South Y Service Club wins Scrabble Scramble

The South Rowan YMCA Service Club Team won the Scrabble Scramble for the fifth year in a row. Photo by Karissa Minn, Salisbury Post.

Members of the First UCC Friends team work to connect high-scoring words. Photo by Karissa Minn, Salisbury Post.

Members of the Friends of the Library team tally their score at the end of a round. Photo by Karissa Minn, Salisbury Post.

Players search to find the tiles they need during Scrabble Scramble. Photo by Karissa Minn, Salisbury Post.

By Karissa Minn

kminn@salisburypost.com

For the fifth year in a row, the Scrabble Scramble spelled victory for the South Rowan YMCA Service Club.

The team was one of eight to compete in the Rowan County Literacy Council's seventh annual event, held Tuesday evening at the Holiday Inn.

"It's for a good cause, and it's fun," South Rowan YMCA team member Diana Pegram said. "We look forward to this every year."

None of the members would divulge their strategy, but Pegram said it involved a lot of teamwork.

At the beginning of each round, the Literacy Council provides starting words that go in the center of the board. Tuesday's starting words were "relationships," "comprehension" and "editorialized."

Each team is given a bag of 100 tiles and a time limit with which to connect words on a Scrabble board and achieve the highest possible score.

The top-scoring teams start with 15-letter words — such as "psychopathology," "melodramatizing" and "juxtapositional" — and work to connect them.

Teams can buy tiles for their face value in dollars, and they also can pay one dollar for a peek at the dictionary.

The winning team spent nearly $200 purchasing tiles.

"The South Rowan Y Service Club was the top scorer tonight, but the winner was the Literacy Council," said club member Bruce Miller.

The Literacy Council teaches reading, writing and life skills to undereducated adults ages 16 and older.

Money raised from the Scrabble Scramble is used to provide books and learning materials for students, said Phyllis Martin, president of the Literacy Council. Some funding also goes to help educate the tutors.

"We train volunteers to teach adults, because teaching adults is different from teaching children," Martin said.

The Scrabble Scramble was developed seven years ago as a creative reading-related fundraiser.

Coming in second place Tuesday was the Friends of the Library team.

"We're readers, and we really want everybody to be able to read," said team member Fran Burding.

Burding said the team has played all seven years of the Scramble with nearly all of the same people. A few are passionate Scrabble players, and the rest simply come to enjoy the evening.

Melonie Thompson, who played on the Ting Hao team Tuesday, said she was having fun during her first time at the event.

"As a child, I used to play (Scrabble) a lot with my grandmother. Sometimes she still gets us to play," Thompson said. She looked at the board and laughed, adding, "I really wish I had her smarts."

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Cook Jr. and the Salisbury Post were the major corporate sponsors of this year's Scramble. Table sponsors included Friends of the Library, Florence Peck, South Rowan Y Service Club, Ting Hao Chinese Restaurant and Trinity Oaks.

Individual supporters were About the Book Book Club, Dale and Margaret Basinger, Mr. and Mrs. Webster Collett, Melica Dragas, Mr. and Mrs. Tomme Gamewell, Norma Goldman, Lillian's Library and Antiques, Robery Lippard, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Martin, Ann McCanless, Ann Medlin, Vance Meek, Pam and Tony Misenheimer, Barbara Norman, Mr. and Mrs. Edward P. Norvell, Gavine Pitner, Mr. and Mrs. Pasquale Stellute and Rick Travis.

Prize donors included Caniche, Cartucci's, Chick-Fil-A, Gary Connor, Dairy Queen, Edward Jones Investments —The Philpotts, Godley's Garden Shop, Jerry's Shell Service, Jersey Mike's, Krispy Kreme, Literary Bookpost, Char Moline, Melody Moxley, North Carolina Transportation Museum, Pleasant Papers, Port City Java, Pottery 101, Queen's Gifts, Rufty's Garden Shop, Sam's Car Wash — East and West Innes locations, Sidewalk Deli, Pat Sylvester, Village Grocery and Garden Shop and Windsong Bike Shop.