lancaster PA; 2004-05 Piscataway, NY; has lowest NSA membership number (50)

Hobbies: gym, travel, movies

1
[photo]

Michael Baker

45, Engineering Technician

Rating: 1818

Record: 88th (1998), 61st (2000), 87th (2002), 74th (2004)

Home: Portland, OR

Awards and Tournament Wins: Winner Phoenix 2004, Portland 2003, Las Vegas 1997, Div 2 NSC 1994.

Hobbies: Pool, Poker

1
[photo]

Lou J B Miller

52, Credit Analyst

Rating: 1816

First-time competitor

Home: Portland, OR

Hobbies: Reading, Writing

1
[photo]

Steven Alexander

48, lawyer

Rating: 1814

Record: 64th (1998), 15th (2000), 42nd (2002), 59th (2004)

Home: Portland, OR

Awards and Tournament Wins: Won numerous scrabble tournaments

Hobbies: reading, thinking

1
[photo]

Gail Wolford

51, Technical Writer

Rating: 1810

Record: 78th (2002)

Home: Portland, OR

Hobbies: reading

1
[photo]

Trip Payne

37, Puzzlemaker

Rating: 1809

Record: 52nd (1998), 82nd (2000)

Home: Boca Raton, FL

Awards and Tournament Wins: 02-99 Atlanta; 3-time American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion; 1st $32,000 winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Hobbies: Pinball, word games, game shows

1
[photo]

Paul Epstein

53, Social Worker

Rating: 1808

Record: 15th (1998), 31st (2000), 5th (2002), 93rd (2004)

Home: Ann Arbor, MI

Awards and Tournament Wins: (5th) 1996 NSC; (5th) 2002 NSCr; (25th) 1999 WSC

Hobbies: Music, Writing

1
[photo]

Steve Polatnick

60, Attorney at Law

Rating: 1808

Record: 33rd (1998), 27th (2000), 36th (2002), 58th (2004)

Home: Miami, FL

Awards and Tournament Wins: (4th) 2001 WSC; Reno; Boston Premier

Hobbies: Bicycling, tennis, poker, travel

1
[photo]

Jim Nanavati

48, Teacher

Rating: 1806

Record: 12th (2002), 5th (2004)

Home: Burlington, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Several tournament victories

Hobbies: Biking, travel

1
[photo]

Ronald Howard

57, Numismatist

Rating: 1803

Record: 9th (2002), 102th (2004)

Home: Irvine, CA

Hobbies: Golf, Travel, Wine

1
[photo]

Ron Hoekstra

37, Accountant

Rating: 1802

Record: 41st (1998), 30th (2000), 81st (2002), 112th (2004)

Home: Grand Rapids, MI

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2000 Canadian Champion; 2004-06 Port Huron, MI; 2004-10 Petosky, MI

Hobbies: hockey, keyboards, languages

1
[photo]

Tom Singleton

55, accountant

Rating: 1801

Record: 54th (2002), 61st (2004)

Home: Laguna Hills, CA

1
[photo]

Kevin Fraley

35, Pacific Gas & Electric Meter Reader

Rating: 1800

Record: 3rd (2004)

Home: Madera, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 3rd Place, 2004 NSC, Division 2

Hobbies: Basketball, tennis, reading

1
[photo]

Ray Smith

46, Computer Specialist

Rating: 1799

Record: 120th (1998), 69th (2000)

Home: Tucker, GA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-01 Rome, GA; 2003-09, 2004-09 Atlanta, GA; 2004-05 Athens, GA

Hobbies: Pinball, walking, computers

2
[photo]

Maddy Golob

Age withheld, Math teacher

Rating: 1795

Record: 49th (2002), 23rd (2004)

Home: Santa Clarita, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Club 44 (Los Angeles) Champion for 2005-2006

Hobbies: Scrabble, Crossword Puzzles, Computer Word Games

2
[photo]

Mark Kenas

52, Antiques & Collectibles dealer

Rating: 1790

Record: 51st (2002), 28th (2004)

Home: Madison, WI

Hobbies: Canoeing, Kayaking, Reading, Being a devil's advocate

1
[photo]

J Goard

29, Student

Rating: 1789

Record: 71st (1998), 54th (2002)

Home: Foresthill, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002-05 Campbell, CA

Hobbies: Poetry, Film

1
[photo]

Dave Johnson

59, Consultant, Retired Geography Professor

Rating: 1788

Record: 12th (2004)

Home: Portland, OR

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1st place, Division Two, NSC2000

Hobbies: Worldwide Travel, photography, graphic design

2
[photo]

James Leong

20, Bum

Rating: 1787

Record: 123rd (2004)

Home: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-06 Victoria BC; I can look like a spaz on a dancing machine

Hobbies: Praying it doesn't rain for another few weeks in Vancouver.

2
[photo]

Larry Rand

61, retired

Rating: 1782

Record: 93rd (2002)

Home: Chandler, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: Co-Director of the Year, 2003

Hobbies: travel, exercise, grandchildren

1
[photo]

Zev Kaufman

58, Contractor

Rating: 1780

Record: 9th (1998), 47th (2000), 16th (2002), 90th (2004)

Home: Toronto, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Qualified for Canada's Team to World Championships 4 times. Toronto Club Champion 12 times.

Hobbies: Talmud and Kabbalah

1
[photo]

Mark Przybyszewski

40, credit counselor

Rating: 1776

Record: 101th (1998), 73rd (2000), 48th (2002), 142nd (2004)

Home: Depew, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: former Mensa member

Hobbies: fitness, karaoke, trivia, creative writing

2
[photo]

Winter Zxqkj

33, Computer programmer

Rating: 1776

Record: 43rd (2004)

Home: Houston, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: Not a thing.

Hobbies: Traveling, photography, comic books, film, music

1
[photo]

Michael Early

50, Semiretired

Rating: 1775

Record: 107th (2002), 14th (2004)

Home: Fort Worth, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1994 TX State Champ; 1999 Dallas, TX; 2003-04 Ardmore, OK; 2004-11 Eureka Springs, AR

Hobbies: Music, Philosphy, Writing, Composing Music

2
[photo]

Steve Pellinen

52, Civil Engineer

Rating: 1774

Record: 89th (1998), 58th (2000), 102th (2002), 47th (2004)

Home: St. Louis Park, MN

Awards and Tournament Wins: Ninth Grade Battle of Wits Champion; 2005-03 Twin Cities, MN

Hobbies: Reading, music, baseball

2
[photo]

Sam Kantimathi

Age withheld, Engineering Entrepreneur

Rating: 1773

Record: 46th (1998), 62nd (2000), 50th (2002), 67th (2004)

Home: El Dorado Hills, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: $10,000 First Prize Manila; Won 3 USA tourneys in a row late 2001; 2001-10 Wisconsin Dells, WI; 2001-10 Campbell, CA; 2001-12 Tucson, AZ; 2003-02 Tampa Bay, FL

Hobbies: Safaries, making and distributing clocks, rugs, tiles & wordgame accessories, world travel, hiking, photog.

1
[photo]

Robert Kahn

60, attorney

Rating: 1771

Record: 74th (1998), 60th (2000), 124th (2002), 109th (2004)

Home: Plantation, FL

Awards and Tournament Wins: three-time Florida state champion and win, place, show at numerous other tourney

Hobbies: collecting antique gumball machines and numerous other items; movies; music and sports fan

1
[photo]

David Poder

58, Physician

Rating: 1770

Record: 105th (1998), 34th (2002), 13th (2004)

Home: Huntington Beach, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2004-06 Mediterranean Cruise

Hobbies: golf

1
[photo]

Nick Meyer

Age withheld, Graduate Student

Rating: 1769

Record: 50th (2004)

Home: Berkeley, CA

1
[photo]

Rick Wong

40, Director of Engineering

Rating: 1767

Record: 109th (1998), 19th (2000), 29th (2002), 7th (2004)

Home: San José, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: NSA AB member since 2003

Hobbies: Geocaching

2
[photo]

David Pearl

35, Financial Planner

Rating: 1765

Record: 1st (1998), 1st (2000), 43rd (2002), 1st (2004)

Home: Long Beach, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Div 2, 2004 NSC

Hobbies: Tennis, Golf, Music, Reading, Film

1
[photo]

Carol Kaplan

58, Paralegal

Rating: 1764

Record: 80th (1998), 54th (2000), 70th (2002), 65th (2004)

Home: San Diego, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Director, San Diego NSA CLub #76 since 1992

Hobbies: Travel, Crossword Puzzles, Gardening

1
[photo]

Doug Brockmeier

21, occupation withheld

Rating: 1762

Record: 1st (2002)

Home: Yorba Linda, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002 Division 3, NSC; surviving up to the age of 21

Hobbies: Reading, writing, eating, cars, internet, music, pranks

2
[photo]

Albert Hahn

57, Delivery driver, cube truck

Rating: 1762

Record: 38th (2000), 88th (2002), 80th (2004)

Home: Calgary, AB, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2004-01 Calgary AB, 2004-05 Calgary AB

1
[photo]

Stuart Goldman

75, Retired

Rating: 1760

Record: 78th (1998), 78th (2000), 89th (2002)

Home: Riverhead, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: SCRABBLE Senior Hall of Fame; 2005-03 Stony Brook, NY

Hobbies: Writing, travel

2
[photo]

Paul Izikoff

62, Retired

Rating: 1759

Record: 20th (2004)

Home: Miami, FL

2
[photo]

Steve Oliger

56, Retired Electronics Technician

Rating: 1758

Record: 97th (1998), 97th (2000), 85th (2002), 71st (2004)

Home: Holtwood, PA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Uhhhh...; 2004-06 Indianapolis, IN

Hobbies: Travel, Computers, Music, Reading

1
[photo]

Diane Firstman

42, City govt. data-wrangler/number-cruncher

Rating: 1755

Record: 103th (2000), 77th (2002), 91st (2004)

Home: Brooklyn, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2002 BAT (A)

Hobbies: Sabermetrics, stand-up comedy, very bad puns

2
[no photo]

Bob Prentiss

39, Senior Systems Business Analyst

Rating: 1755

Record: 60th (1998), 49th (2000)

Home: Maple Grove, MN

Hobbies: Cineast (own 4,000 + DVD's), Gastronome / Gourmand and Texas Hold'em!

2
[photo]

Roy Kamen

50, Sales Rep., Shuttle Driver to Disneyland / LAX

Rating: 1754

Record: 114th (1998), 38th (2000), 66th (2002), 33rd (2004)

Home: Covina, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Finished writing my 50,000+ flashcards this year!

Hobbies: Meteorology, Rock and Roll Trivia, Taking Long Drives with Maddy

2
[photo]

Keith Smith

Age withheld, Computer Programmer

Rating: 1754

Record: 44th (2002), 120th (2004)

Home: Austin, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-03 Lubbock, TX; 2004-06 Arlington, TX

1
[photo]

Greg Heidler

48, attorney

Rating: 1753

Record: 14th (1998), 13th (2000), 37th (2002), 4th (2004)

Home: Waialua, HI

Hobbies: tennis

2
[photo]

Robert Linn

61, financial advisor and money manager

Rating: 1753

Record: 18th (1998), 48th (2000), 18th (2002), 72nd (2004)

Home: Potomac, MD

Awards and Tournament Wins: 31st in Kuala Lumpur 2003 World Scrabble Championships, played for 12 years on a nationally ranked paintball team

Hobbies: travel, scuba, ping pong, strategy games, tennis

1
[photo]

Steve Grob

47, stay at home dad

Rating: 1752

Record: 25th (2002)

Home: Fenton, MI

Awards and Tournament Wins: NSA AB member since 1999; 2002-11 Port Huron, MI

Hobbies: backgammon, poker

1
[photo]

Mark Fidler

50, teacher

Rating: 1749

Record: 112th (1998), 45th (2000), 91st (2002), 51st (2004)

Home: Waltham, MA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1st Place, Arizona Books Awards (children's lit), 2005 for The Call of Sagarmatha; 1st place, Scr. Div 1, Orange CT 2002

Hobbies: golf, reading, movies, writing

2
[photo]

Harriette Lakernick

60, Lawyer

Rating: 1746

Record: 102th (1998), 13th (2000), 11th (2002), 67th (2004)

Home: Chicago, IL

2
[no photo]

Robin Levin

55, Medical Technologist

Rating: 1743

Record: 121st (2002), 151st (2004)

Home: San Francisco, CA

Hobbies: Reading, languages, Volunteer at Suicide Prevention

2
[photo]

Tony Leah

56, union education coordinator

Rating: 1742

Record: 4th (2002), 13th (2004)

Home: Ajax, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 7th place, 2003 CNSC

Hobbies: labour history, book collecting

2
[photo]

Dominick Mancine

31, Software Engineer

Rating: 1742

Record: 99th (2004)

Home: Louisville, CO

Hobbies: guitars, computers

2
[photo]

John Morse

43, Mathematics researcher, author, and tutor

Rating: 1741

First-time competitor

Home: Albany, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: Member of MENSA, two-time Albany Chess Club Champion, Scrabble Club #404 Player of the Year, 2002-04 Mohawk Valley, NY

Hobbies: Chess, bowling, fitness training, walking, bicycling

2
[photo]

Mike Frentz

22, Student

Rating: 1739

Record: 17th (2002), 27th (2004)

Home: Seattle, WA

Awards and Tournament Wins: National Merit Scholar

Hobbies: Reading, theater, poker, piano-playing

2
[photo]

Michael Wolfberg

63, software developer

Rating: 1738

Record: 8th (2000), 28th (2002), 19th (2004)

Home: Concord, MA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 15 First Places in Scrabble Tournaments

Hobbies: badminton

2
[photo]

Win Inthara

20, student

Rating: 1734

Record: 2nd (2004)

Home: Orlando, FL

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2nd place div.2 nationals 2004

Hobbies: guitar, internet

2
[photo]

Andrew Golding

40, IT Professional

Rating: 1733

Record: 127th (2004)

Home: Verdun, QC, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Represented Canada at World Scrabble Championship 2003

Hobbies: Hypothetical eventual wine-making

2
[photo]

Arnie Horowitz

52, social worker

Rating: 1733

Record: 56th (1998), 26th (2000), 95th (2002), 141st (2004)

Home: Framingham, MA

Hobbies: basketball, poker, crossword puzzles

2
[no photo]

Steve Krieger

56, Business Consultant

Rating: 1726

First-time competitor

Home: Cincinnati, OH

Hobbies: Theater

2
[photo]

Rita Norr

Age withheld, Administrative Assistant

Rating: 1726

Record: 8th (1998), 72nd (2000), 19th (2002), 103th (2004)

Home: Danbury, CT

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1987 National Champ, East Coast Champion twice, Long Island Champ 1993 & 1994; 2002-05 Plainview NY

Hobbies: Cribbage, bridge, e-baying, travel

2
[no photo]

Rob Robinsky

20, Biochemistry Major at Macalester College

Rating: 1726

Record: 46th (2004)

Home: Saint Paul, MN

Awards and Tournament Wins: Survived both Organic Chemistry and New Jersey

Hobbies: Studying, Procrastinating, Partying...to the rest, I plead the fifth

2
[no photo]

Alice Van Leunen

62, Artist

Rating: 1726

First-time competitor

Home: Amity, OR

2
[photo]

Robert Crowe

42, Consultant, Application Development

Rating: 1723

Record: 32nd (1998)

Home: Fort Wayne, IN

Awards and Tournament Wins: (23rd) 1988 Reno, NV; 1993 Port Huron, MI; 1994 Milwaukee, WI; 1997 Toronto, ON; 2004-03 Columbus, OH

Hobbies: Sports, Genealogy, Music, Keyboards, eBay, Antiques

2
[photo]

Kenneth Rubin

20, Student

Rating: 1722

Record: 3rd (2004)

Home: New York, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: 3rd Place, Division 3, 2004 Nationals

Hobbies: Sports

2
[photo]

Paul Sidorsky

28, Systems Analyst

Rating: 1721

Record: 63rd (2004)

Home: Calgary, AB, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 10th at 2000 CNSC. Holds BSc First Class Honours in Computer Science.

Hobbies: Model trains, biking, walking, poker, computer games

1
[photo]

Carlene Wallis

59, retired croupier

Rating: 1720

Record: 52nd (1998), 107th (2000), 34th (2002)

Home: Sparks, NV

Hobbies: gardening, fishing, texas hold-em

2
[photo]

Jack Eichenbaum

62, Geographer

Rating: 1719

Record: 42nd (1998), 44th (2000), 7th (2002), 21st (2004)

Home: Flushing, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: retirement

Hobbies: I lead walking tours in NYC

2
[photo]

Ed Liebfried

55, Letter Carrier

Rating: 1717

Record: 38th (2004)

Home: Exeter, NH

Awards and Tournament Wins: Director Club #587, Exeter NH.

Hobbies: Running, Hiking

2
[photo]

Arun Methaset

Age withheld, Management Executive

Rating: 1717

Record: 60th (2000), 37th (2002)

Home: Bangkok, Thailand

Hobbies: Chess

2
[photo]

Isaac Apindi

58, Electronics Technician

Rating: 1714

Record: 54th (2002), 62nd (2004)

Home: Richmond, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Tanzania Open Scrabble Champion 2001

Hobbies: All games - Indoor and outdoor

2
[photo]

Travis Chaney

31, Retail Store Department Manager

Rating: 1711

Record: 16th (2002), 46th (2004)

Home: Van Buren, AR

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2005-04 Jonesboro, AR

Hobbies: collecting jazz CD's, composing poetry

2
[photo]

Rich Moyer

60, retired

Rating: 1711

Record: 72nd (2002), 73rd (2004)

Home: Portland, OR

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-07 Bozeman, MT

2
[photo]

Jesse Matthews

19, Media Development

Rating: 1709

Record: 116th (2004)

Home: Calgary, AB, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Hopefully a good result at Nationals :-)

Hobbies: Soccer, piano, writing

2
[photo]

Jonn Dalton

Age withheld, software engineering

Rating: 1706

Record: 18th (2000), 73rd (2002), 161st (2004)

Home: Austin, TX

Hobbies: drawing, laying tiles, bingo

2
[photo]

Daniel Goodwin

35, occupation withheld

Rating: 1706

Record: 115th (2002), 105th (2004)

Home: Seattle, WA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2005-02 Port Richey, FL

Hobbies: Astronomy (especially going to total eclipses)

2
[photo]

Jim Peters

Age withheld, Real estate investor and Mortgage loan originator

Rating: 1705

Record: 43rd (1998), 31st (2002), 155th (2004)

Home: Brandon, FL

Awards and Tournament Wins: None Major, few small tourney wins and some 3-3 Basket ball toruney trophies, some bowling trophies long time ago.

Hobbies: Basketball, chess, softball

1
[photo]

Larry Tapper

56, Technical writer

Rating: 1704

First-time competitor

Home: Weaverville, NC

Hobbies: Chess, music

2
[photo]

Tom Adams

Age withheld, History PhD Candidate

Rating: 1703

First-time competitor

Home: Chicago, IL

Awards and Tournament Wins: Twin Cities 95

Hobbies: grounding myself in the commodity form, fishing

2
[photo]

Jeremy Frank

36, Court Reporter

Rating: 1700

Record: 63rd (2000), 104th (2002), 43rd (2004)

Home: New York, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: Top 50 2/05

Hobbies: Reading, Walking, Sports

1
[no photo]

Patrick Caulfield

32, Computer Programmer

Rating: 1699

First-time competitor

Home: Omaha, NE

Hobbies: Hiking, running

2
[photo]

Laurie Cohen

38, Research Director

Rating: 1690

Record: 114th (2002), 49th (2004)

Home: Tempe, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-12 Tucson, AZ

Hobbies: movies, travel

2
[photo]

Cynthia Pughsley

57, Customer Service Rep

Rating: 1689

Record: 115th (1998), 93rd (2000), 117th (2002), 117th (2004)

Home: Oakland, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: School SCRABBLE Volunteer Corps

Hobbies: Games, Puzzles

2
[no photo]

Bob Enszer

63, Retired Chemistry / Biology teacher

Rating: 1683

Record: 70th (2002), 28th (2004)

Home: Saginaw, MI

Awards and Tournament Wins: Some Teacher Awards, Who's Who Among American Teachers

Hobbies: Crosswords, Cryptograms, Gardening

2
[photo]

Scott Leifer

33, Bank Examiner

Rating: 1683

Record: 65th (1998), 39th (2002), 47th (2004)

Home: Middleboro, MA

Hobbies: Reading, Songwriting, Exercising

2
[photo]

Mark Milan

46, Software Test Engineer

Rating: 1681

Record: 81st (1998), 42nd (2000), 56th (2002), 135th (2004)

Home: Laguna Niguel, CA

Hobbies: Cooking, gardening

2
[photo]

Mitchell Brook

Age withheld, Music school owner

Rating: 1680

Record: 123rd (1998), 102th (2000), 36th (2002), 138th (2004)

Home: Philadelphia, PA

Awards and Tournament Wins: survived the disco era

Hobbies: games, sports, music, eating, drinking

2
[photo]

Elaine Patterson

58, retired

Rating: 1678

Record: 56th (1998), 87th (2000), 63rd (2002), 39th (2004)

Home: Stoughton, MA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Won 2nd Division BAT Tournament twice

Hobbies: reading, movies, travel

2
[no photo]

Judy Levitt

59, lawyter-retired

Rating: 1676

Record: 63rd (2002), 126th (2004)

Home: Los Angeles, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 756 game, including 302-point play (1 phony in game)

Hobbies: plant clippings

2
[photo]

Daniel Wachtell

25, Law Student

Rating: 1673

Record: 140th (2004)

Home: New York, NY

Hobbies: Crossword puzzles, soccer, wandering the sidewalks of New York

2
[photo]

Tim Anglin

63, retired teacher

Rating: 1671

Record: 96th (1998), 68th (2000), 82nd (2002), 51st (2004)

Home: Scarborough, ON,