!Candidate
!Candidate Statement
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|class= name|'''[[Daniel Stock | Dan Stock]]'''
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{{#naspa:photo|4351}}
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I am honored to have been nominated by [[Dallas Johnson]] to represent the Midwest Region on the Advisory Board.
My SCRABBLE career spans over 25 years. I direct two clubs in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. I've directed dozens of tournaments and assisted in running over 100. That includes being a Division Leader at the last 11 North American SCRABBLE Championships, where I have also been the primary author of the 100-tile statements or "tableaux" placed on the Big Board. [http::/www.cross-tables.com Cross-tables] tells me that I've played over 4000 tourney games. Based on my playing history, NASPA has awarded me the [[Player Titles |title]] of "SCRABBLE Expert" – although my rating has dropped a little since that title was earned.
I've been on NASPA's Rules Committee since 2009. That experience should show that I have the three qualities that NASPA recommends for Advisory Board members: "Good communication skills; the ability to work well in a group situation; and a willingness to make tough decisions on sensitive or controversial issues."
I certainly would like to see the game move forward and increase in popularity, and I fully support current NASPA efforts to do so – including supporting School SCRABBLE and the efforts of the [[Forward Energy Committee]]. But that's easy to say. The reality is that this is a political position, so let me tell you where I stand on three key issues that are facing NASPA.
First is the question of resuming over-the-board play after the pandemic. On this issue, I am an advocate of significant caution. NASPA was a little slow in officially closing down its clubs and tourneys, and I do not want to risk the health of our players by reopening prematurely. The decision to reopen needs to be made based on sound, scientific recommendations that say it is safe to do so, paired with appropriate healthful practices when we do.
Second is the question of lexicons. On this issue, I favor the status quo where NASPA supports both the Collins and NWL (formerly TWL or OWL) dictionaries. Collins is wonderful for those who can compete internationally and choose to do so, as well as for a limited number of players who prefer the much larger word list. However, I feel that most NASPA players prefer the more compact and more familiar NWL lexicon. Accordingly, the best approach is to continue to provide many opportunities to play with both word lists.
Third is the question of competing organizations. I am definitely a NASPA partisan, and I personally don't attend tourneys run by other organizations – but I disagree with NASPA's traditional stand on this issue. I would like to see outreach from NASPA to competing organizations, especially efforts to coordinate scheduling to minimize the conflicts between major tourneys run by any such organizations. Let's see if we can work toward having one plan for scheduling tourneys!
As I write this, there is one other candidate for the position of Midwest representative on the Advisory Board. My opponent also loves the game and would serve well. Please vote for the candidate with whom you agree more and/or the one you feel to be better qualified.
My campaign slogan is one of my tableaux. It uses the 100 tiles in the standard set and can be placed on alternate rows of the board: "Valuing one plan, we realize Daniel Stock is hopeful to be a quite exacting Advisory Board juryman for the Midwest Region." The blanks are the L in "hopeful" and the N in "exacting."
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|class= name|'''[[Paul Wood]]'''