By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
Things you’re likely to see at the Rowan County Literacy Council’s Annual Scrabble Scramble:
– Knees on chairs and butts high in the air to get a closer look at the Scrabble board.
– A lot of long, hard-to-pronounce and even harder-to-spell words using the highly-valued letters “q” and “z.”
– Plenty of smiles. “We love it ó the competition and trying to work your brain as hard as it will go,”‘ said Krista Ennis, a first-time player on the Word Wonders team.
“We’re having fun,” said Micah Melton, also of the Wonders. “That’s the point and raising money for a good cause.”
– The South Rowan YMCA Service Club taking home a trophy.
The Service Club won top honors for the third straight year Tuesday night at the Holiday Inn. Each of the 10 team members received $20 gift certificates to Outback.
That’s what happens when you can employ words such as “oxyphenbutazone.”
The South Rowan Y is part of the United Way, and “this is the way we can support another agency of the United Way ó and we’re glad to do it,” Dave Roberts said.
The Literacy Council relies on some 80 volunteers, President Phyllis Martin said. The Literacy Council served 168 students through 38 tutors last year and is always looking for more. The next tutor training will be held in May.
People interested in serving the Literacy Council are being asked to call 704-216-8266.
The annual Scrabble Scramble ó this was the fifth ó is the council’s chief fundraising event. It includes a raffle. Plenty of funds also flow into the coffers during the games as tables buy key tiles that they need to fill out their boards.
This year’s competition had 12 teams. The top three teams from years past ó the South Y Service Club, the Salisbury Post and Friends of the Rowan Public Library ó competed against each other in a championship flight.
The Post barely edged the Friends to take second, but the Friends looked a lot more stylish through the evening in their specially made team T-shirts.
The other nine teams competed in the First Flight, won by the Scrabbled Eggs, whose four members represented the smallest contingent.
“Per capita, we smoked everyone,” Bruce Sanborn said. He was joined on the “Eggs” by Diane Hundley and Gary and Bonnie Sims.
The team members came back for their second year of competition because they were sore losers after getting beat last year, Sanborn said.
The evening had team tables dedicated to lost loved ones, such as the Joan Ashley team; groups looking for a way to give back while having fun, such as a Leadership Rowan contingent; and people who have been buddies for a long time, such as the friends Marcia Tolbert put together.
“Anything this crowd does together we have fun,” said Kim Fink.
“And we usually win,” added Danny Shaw, who proved a prophet as their team took home the consolation prize ó $5 gift certificates to Hap’s for having the lowest overall score.
Red Sox Nation also was represented Tuesday night. The Boston Scrabblers included Michael, Brendan and Emily Duggan, 14, 11 and 9, respectively, who traveled from Boston to visit their grandparents, Ron and Char Molrine.
While the Molrines played at the Trinity Oaks table, the grandkids worked the Scrabble board at their own table with their father, Chris, and an aunt and uncle from Kannapolis.
“I’m not good with Scrabble, but I’m good with words,” Brendan said.
There could be plenty of “q” and “z’ words in his future.