USSO 2006 Player Roster: Detailed, Alphabetical

Photo

Name

Rating

Home

Division

John Aitken

55, postal worker

Rating: 1050

First-time competitor

Home: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Jack Allard

64, Food delivery driver

Rating: 906

Record: 28th (2005)

Home: Pryor Creek, OK

Awards and Tournament Wins: none

Hobbies: Baseball card collecting, bird watching

Drew Allen

45, Data Analyst

Rating: 1358

Record: 39th (2002), 39th (2005)

Home: Philadelphia, PA

Hobbies: Bridge, Square Dancing, C/W Dancing, and Bears

Cheryl Allen Munley

49, Traffic Engineer

Rating: 1003

First-time competitor

Home: Tewksbury Twp, NJ

Awards and Tournament Wins: National Transportation Institute Student of the Year, MIT Boit Manuscript Competition, Writers Digest Non-Fiction

Hobbies: Horses, Sidesaddle Riding, Carriage Driving, Vintage Dancing, Bicycling,Creative Writing

Donna Anderson

Age withheld, Social Worker

Rating: 977

First-time competitor

Home: Arnold, MD

Hobbies: reading, writing, cooking, volleyball

Erik Anderson

40, Senior Engineering Techncian

Rating: 1092

First-time competitor

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: I've never received a fragile award that was indescripably beautiful to remind us of the Fourth of July.

Hobbies: Sports, Programming, Math, Science, Finance, Other strategy games

Scott Anderson

23, Grad Student

Rating: 1728

Record: 24th (2004)

Home: Berkeley, CA

Hobbies: Vegan cooking, reading

Tim Anglin

Age withheld, retired

Rating: 1678

Record: 11th (1987), 19th (1988), 2nd (1989), 113th (1990), 9th (1994), 64th (1996), 96th (1998), 68th (2000), 82nd (2002), 51st (2004), 25th (2005)

Home: Toronto, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Atlantic City, Buffalo, Bozeman, Alaska Cruise, Mississauga, Daytona

Hobbies: flyfishing

Steve Anstandig

54, Electrical Contractor

Rating: 1470

Record: 91st (2004), 17th (2005)

Home: Commerce Township, MI

Hobbies: Gardening, Bowling and Reading

Scott Appel

Age withheld, statistician

Rating: 1921

Record: 6th (1998), 59th (2000), 39th (2002), 33rd (2004), 39th (2005)

Home: Trenton, NJ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-08 Parsippany, NJ

Hobbies: Resident of Red Sox Nation, Toddler Chaser

Peter Armstrong

33, GIS Analyst

Rating: 1839

Record: 80th (1998), 71st (2000), 24th (2002), 29th (2004), 22nd (2005)

Home: Baltimore, MD

Awards and Tournament Wins: Arden Cup 2004

Hobbies: Ultimate Frisbee

Delores Arrington

65, Retired

Rating: 1208

Record: 97th (2004)

Home: Sicklerville, NJ

Awards and Tournament Wins: Teacher of the Year, SCRABBLE Trophies

Hobbies: Crosswords, Sudoku, Cryptograms

George Asaka

42, Accounting/Administration

Rating: 1417

First-time competitor

Home: Omaha, NE

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2-time Sioux falls event winner (Scrabble), indoor soccer champ

Hobbies: soccer, table tennis, reading, basketball

Jamila Atcha

63, Housewife

Rating: 1238

Record: 9th (1987), 58th (1988), 82nd (1994), 111th (2002), 139th (2004), 88th (2005)

Home: Laughlin, NV

Hobbies: Needle point, soaps

Donna Atwood

Age withheld, Graphic Designer (Currently pursuing masters in design at Arizona State)

Rating: 1051

First-time competitor

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: Four children's books in print

Hobbies: Printmaking, artists' books, gardening, reading, movies, travel

Mary Atwood

Age withheld, Insurance/Claims Adjuster

Rating: 1380

Record: 117th (1998), 100th (2000), 128th (2002), 76th (2005)

Home: Roseville, MN

Hobbies: Antiquing, Baseball, Movies, Reading

Max Avalon

73, Retired

Rating: 805

First-time competitor

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: Tennis Trophies,Chess Trophies,Scrabble award

Hobbies: Tennis,Chess,Scrabble,Dancing

Irene Averbach

80, Retired

Rating: 931

First-time competitor

Home: Rochester, NY

Hobbies: Bridge, Majong, Reading

Paul Avrin

63, retired HS math teacher

Rating: 1612

Record: 27th (1978), 57th (1985), 13th (1987), 143rd (1988), 135th (1989), 60th (1990), 23rd (1992), 97th (1994), 15th (1996), 94th (1998), 49th (2000), 96th (2002), 133rd (2004), 83rd (2005)

Home: New York, NY

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

Hobbies: travel, sports, gym

John Babina

34, Entrepreneur

Rating: 1548

Record: 7th (1996), 130th (1998), 92nd (2000), 78th (2002), 23rd (2004)

Home: Norwalk, CT

Awards and Tournament Wins: Received only a 440 on my verbal SAT, Yet broke 1600 in SCRABBLE Rating

Hobbies: Boating, Piano

Bruce Baginski

26, None

Rating: 731

First-time competitor

Home: Concord, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: spelling bee

Hobbies: computer games

Annette Bailey

Age withheld, occupation withheld

Rating: 1419

Record: 61st (2000)

Home: Town Withheld, CT

Brian Bailey

32, Biomedical technology transfer specialist

Rating: 1343

First-time competitor

Home: Rockville, MD

Hobbies: Travel, visiting all 390 National Park units

Michael Baker

46, Engineering Technician

Rating: 1813

Record: 1st (1994), 5th (1996), 88th (1998), 61st (2000), 87th (2002), 74th (2004), 60th (2005)

Home: Portland, OR

Awards and Tournament Wins: I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. [Woody Allen]

Hobbies: Pool, Poker

Don Ball

Age withheld, Art Educator

Rating: 868

First-time competitor

Home: Mississauga, ON, Canada

Hobbies: contemporary art, running

Dave Balthaser

42, occupation withheld

Rating: 1452

First-time competitor

Home: Skipperville, AL

Awards and Tournament Wins: Pigeon forge 2006 Div 3 winner , !82-84-3 overall NSA

Hobbies: Hunting, cycling, triathlons

Jim Barker

59, Sr. Staff, Psy. Social Worker, Retired

Rating: 945

Record: 188th (1988), 24th (2002), 34th (2004), 47th (2005)

Home: San José, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: former Olympic Trials Qualifier-Marathon, Best 50 Mile Race in USA,1977

Hobbies: Long distance running,cycling,tennis, writing,church work

Ron Barker

59, soc security

Rating: 1094

Record: 12th (2000), 19th (2002), 6th (2004), 55th (2005)

Home: Boise, ID

Awards and Tournament Wins: 3 great kids!! plus won state champ 13 mile footrace in CA and AZ in masters div

Hobbies: fresh air-aerobic

Mike Baron

56, Psychologist

Rating: 1726

Record: 29th (1983), 70th (1985), 11th (1987), 44th (1988), 16th (1989), 30th (1990), 73rd (1992), 92nd (1994), 14th (1996), 79th (1998), 43rd (2000), 97th (2002), 145th (2004)

Home: Corrales, NM

Awards and Tournament Wins: The Wordbook (1988,1994,2004), The Blankbook (1992)

Hobbies: journal writing, traveling, golf, reading

Eva Bartholomeusz

68, Housewife

Rating: 635

Record: 60th (2002), 71st (2004), 124th (2005)

Home: Winnetka, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Had 2nd place in 2 club tournaments

Hobbies: Reading, Walking, Working Puzzles, Sudoku

Conrad Bassett-Bouchard

16, Student

Rating: 1740

Record: 28th (2005)

Home: Moraga, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Surviving 4 simultaneous AP classes

Hobbies: Drums, Ultimate/Disc golf

Mitch Bayersdorfer

44, Director, Program Management

Rating: 1570

Record: 6th (2004)

Home: Menlo Park, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Co-Director, Palo Alto Scrabble Club

Hobbies: Home Automation, Cooking

Susan Beard

57, Retired

Rating: 1482

Record: 64th (2000)

Home: Rio Rancho, NM

Hobbies: Contra dancing, gardening, reading, dog agility training

Bob Becker

42, High School Science Teacher

Rating: 1439

Record: 65th (2004), 69th (2005)

Home: Jefferson, MA

Hobbies: Travel, games, golf

Joe Becker

29, Parts & Acc. Mangr

Rating: 585

Record: 126th (2005)

Home: Worcester, MA

Hobbies: Golf, mountain biking, motorcycles

Mary Becker

59, Human Resources Specialist

Rating: 1292

Record: 113th (1996), 24th (1998), 33rd (2000), 8th (2002), 103th (2004), 52nd (2005)

Home: Madison, WI

Hobbies: Quilting, gardening, reading

Paul Becker

72, retired teacher

Rating: 725

Record: 24th (2004)

Home: Holden, MA

Hobbies: golf, sports, antiques, history

Hilda Ben Nun

72, Retired

Rating: 1041

Record: 65th (2000)

Home: Modi'in, MODI'IN, Israel

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2004 National SCRABBLE Championship in Israel

Hobbies: Reading, Walking, Music

Leesa Berahovich

39, Gymnastics

Rating: 1034

First-time competitor

Home: Berkeley, CA

Hobbies: Art, Exercise, Kids, Reading

Mary Ellen Bergeron

54, Library Media Specialist

Rating: 1209

Record: 14th (2000), 48th (2004)

Home: Florence, MA

Hobbies: Scrapbooking

Jacob Bergmann

58, Teacher

Rating: 1449

First-time competitor

Home: Lexington, MA

Hobbies: Violin

Jane Bernes

52, occupation withheld

Rating: 832

First-time competitor

Home: Scottsdale, AZ

Evan Berofsky

30, Returning university student, freelance writer, disturber of peace

Rating: 1836

Record: 17th (1998), 34th (2000), 38th (2002), 36th (2004), 33rd (2005)

Home: Thornhill, ON, Canada

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

Hobbies: Extreme Canasta, Alphabet Drinking Game, prone to recite bad lyrics from obscure songs

Susan Bertoni

38, Stay-at-home Mom

Rating: 954

First-time competitor

Home: Clemmons, NC

Awards and Tournament Wins: Two bright, entertaining kids and a loving (and Scrabble-tolerant) husband

Hobbies: Reading, sleeping, and chauffeuring the kids

Barbara Besadny

74, Retired

Rating: 1082

Record: 92nd (1996), 46th (1998), 106th (2000), 70th (2002), 48th (2004), 23rd (2005)

Home: Madison, WI

Hobbies: Golf, Bridge, Bowling, Gardening

Cecile Betts

88, Author & motivational speaker

Rating: 665

Record: 69th (1994), 76th (1996), 119th (1998), 84th (2002)

Home: Laguna Woods, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Author of RELUCTANT PIONEER

Hobbies: writing

Linda Bianca

58, retired teacher

Rating: 952

Record: 32nd (2005)

Home: Myrtle Beach, SC

Hobbies: tennis

Vera Bigall

42, teacher

Rating: 1209

Record: 25th (2004)

Home: Toronto, ON, Canada

Hobbies: tennis, camping, skydiving - not

Gwen Bishop

84, Retired

Rating: 1268

Record: 10th (1987), 34th (1992), 35th (1994), 99th (1996), 39th (1998), 112th (2000), 29th (2002), 93rd (2004)

Home: Los Angeles, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1997 Director of the Year/Director Longest Running Tourney in West US 18yrs

Hobbies: bridge, community service

Manan Biyani

26, Graduate Student

Rating: 903

First-time competitor

Home: Ann Arbor, MI

Awards and Tournament Wins: Seattle Open Division 5 Winner

Hobbies: Photography, Cooking

Ivan Blackman

71, withheld

Rating: 1018

Record: 91st (1992), 43rd (1996), 115th (1998), 63rd (2002), 142nd (2004), 88th (2005)

Home: Nassau, N.P., Bahamas

Hobbies: cricket, soccer, helping hand

Benjamin Bloom

31, Z-Coil represntative to the disabled community

Rating: 1531

Record: 78th (2002), 100th (2004), 83rd (2005)

Home: Miami, FL

Awards and Tournament Wins: Scrabble By The Sea (Israel) Champion Oct. 2004, Winner Div 2 Kissimee, FL Dec. 2004

Hobbies: watching paint dry

Doug Bobkovich

Age withheld, ADMINISTRATION/ACCOUNTING

Rating: 1186

Record: 25th (2002)

Home: Gilbert, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1ST PLACE - DIVISION 6 - PHX - FEB, 2002 1ST PLACE - DIVISION 3 - PHX - OCT, 2001 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AT WORK, 2003

Hobbies: COLLECTING KEYCHAINS, PINT GLASSES, M&M DISPENSERS. ATTENDING SPORTING EVENTS, CONCERTS, & MOVIES. PLAYING BOARD GAMES

Julia Bogle

54, Controller

Rating: 1349

Record: 131st (1998), 104th (2000), 134th (2002), 57th (2005)

Home: Indianapolis, IN

Hobbies: Reading, Sudoku, Scrabble

Andy Bohnsack

27, substitute teacher

Rating: 1544

Record: 73rd (2005)

Home: Madison, WI

Hobbies: collecting autographs, fantasy sports, video games, reading

Adam Boocher

20, Student

Rating: 1126

First-time competitor

Home: South Bend, IN

Hobbies: Math, Theater, Movies, Reading

Austin Bradley

16, Student

Rating: 1498

First-time competitor

Home: Waco, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2006-06 Ft. Worth, Texas Division 2, 3rd place Texas Student Affiliate Vocal Competition

Hobbies: Singing, Piano, Bowling, Tennis

Mollie Braverman

77, Retired accountant & electrologist

Rating: 1271

Record: 44th (1994), 11th (1996), 62nd (1998), 62nd (2000), 73rd (2002), 89th (2004)

Home: Camarillo, CA

Hobbies: Reading, crossword puzzles, walking, dancing

Matt Breden

35, US Air Force Officer, B-52 bombardier

Rating: 1056

First-time competitor

Home: Hampton, VA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Two air medals, 1st place Div III Scrabble Tournament, Moose Jaw, Canada, 12-0, 1700 pt spread

Hobbies: banjo picking, travel

Charlotte Bremond

57, Elem. Teacher

Rating: 721

Record: 115th (1998), 44th (2002), 66th (2004)

Home: Oakland, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Teacher of the Year

Hobbies: Sports fan

Doug Brockmeier

22, Grad Student

Rating: 1774

Record: 1st (2002), 2nd (2005)

Home: Yorba Linda, CA

Hobbies: eating, reading, writing, music, movies

Lee Brooks

67, Retired Stenographer

Rating: 1260

Record: 75th (1996), 150th (1998), 29th (2000), 98th (2002), 126th (2004), 119th (2005)

Home: Lawton, OK

Hobbies: Knitting, Walking

Ruth Brower

Age withheld, occupation withheld

Rating: 771

First-time competitor

Home: Hockessin, DE

Diane Brown

60, Retired F.S.L. Consultant

Rating: 1056

Record: 26th (1989), 73rd (1992), 62nd (1994), 66th (1996), 20th (1998), 5th (2000), 87th (2002), 60th (2004), 105th (2005)

Home: Toronto, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Surviving 33 years of teaching

Hobbies: Photography and Digital Enhancement, Genealogy,Travel, Reading, Attending Theatre

Janet Buchbinder

Age withheld, Technical Writer

Rating: 1331

Record: 27th (2004), 29th (2005)

Home: Albuquerque, NM

Hobbies: Yoga, Dancing, Gardening, Traveling

Kevin Burbridge

38, C.O.O.

Rating: 1376

Record: 27th (2005)

Home: Roseville, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: collegiate soccer all-american

Hobbies: watching sports, wrestling with my kids, taking my wife on dates

Helen Burns

Age withheld, Retired

Rating: 866

Record: 7th (1987), 102th (1988), 60th (1994), 54th (1996), 87th (2000), 97th (2002), 144th (2004), 72nd (2005)

Home: Santa Monica, CA

Lorraine Burton

66, Retired, Part-time Marketing Assistant

Rating: 1307

Record: 78th (1994), 112th (2002), 125th (2004)

Home: Baltimore, MD

Awards and Tournament Wins: Several tournament wins

Hobbies: boggle, backgammon, pinochle, actress

Jeremy Cahnmann

31, Umpire

Rating: 1497

First-time competitor

Home: Chicago, IL

Hobbies: baseball, politics & having a good time

Evelyn Callaway

35, Research Scientist

Rating: 880

Record: 69th (1996), 44th (2005)

Home: Bryan, TX

Hobbies: Soccer, Scouting, Coaching, crosswords, orienteering

Patty Camp

56, Retired

Rating: 1129

Record: 10th (2004), 17th (2005)

Home: Paragould, AR

Hobbies: gardening, traveling

Jacqueline Camper

55, High School Visual Arts Instructor

Rating: 1438

Record: 116th (1992), 43rd (1994), 105th (1996), 147th (1998), 88th (2000), 113th (2002), 132nd (2004), 90th (2005)

Home: Memphis, TN

Awards and Tournament Wins: Directed one and only TN Regional School Scrabble Championship

Hobbies: Lifelong Learning,Tennis, Travel, Museum/art gallery hopping

Chris Canik

15, student

Rating: 1155

First-time competitor

Home: Austin, TX

Hobbies: percussion, video games, reading

Matt Canik

13, student

Rating: 906

First-time competitor

Home: Austin, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 4th place National School Scrabble Championship, 2 time Texas state School Scrabble Champion

Hobbies: golf, piano, band, student council, full orchestra, football, video games

Naurlene Canterman

59, housewife

Rating: 1486

Record: 10th (1987), 20th (1988), 30th (1994), 120th (2005)

Home: Tucson, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: directing clubs for many years, co-directed very first club Tucson, AZ

Hobbies: writer/in the midst of mystery Scrabble book & child poetry book

Brian Cappelletto

36, trader

Rating: 1969

Record: 16th (1987), 15th (1988), 42nd (1989), 10th (1990), 3rd (1992), 4th (1996), 1st (1998), 2nd (2000), 4th (2002), 5th (2004), 11th (2005)

Home: Chicago, IL

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

Hobbies: golf, impersonations, fantasy baseball

Mary E Capria

73, Retired

Rating: 565

Record: 31st (2004), 123rd (2005)

Home: Pompano Beach, FL

Hobbies: Volunteer Elementary School Tutor

Judy Carlock

46, Editor

Rating: 1093

First-time competitor

Home: Tucson, AZ

Hobbies: downill skiing, foreign movies

Mike Carlson

Age withheld, occupation withheld

Rating: 915

First-time competitor

Home: Ontario, CA

Jean Carol

Age withheld, Retired Teacher

Rating: 1692

Record: 59th (1978), 62nd (1985), 14th (1987), 96th (1988), 112th (1989), 68th (1990), 81st (1992), 87th (1994), 72nd (1996), 73rd (1998), 70th (2000), 112th (2002), 110th (2004), 78th (2005)

Home: Cincinnati, OH

Awards and Tournament Wins: SuperStar - It was an honor just to be there

Hobbies: travel, studying Spanish and Russian

Donna Carruthers

65, Retired

Rating: 1066

First-time competitor

Home: Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Brenda Casey

Age withheld, French Professor

Rating: 1327

Record: 118th (2004), 54th (2005)

Home: Guilford, CT

Hobbies: tennis, golf, piano

Vince Castellano

Age withheld, Software Engineer

Rating: 1717

Record: 34th (2000), 99th (2002), 171st (2004), 46th (2005)

Home: Fairfax, VA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1st Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do (WTF)

Hobbies: Music Physics Taw Kwon Do

Paula Catanese

Age withheld, Human Resources

Rating: 1510

Record: 83rd (2000), 126th (2002), 46th (2004), 92nd (2005)

Home: Mountain View, CA

Hobbies: Travel

Travis Chaney

32, Fast food management

Rating: 1717

Record: 16th (2002), 46th (2004), 74th (2005)

Home: Fort Smith, AR

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2005-04 Jonesboro, AR

Hobbies: Poetry composition, collecting jazz records

John Cheras

55, Logistics

Rating: 1059

First-time competitor

Home: Whitinsville, MA

Hobbies: Golf , Scrabble

Rachel Christensen

27, Catering, bartending

Rating: 1157

Record: 9th (2004)

Home: Seattle, WA

Hobbies: travel

Jeff Clark

49, engineer

Rating: 1560

Record: 230th (1985), 27th (2000), 53rd (2002), 11th (2004), 102th (2005)

Home: Linden, MI

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2005-02 Columbus, OH

Hobbies: backgammon, running, poker, waterskiing

Khim Clarke

30, Business Owner

Rating: 684

First-time competitor

Home: Irvine, CA

Hobbies: Spa, Yoga

Lynda Woods Cleary

Age withheld, Financial Consultant

Rating: 1167

Record: 105th (2000), 109th (2002), 94th (2004), 120th (2005)

Home: Princeton, NJ

Awards and Tournament Wins: Running for public office in New Jersey as a woman

Hobbies: Macrame, gardening, golf, traveling

Wayne Clifford

57, alarm agent

Rating: 1676

Record: 53rd (1998), 48th (2000), 40th (2002), 167th (2004), 36th (2005)

Home: Calgary, AB, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2005-01, 2005-03 Calgary, AB

Hobbies: golf

Ira Cohen

59, electrical contractor

Rating: 1804

Record: 13th (1987), 81st (1988), 20th (1996), 10th (1998), 23rd (2000), 15th (2002), 38th (2004), 34th (2005)

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: chess,crossword puzzles,traveling,tennis,basketball

Joanne Cohen

59, foreign language teacher

Rating: 1618

Record: 39th (1985), 39th (1989), 73rd (1990), 82nd (1992), 136th (2004)

Home: Owings Mills, MD

Hobbies: reading; world travel

Laurie Cohen

Age withheld, Research Director

Rating: 1823

Record: 114th (2002), 49th (2004), 6th (2005)

Home: Tempe, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2003-12 Tucson, AZ

Hobbies: movies, travel

Myrna Cohen

68, Retired

Rating: 1105

Record: 62nd (2002)

Home: Cupertino, CA

Hobbies: Bridge, Reading, Traveling

Bonnie Cohn

63, social worker

Rating: 1003

First-time competitor

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Hobbies: volunteerism, travel, indie film, reading,

Edward Coker

71, Retired

Rating: 1433

Record: 140th (1998), 82nd (2000), 82nd (2004)

Home: Bronx, NY

Hobbies: Reading, Politics

Cathy Coking

42, Writer

Rating: 1369

First-time competitor

Home: Glendale, AZ

Hobbies: Painting, hiking, reading

Paul Cole

23, Medical Laboratory Assistant

Rating: 1255

First-time competitor

Home: St. Augustine, FL

Hobbies: independent film production, unicycling, literature, fly fishing, gambling

Robert Collins

41, freelance Musician

Rating: 919

First-time competitor

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Hobbies: Bowling

Thomas Conrad

29, chemical delivery engineer

Rating: 1284

Record: 18th (2005)

Home: Hillsboro, OR

Hobbies: hiking, camping, computers

Maneck Contractor

58, Housewife

Rating: 1235

Record: 39th (1996), 86th (1998), 66th (2000), 43rd (2002), 40th (2004)

Home: Kenner, LA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 1st place in Bridge - Jefferson Parish Senior Olympics

Hobbies: Bridge

Jeff Cooley

20, occupation withheld

Rating: 1078

First-time competitor

Home: Jacksonville, FL

Beulah Cooper

84, Retired Counselor

Rating: 1010

Record: 50th (1992), 89th (1994), 82nd (1996), 48th (1998), 118th (2000), 62nd (2002), 67th (2004), 84th (2005)

Home: Austin, TX

Hobbies: reading, dominoes

Betty Cornelison

72, Retired

Rating: 1470

Record: 12th (1994), 58th (1996), 87th (1998), 57th (2000), 60th (2002), 98th (2004), 1st (2005)

Home: Portland, OR

Hobbies: entering recipe contests, volunteer teach botanical garden

Gretchen Cowan

71, RETIRED TEACHER

Rating: 1341

Record: 9th (1987), 52nd (1996), 31st (2002), 79th (2005)

Home: San Clemente, CA

Hobbies: political activist'reading'travel

Carla Cree

Age withheld, Securities Analyst

Rating: 1507

Record: 137th (2004), 77th (2005)

Home: Dallas, TX

Hobbies: reading, travel, fitness activities, scrabbling (of course!)

Chris Cree

51, used equipment, sales and leasing

Rating: 1872

Record: 31st (1983), 130th (1985), 16th (1987), 41st (1988), 33rd (1989), 24th (1990), 24th (1992), 55th (1994), 36th (1996), 35th (1998), 45th (2000), 47th (2002), 4th (2004), 23rd (2005)

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

Connie Creed

59, Special Events Designer

Rating: 1577

Record: 1st (2000), 64th (2004), 64th (2005)

Home: Philadelphia, PA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Finished first place division 6 in Providence, 2000, Gala Award for best table design

Hobbies: crossword puzzles, cryptograms and acrostics

Jesse Cromer

30, occupation withheld

Rating: 1237

Record: 3rd (2002), 21st (2004)

Home: Charlotte, NC

Awards and Tournament Wins: Won the Masters at Pigeon Forge 2003. Third in the nation San Diego 2002 in Div. 6

Hobbies: Following the Pittsbugh Steelers... and following the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!

Lila Crotty

54, Retired

Rating: 1428

Record: 28th (2004)

Home: Metairie, LA

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2005-01 Yazoo City, MS

Hobbies: Calligraphy

Lindsay Crotty

23, College Grad Looking for a Job

Rating: 923

Record: 45th (2004)

Home: Metairie, LA

Hobbies: Currency Trading, Cooking

Roger Cullman

33, Macintosh computer consultant; freelance writer and photographer

Rating: 1297

Record: 34th (2002), 92nd (2004), 129th (2005)

Home: Toronto, ON, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: Director of Scrabble in the City (June 2005- present) www.scrabbleinthecity.com

Hobbies: Creator of Scrabble Player Trading Cards; blogger at www.wordfreak.livejournal.com

Tina Cur

Age withheld, Niagara County Aging Services Aide

Rating: 1018

Record: 44th (2005)

Home: Lockport, NY

Awards and Tournament Wins: Ist Place Michigan Madness Div B 2002

Hobbies: Bowling, Crossword Puzzles, Casino Gambling, Crafts

Bruce D Ambrosio

52, retired computer programmer

Rating: 1671

Record: 59th (1988), 45th (1994), 17th (1996), 55th (1998), 80th (2000), 98th (2002), 164th (2004), 49th (2005)

Home: Los Angeles, CA

Awards and Tournament Wins: Southern California Scrabble Hall of Fame honoree

Hobbies: movies, spectator sports

David Dahl

40, Reporter

Rating: 835

First-time competitor

Home: Peoria, IL

Hobbies: Coffee roasting, running

Jonn Dalton

Age withheld, software engineering

Rating: 1545

Record: 18th (2000), 73rd (2002), 161st (2004), 79th (2005)

Home: Austin, TX

Hobbies: drawing, laying tiles, bingo

Angela Dancho

Age withheld, Mom and nursing student

Rating: 687

First-time competitor

Home: Thornton, CO

Hobbies: Scrapbooking, reading

Robin Pollock Daniel

44, Mom/Psychotherapist

Rating: 1940

Record: 58th (1996), 13th (2002), 40th (2004), 40th (2005)

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

Michael David

25, High School Math Teacher

Rating: 1422

Record: 5th (2005)

Home: Portage, WI

Hobbies: Music, Tennis, Ping-pong, Reading

Kurt Davies

27, Travel Agent

Rating: 1441

Record: 67th (2004), 11th (2005)

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: I'm the coolest person you'll ever meet. Just ask my mom.

Hobbies: Travel, Blogging, World Conquest

Carl Davis

44, Aircraft Maintenance Technician

Rating: 1401

Record: 48th (1996), 116th (1998), 4th (2000), 75th (2002), 84th (2004), 103th (2005)

Home: Fort Worth, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: 4th place at Providence 2000

Hobbies: Chess,camping and fishing

Michelle Davis

51, NONE

Rating: 1395

Record: 22nd (1996), 10th (1998), 67th (2000), 68th (2002), 45th (2004), 8th (2005)

Home: Fort Worth, TX

Hobbies: Camping, Yardwork

Catherine Day

Age withheld, Personal Assistant

Rating: 704

Record: 77th (2005)

Home: Cambridge, MA

Hobbies: Bookbinding, reading

Darrell Day

49, Executive Search Firm CEO

Rating: 1809

Record: 7th (1985), 12th (1988), 5th (1989), 76th (1996), 76th (2002), 97th (2004), 32nd (2005)

Home: Richardson, TX

Awards and Tournament Wins: Former City Councilman; wrote feature published in NY Times

Hobbies: basketball, jogging, volleyball, chasing my 3-year-old

Jesse Day

18, Student

Rating: 1600

Record: 6th (2005)

Home: New Haven, CT

Awards and Tournament Wins: Div. D, Stamford 2005; Div. C, Cape Cod 2005; continued survival

Hobbies: Games, Music, Reading, Frisbee, Random trivia

Jamie De Jong

31, Statistical Methodologist

Rating: 668

First-time competitor

Home: Ottawa, ON, Canada

Henry De Young

57, Lawyer

Rating: 766

First-time competitor

Home: St. Marys, ON, Canada

Hobbies: SKIING, TENNIS

Cesar Del Solar

22, Engineer

Rating: 1647

First-time competitor

Home: Pasadena, CA

Hobbies: Guitar, music, programming, making awkward conversation-stopping comments

Al DeMers

81, optometrist

Rating: 981

Record: 10th (1987), 41st (1988), 150th (1990), 59th (1994), 81st (1996), 126th (1998), 59th (2002), 116th (2005)

Home: Sparks, NV

Hobbies: travel

Carole Denton

55, Medical Office Manager

Rating: 1497

Record: 88th (2002), 83rd (2004)

Home: New Carrollton, MD

Awards and Tournament Wins: won 3 games on "Jeopardy" 1995

Hobbies: traveling, cooking, wine, gardening, cats, books, movies, music

Steve Desch

36, professor

Rating: 958

First-time competitor

Home: Phoenix, AZ

Hobbies: astronomy

Pamina Deutsch

52, Paralega

Rating: 1415

Record: 9th (1987), 60th (1988), 166th (1990), 167th (1992), 138th (2004)

Home: Corrales, NM

Hobbies: Gardening, Cooking, Pilates, Reading

Matt DeWaelsche

46, Librarian/Archivist

Rating: 1649

Record: 12th (1987), 186th (1988), 125th (1990), 102th (1992), 63rd (1994), 14th (1996), 106th (1998), 68th (2000), 83rd (2002), 101th (2004)

Home: San Antonio, TX

Hobbies: reading, movies

Jan Dickey

Age withheld, Retired Teacher

Rating: 690

First-time competitor

Home: Boise, ID

Hobbies: Golf, tennis

Pat Diener

Age withheld, QA Analyst

Rating: 1364

Record: 92nd (1998), 120th (2000), 44th (2002), 15th (2004), 100th (2005)

Home: Dublin, CA

Hobbies: scrabble, reading, minatures

Marion Dimond

73, Retired

Rating: 960

Record: 105th (2005)

Home: Calgary, AB, Canada

Roy Dixon

59, Sales Consultant

Rating: 1515

Record: 10th (1987), 10th (1988), 2nd (1990), 161st (1992), 51st (1996), 5th (1998), 22nd (2000), 29th (2002), 29th (2004), 31st (2005)

Home: Dade City, FL

Hobbies: Tennis, Backgammon, Poker

Dan Doerrfeld

17, Student

Rating: 500

First-time competitor

Home: Algonquin, IL

Hobbies: Tennis

Leonard Doerrfeld

73, Retired

Rating: 755

Record: 11th (2004)

Home: Algonquin, IL

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2004 NATIONALS DIV.7 BEST RECORD OF A SENIOR

Hobbies: WOODWORKING,GARDENING,READING

Michael Donegan

58, Computer Scientist

Rating: 1080

Record: 19th (2004), 6th (2005)

Home: Austin, TX

Hobbies: Biking, Guitar

Helen B Douglas

68, Retired bookkeeper-now have home business making slippers

Rating: 1323

Record: 50th (2004), 124th (2005)

Home: Victoria, BC, Canada

Awards and Tournament Wins: writing, occasional wins in scrabble

Hobbies: swimming, walking, travelling, ice skating

Toni Douglas

78, retired court transcriber

Rating: 1348

Record: 106th (1992), 75th (1994), 59th (1996), 13th (1998), 45th (2000), 130th (2002), 114th (2004), 121st (2005)

Home: Atlanta, GA

Hobbies: Scrabble

Con Downey

71, retired Geologist

Rating: 1172

First-time competitor

Home: Mesa, AZ

Awards and Tournament Wins: 2d place AZ senior spelling bee

Hobbies: politics, religion, philosophy, science, blue route travel

Dawn Doyle

Age withheld, Retired

Rating: 1052

Record: 80th (2004), 78th (2005)

Home: Ft Lauderdale, FL

Hobbies: Golf, Bridge, Travel

Barbara Drinkwine

60, Retired Elementary Administrator

Rating: 1323

Record: 22nd (1996), 18th (2002), 57th (2005)

Home: Menasha, WI

Awards and Tournament Wins: Elementary Teacher of the Year

Hobbies: Volunteer Work, Sudoku, Travel

Don Drumm

62, Journalist

Rating: 1533

Record: 91st (2000), 51st (2002)