Hersom competes in classic word game tournament

{Contributed photo}

A Thomasville man, with a knack for words, recently landed a spot in an international tournament. Randy Hersom competed in the online Gladiators World English Language Scrabble Players Association (WESPA) 2021 tournament. The competition which began November 20 will conclude December 3-5

Getting into the tournament had its share of twists and turns.

“Like all things in life these days COVID had a huge impact on tournament Scrabble. I had to register my interest with the US organization, North American Scrabble Players Association. The highest rated people that signed up before the deadline would be offered spots. Initially, eight were allocated for the US. At one point enough people signed up that I dropped to first alternate, but the world group said that there might be additional spots if some allocations were not used. This proved to be the case. The US allocation increased to 12 and I was back in.”

Playing internationally for the first time since 2005, Hersom “dusted off” his old flash card program to help him prepare. It’s a technique he’s used for decades.

Hersom’s journey into Scrabble royalty began in the 1970s. With the game of bridge serving as a springboard, he was introduced to a new game that would be life changing.

“I played club and tournament bridge from the late 70s. My favorite bridge author, Mike Lawrence, co-wrote a Scrabble book, which influenced me to look into scrabble tournaments.  I played my first in January 1990 and won money in the lowest division. I was hooked.”

Calling the game “fascinating and addictive,” Hersom shared some keys to being a good Scrabble player.

“Know a lot of words.  Definitions are optional but you have to spell them right.  After that, there's math in the form of probabilities, and pattern recognition to find spots to maximize points.  At the higher levels, you rarely use the blank if you can’t score 40 points or more.”

Previously, Hersom has traveled to Washington, DC, Australia, Las Vegas, NV, Malaysia and England to participate in tournaments. Although, he’s never won an overall cash prize at the world tournaments, the experiences provided a lifetime of memories. In 2005, he placed fifth (his highest placement) at the US Nationals in Providence, RI. Hersom finished 43rd in the WESPA tournament.