Kelowna Scrabble
I have recently become a sanctioned NASPA director (certificate on its way in the mail), so I am looking to step forward with getting Scrabble started here in Kelowna. Here's what I've planned:
In partnership with Project Literacy and Okanagan Regional Library, I am doing a trial run for a casual club during the month of January. We will be meeting once a week at the downtown library branch. During the first and third weeks of the month, I will be doing a short workshop to introduce basic Scrabble rules and strategy. After that workshop (likely 1/2 hour in each case), there will be 2 games played. On the second and fourth weeks of the month, it will just be games played (2-3, depending on timing). If we have enough interest, I will proceed with starting a casual club. Here's my trouble though: Project Literacy is also interested in setting up an annual NASPA sanctioned tournament. Unlike any potential Scrabble club here, the tournament would need to be NASPA sanctioned if it has any hope of drawing people from outside of the city.
Until recently, Seattle has had a tournament during the May long weekend in the US. The Canadian May long weekend (Saturday May 22nd - Monday May 24th) is one week before the US May long weekend (Saturday May 29th - Monday May 31st). From what I can see on the NASPA tournament calendar, it doesn't look like there are any tournaments in the Pacific Northwest close to that time. What do you think about a tournament starting in the morning on the 22nd and finishing mid-afternoon on the 23rd? As much as I'd love to run a longer tournament the first time around, I'm thinking of several things: 1) it would be the first tournament that any player from Kelowna (besides me) has ever played in so I don't wanna make it too impossibly long, and 2) any American players, most likely from Seattle, would need to be able to get home in time for their work week. Maybe 8 games on Saturday and 6 on Sunday, a la Vancouver?
Thoughts, ideas, anything like that, much appreciated.

