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On Night of Newcomers, Andy Bohnsack Emerges Victorious From the Chaos

1st Andy Bohnsack followed up his strong showing at the Word Cup with a strong showing at our club, finishing 4-0 +233.  He also was Bingo King for the week (a title that Andy has grown accustomed to), with 11 total in four games.  In a high-powered matchup against Peter Schmiedicke (who also performed well at the Word Cup), Andy escaped with a 441-418 victory with the aid of his three bingos: ATONIES, ACARINE, and TUSSORE (in Andy's words, "the most impressive bingo available in those letters").  Peter had TUNNELS and DILATORS in response.  Visitor Mary Capalbi was shown first-hand the amount of damage that Andy is capable of inflicting, with a final score of 463-306 in their bout.  Andy again had three bingos: ROUNDEL, CARNAGES (oddly appropriate...perhaps even prescient), and REGULAR.

2nd Thomas Reinke went 4-1 +366, an impressive spread given that he averaged a low (for him) 413 points per game.  Chosen to play two at once in the first round, Thomas managed only one bingo between the two games, but won both handily: 370-263 against Betty Hasselkus and 428-325 against Susi Tiekert (her only loss of the evening).  The bingo train got back on the rails with a 439-308 victory over Richard Lauder that included three bingos: ADULATES, POLITIES, and DAYCARES.  The only player able to impede Thomas' momentum was the aforementioned Andy Bohnsack, who prevailed 440-410 in a game which featured six total bingos.

3rd Bryan Benwitz had the highest average of all players, averaging 446 per game on his way to a 3-1 +358 record.  The Bryaniac got things off to a strong start with a 440-412 victory over club leader Charles Reinke.  Bryan had OVERGILD and PORNIEST to Charles' STUDIOS and OUTEATEN.  By the time Bryan matched up against Peter Schmiedicke in the third round, Bryan was fully locked in, and applied a massive amount of hurt on his opponent, winning 507-239.  Peter's SENSATED saved him from a truly horrific score, but Bryan's bingos of SPRINGE, DESOLATE, AUTOMAN, and FEMRITIC (not even FEMRITE is good; it's just the name of a Madison street) ensured that the outcome was never in question.  Again, Andy Bohnsack was the giver of Bryan's only loss, a lower-scoring 371-394 decision.

Honorable mention is in order for the visiting Susi Tiekert, who finished 3-1 +153, just outside the top three.  Among her wins was a 460-387 victory over Lynda Finn that included bingos of ASCETICS and LONGHEAD (which drew a challenge).  Our other visitors were Mary Capalbi (winner of word-of-the-week with the double-K PARKLIKE), Margie Gordon, and Peggy Grant, and we are happy that they came to play with us.

Sue Goldstein Returns, Dominates, In That Order

1st Sue Goldstein went 3-0 +125 to lead the previously-dormant Intermediate divison.  She proved that bingos are an unnecessary feature of the game, not playing any in her three games.  Her biggest win came against Aki Miura, 328-356.

2nd Sharlie Miura's 1-1 +10 record nabbed her second place in the Intermediates.  She played the nice find of DETOXING against Sue Goldstein, but the large amount of points she undoubtedly got from that word was not quite enough to secure the game: she lost 350-357.  However, she did score a win against June Scott, 299-282.

Club Members Succeed At Word Cup

Peter Schmiedicke came in 3rd place in Division B with a 22-9, +1206 record.  Chris Vergeront put together a similarly strong performance in Division C, finishing 21-10 with a a divison-leading +1785 spread (and a 603 game).  Meanwhile, in Div. D, Susan Vergeront also came in second with a 21-10, +1092 record, proving that it pays to have the last name "Vergeront".  Several other club members also competed, with varying levels of success, but a good time was had by all, thanks to esteemable director Lynda Finn.

In case you weren't aware (you really should have been aware, shame on you), the Word Cup is going on right now at the Marriott in Middleton, directed by our very own Lynda Finn. Check out how your friends are doing here.

Charles Reinke's Streak Ends, But He Gets A Good Start On the Next One

1st Charles Reinke had his winning streak halted at 13, but then won three in a row to start the journey anew, going 3-1 +419.  Richard Lauder came away five dollars richer as he soundly defeated the C-Twin 415-330.  Charles successfully got away with the phony SHOALERS (SHOALER is good), but this dishonest bingo was surpassed by Richard's bingos of NOSTRIL and COMEDOS (n. COMEDO, a skin blemish, also COMEDONES).  The drought of bingos was only one game long, however, as Charles got at least three in each of his three remaining games.  He got the highest individual game score of the evening when he defeated Susan Vergeront 577-301, unleashing an avalanche of bingos along the way: CROWNETS (n. CROWNET, a small crown), FOUNTAIN, ANTHESIS, and AMENTIAS.  The 500-point mark again proved easily reachable for Charles as he beat Andy Bohnsack 508-379.  Andy got RECOATS and a double-double CERTAIN, but his scoring attempts where overwhelmed by Charles' CARDOONS, VITIATED, and VINTNER.

2nd Michael David continues to enjoy his summer off, finishing 3-1 +264.  He revealed his true, uncaring nature when he trounced Mary Becker by nearly 200 points, 510-312.  His three bingos of TERRANE, BLONDES, and DENOTES comprised much of the difference.  Michael also improved his lifetime record against Bryan Benwitz to a perfect 2-0 when they battled to a 402-364 finish.  Bryan got down the useful-to-know SANTERA but found Michael's WANTERS and HALOIDS to be insurmountable.  Only Thomas Reinke managed to uncover the secret to beating Michael, doing so in (relatively) low-scoring fashion, 387-332.  Thomas had PALETTE and TOMENTA (n. TOMENTUM, a network of small blood vessels) to Michael's SOUNDED.

3rd Aaron Bader, in the absence of his regular British-dictionary sparring partner, was forced to switch back to our "normal" dictionary for the evening, but still found success, going 3-1 +206 and scoring above 400 in all of his games.  Andy Bohnsack proved to be his foil, with Aaron ending up on the wrong side of a 404-457 final score despite bingos of AGOUTIES and HOLARDS (Andy found RAINOUT and a nine-letter TABORINES through the 'IN').  Aaron's closest victory came against Barb Besadny, 418-370.  Barb had TOPPLES to Aaron's REFLATES and BANDEROL (n. a narrow flag or pennant, usually spelled BANDEROLE).  On the other side of the spectrum, Aaron crushed Thomas Reinke in their first-ever matchup, 466-320.  Thus, he joins the select ranks of players who have a winning record against the T-Twin (including the never seen before or since "Dan Hoffman").

Andy Bohnsack and Mary Becker both went 3-1, but their lower cumulative spreads prevented them from cracking the top three.  Mary Becker played the word of the week, SQUAWKS for 128 points, as part of her 480-351 drubbing of Peter Schmiedicke.