pretty good at the game and get to wondering if there’s
more to it, or maybe you hear about a local club or tournament.
A web search brings you to our website, so now what? == Go to a club == The chances are good that you live near a NASPA SCRABBLE [[club]].Take a look at the [[club roster]] for the club director’scontact information and give him/her a call or send an email.Almost all clubs are extremely welcoming to newcomers, and give them a lot of help with the transition to competitive play. Why should you need a lot of help, when you already know how toplay the game? Here are the things that casual players firstnotice about competitive play.
=== Competitive play ===
; Etiquette
: Our official [[rules]] are fairly long, and are the result of decades of experience in trying to come up with the fairest way for players to compete. They can be intimidating, especially during your first game, when you’re trying to remember the sequence of actions needed to correctly end a turn (place word, announce score, record any blank designations, start opponent’s timer, record your cumulative score, draw replacement tiles, record anything else you want). A better place to start is our [[Media:Top Ten Things to Know.pdf|Newcomer’s Handout]], and the most important rule to remember is to always ask the director if you’re not sure what to do.
== Go to a club ==
Many players try their hand at competitive play at a NASPA SCRABBLE [[club]] before taking on a tournament. The chances are good that you live near a NASPA SCRABBLE [[club]]. Take a look at the [[club roster]] for the club director’s
contact information and give him/her a call or send an email.
Almost all clubs are extremely welcoming to newcomers, and
give them a lot of help with the transition to competitive play.
A club is a good place to learn the basics of competitive play,