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.