*****PRIZES****

   Rank Seed Name (online)      Wins Sprd   Prize

   1    9  Bennett Schlesinger  5.0  +583 	$100, free 2003 BAT entry
   2    4  Raymond Merkh        5.0  +496  	$50
   3    9  Jeffrey Jacot        5.0  +324 	$20
   4    2  Kevin McCarthy       5.0  +247  	Word Freak
   5    6  Beth Mix             4.0  +424  	Everything SCRABBLE
   6    9  Shane Hunter         4.0  +332 	Deluxe SCRABBLE
   
BEST SPRING WORD
name                word                prize
Susan Connolly      LAMB                Upwords

HIGH BINGO
name                word/score          prize
Vivien Mallick      MISDATE/97 points   Lorraine Ray BAT 2003 tile bag

HIGH NON-BINGO
name                word/score          prize
Ken Merrifield      JERK/75 points      Lorraine Ray BAT 2003 tile bag

*****COLOR COMMENTARY*****

This was a FABULOUS tournament! Many strong newer players and even 
stronger return players. Bennett Schlesinger, the 14-year-old 
aforementioned phenom, didn't disappoint. Barely 5-feet-tall, he 
swept through the division, losing only one game by the tiles he was 
caught with on his rack by the tournament's second place finisher.

In the final game, Bennett faced off against, the much older and 
slightly more experienced player (it was Kevin McCarthy's second 
event, but at almost three times Bennett's age, I could see Kevin as 
an intimidating opponent). And he won with three bingos to boot: 
GOALIES for 75, GRAInIER for 66, and REFINES for 73. Final score, 
463-295.

After the tournament ended, Raymond Merkh told me about his won 
against Bennett. It was a tight game with Raymond playing STRANGE for 
80 and Bennett getting down VILlAIn (in case that doesn't read right, 
it is villain) for 77. Bennett was up by one point when Raymond found 
an outplay and won the game.

Vivien Mallick, a past newcomer participant and word judge at this 
event just last year, was a real sweetie. When she won the tile bag 
for her high bingo, she asked her coworker and buddy (who she plays 
SCRABBLE with every day at lunch) which color she wanted and Madeline 
Minihan left the event with a cool tile bag prize. :) Sharing is a 
good thing. :)

After the ceremony a group of players gathered in the hall. They were 
so fired up after the day's games that they wanted to buy stuff. 
Bennett took his crisp $100 dollar bill and turned into $11 change 
and new SamTimer in a green padded bag. His mom admitted to a bit of 
disappoint. She thought he'd take her out for dinner.

All in all, the players all arrived better prepared than I've seen 
before in the Newcomer event. Only one player had clock troubles, but 
by game 3, she had them mastered! And she bought a new timer, too, 
after the event ended.

*****NSA-GENERATED POST-EVENT RATINGS*****

BOSTON AREA TOURNAMENT APRIL 2003
NEWCOMERS TOURNAMENT

                              OLD                                              PERF    NEW
     NAME                    RATING      DIVISION 6 RESULTS       WINS   SPR  RATING RATING 
  1. SCHLESINGER, BENNETT        0  W-27 W-26 W-15 L-02 W-09 W-07   5   +583           961
  2. MERKH, RAYMOND            697  W-05 W-22 W-08 W-01 L-07 W-08   5   +496   1093    845
  3. JACOT, JEFFREY              0  L-08 W-21 W-05 W-12 W-14 W-09   5   +324          1012
  4. MIX, BETH                 608  W-26 W-27 L-12 L-14 W-06 W-11   4   +424    743    644
  5. HUNTER, SHANE               0  L-02 W-18 L-03 W-23 W-24 W-12   4   +332           817
  6. OKOCHI, NNA                 0  W-20 W-19 W-23 L-09 L-04 W-14   4   +317           762
  7. MCCARTHY, KEVIN           852  W-10  -   W-17 W-16 W-02 L-01   4   +247   1022    892
  8. PIETZ, MATTHEW              0  W-03 W-12 L-02 W-13 W-10 L-02   4    +74           883
  9. IDELSON, PAULETTE         864  W-11 W-23 W-13 W-06 L-01 L-03   4    +13    888    872
 10. DEFILIPPO, JOHN             0  L-07 W-17 W-22 W-20 L-08 W-18   4    -88           835
 11. PAQUETTE, RACHEL            0  L-09 L-16 W-25 W-22 W-21 L-04   3   +318           613
 12. MALLICK, VIVIEN           667  W-21 L-08 W-04 L-03 W-18 L-05   3   +310    757    686
 13. MERRIFIELD, KEN             0  W-25 W-24 L-09 L-08 L-16 W-19   3   +297           658
 14. MIX, JEN                    0  W-24 W-25 L-18 W-04 L-03 L-06   3   +182           681
 15. WEISS, RACHEL             707  W-19 L-20 L-01 L-18 W-25 W-24   3    +56    627    688
 16. BERGER, FRED                0  L-23 W-11 W-20 L-07 W-13 L-17   3    +24           672
 17. HARRISON, DEBORAH           0   -   L-10 L-07 W-25 W-19 W-16   3    -25           749
 18. MACDONALD, ILENE            0  W-22 L-05 W-14 W-15 L-12 L-10   3   -255           705
 19. PERRY, ETHAN                0  L-15 L-06 W-27 W-21 L-17 L-13   2   +203           527
 20. SHEA, JOHN                  0  L-06 W-15 L-16 L-10 L-23 W-23   2    +38           570
 21. GOLDBERG, ALEXANDER         0  L-12 L-03 W-26 L-19 L-11 W-26   2   -316           515
 22. MINAHAN, MADELINE           0  L-18 L-02 L-10 L-11 W-27 W-27   2   -320           520
 23. MALLETT, PAUL               0  W-16 L-09 L-06 L-05 W-20 L-20   2   -751           587
 24. HERZEELLE, JUANITA        500  L-14 L-13  -   W-26 L-05 L-15   1   -630    434    488
 25. MANLEY, JOANNE            500  L-13 L-14 L-11 L-17 L-15  -     0   -345    -17    461
 26. CONNOLLY, SUSAN             0  L-04 L-01 L-21 L-24  -   L-21   0   -414           500
 27. GARBER, CYNTHIA             0  L-01 L-04 L-19  -   L-22 L-22   0   -794           500