Scottish Scrabble Committee

		Scottish Scrabble® Committee
Home News League and SILK Scottish Clubs Calendar ABSP Ratings Winners International		The current committee of the SSA comprises Amy Byrne (President), Simon Gillam (Secretary), Ross Mackenzie (Treasurer), Margaret Armstrong, Marion Keatings, Neil Scott and Kate Surtees. The minutes of the most recent committee meetings appear below, together with important decisions from previous meetings.

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26 June 2011 Back to top		Present: Margaret Armstrong, Amy Byrne, Simon Gillam, Marion Keatings, Ross Mackenzie, Neil Scott, Kate Surtees 1. Matters arising from the last meeting A) Amy recommended that another attempt be made to organise a Scottish youth scrabble event in autumn 2011. She would provide a list of school contacts and in September Simon would try to establish what timing would best suit schools. B) An SSA magazine had not been produced yet in 2011. Amy and Ross would collaborate to try to produce one for August. C) Amy recommended that we pursue the possibility of expanding the Four Nations to invite other teams when it is next Scotland's turn to host (in 2012). This could involve up to 10 teams (e.g. adding Malta, Israel, Rest of Europe, N America, Rest of World), giving 36 games over 4 days, and could be attractive if scheduled next to another major event in UK. This would require investigation of potential interest from other countries, sponsorship, venues, etc. Amy, Neil, Ross and Simon agreed to serve on a sub-committee to take this forward. 2. Financial report for 2010 and expenditure in 2011 A) A summary financial report for 2010 and notes had been prepared by Ross in January; there were no comments. As agreed, the surplus from the 2010 Scottish Open had been used to reduce entry fees for the 2011 Scottish Open and Round Robin events. B) It was agreed that the SSA would contribute £100 towards the expenses of each of the four Scottish representatives at the World Scrabble Championship in Warsaw (Poland) in October 2011, and £25 towards the expenses of each of the four team members for Four Nations 2011 in Ireland. 3. Any other business Neil reported that there had been no progress on the venue for Scottish Masters 2012. Simon agreed to enquire about a possible alternative.
2 October 2010 Back to top		Present: Margaret Armstrong, Amy Byrne, Simon Gillam, Marion Keatings, Ross Mackenzie, Neil Scott Apologies: Kate Surtees 1. Matters arising from the last meeting. A) Amy had investigated Stirling University as an alternative venue, but it was not suitable on cost and unavailability in May. No other options were now being actively investigated, but any other suggestions were welcome. B) There had been no progress in organising a schools' event. C) An SSA magazine had been produced for sale in October. It was agreed that Amy and Ross would collaborate to produce a larger magazine for May 2011. D) It had been agreed by correspondence that the Scottish Four Nations team for 2011 would be picked based on a peak rating system similar to WSC 2011, but with qualifying year August 2010 to July 2011. It had been decided to defer any decision on changing Scottish Masters qualification; the committee agreed to continue with the current qualification system. E) Amy had approached Mattel about the possibility of a Scottish bid to host WSC 2011, but was advised that it would not be favoured. If sponsorship could be raised, Mattel suggested the possibility of bidding for a future world youth championship, and the committee suggested the possibility of expanding the Four Nations to invite other teams when it is next Scotland's turn to host (in 2012). 2. SILK A) One match in a qualifying section had not been completed by end-September; it had been postponed because of illness. It was agreed that it could be played in early October. B) The Four Nations 2010 had been arranged for a date clashing with the SILK final, which had been notified to ABSP well in advance, but had been overlooked because it was not in the published ABSP calendar. It had been difficult to find an alternative date for the SILK final, but it had eventually been agreed to hold it on 18-19 December, despite some inconvenience. Ross would host the first day and Simon the second. It was agreed that Simon should mention in his report to the ABSP committee that the clash had caused problems, and ask the ABSP to take steps to avoid a similar clash in the future. 3. Four Nations team 2010 For the event on 27-28 November in Wales, three of the Scottish team members were now confirmed. It was agreed that for the remaining place a definite answer would be required by 16 October. It was confirmed that the SSA will not be contributing to team expenses this year. 4. Any other business A) The 7-game SSA event will be in Edinburgh (Carlton) on 5 February and Scottish Masters at the same venue on 12/13 February. Amy will be organising an event in Pitlochry in late March. B) It was agreed to try to book Dewars in Perth for the Scottish (21/22 May, or if that is unavailable then the following weekend) and Round Robin (first or second weekend in August). Marion agreed to take entries for the Scottish. C) The next SSA committee meeting will be at the Scottish in May 2011.
23 May 2010 Back to top		Present: Margaret Armstrong, Amy Byrne, Simon Gillam, Marion Keatings, Ross Mackenzie, Neil Scott, Kate Surtees 1. Matters arising from minutes of previous meeting in August 2009. A) Amy had investigated the costs of using various hotels in Stirling as alternative venues for SSA events, but had not found anywhere suitable. She will now investigate Stirling University. B) The schools event did not take place in October 2009. Amy would now contact some schools to try to establish the best time of year for an event and book a date. Ross and Marion offered to help in running the event. C) It was agreed that the 2011 Scottish Masters should have the same format as 2010, with no second section. 2. Financial report for 2009 and expenditure in 2010 Ross had prepared accounts for 2009; a summary was circulated with the agenda, showing a reduction of about £400 in the balance, mainly because of contributions to expenses of three Scottish players at WSC 2009. For 2010 it was agreed not to contribute to expenses of Scottish team members in the Four Nations, to maintain funds for 2011. It was agreed to produce an SSA magazine for sale in August. 3. WSC qualification criteria Proposed new qualification criteria for Scottish places at World Scrabble Championship 2011, based on those adopted by the ABSP for England, had been circulated to committee members and others inviting comments. After discussion of the proposals and comments, it was agreed to adopt all the proposed criteria without any changes; these new criteria are appended to the minutes. It was noted that an additional Scottish event in the December-March period would make it easier for contenders to play the required number of games. 4. Any other business A) It was agreed that it would be desirable to change the Scottish qualification for the Four Nations team in 2011 and Scottish Masters 2012 to adopt a similar system of averaging peak ratings, with the Four Nations qualifying running for the year to July and Scottish Masters for the year to November. These would differ from WSC by being limited to Scottish residents, and only require 60 games in total, of which at least 15 in each 4-month period. These proposals would be circulated for comment, with the aim of agreeing them by correspondence by July. These changes would not affect the Four Nations team in 2010 and Scottish Masters in 2011. B) Amy proposed to look into the possibility of a Scottish bid to host WSC 2011. She would investigate possible sponsorship and also speak to Mattel, and keep the committee informed of progress. Scottish Selection Criteria for WSC 2011 The new qualifying year runs from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011, and is split into three four-month periods; April to July, August to November and December to March. Your peak rating in each period will be recorded, and the four players with the highest average peak will qualify for the team. If there is a tie, the player with the highest individual peak take precedence. If a player declines their place, their invite goes to the next in line based on these criteria. To qualify you must: i) be a paid-up ABSP member for the full qualifying period (NB: this period covers two calendar years). ii) have been born in Scotland or meet the Scotland residency criteria which are: - be resident in Scotland for the whole of the qualifying year; and - have been resident in Great Britain (Scotland, England or Wales) for the preceding year. Players with a claim to represent more than one nation must confirm to the SSA by the end of the first qualifying period (July 2010) whether they wish to be considered for the Scottish team. iii) play at least 25 ABSP rated games in each period, and at least 100 ABSP rated games (of which at least 30 in Scotland) throughout the qualifying year.
9 August 2009 Back to top		League : It was agreed that from 2010 Scottish League matches should be submitted for rating as each result is received (similar to SILK), instead of waiting until all games are completed in each 2-match round.
17 May 2009 Back to top		Masters : The Scottish Masters had been held at the Carlton Bridge Centre. The players were happy to pay extra for the better playing conditions. Self-adjudication : It was agreed that for each tournament it should be up to the TD to decide whether self-adjudication should be offered. WESPA : It was agreed that at present SSA should not seek to affiliate direct to WESPA, with Scottish players continuing to be affiliated through ABSP.
8 November 2008 Back to top		SILK : It was agreed that the East and West regions will be replaced by two Central groups, with players allocated so that each group is of similar size and strength, and also trying to avoid long journeys. Two players will qualify from each Central group, and two from North, for a 6-player final.
13 May 2007 Back to top		British Team Tournament / Home Internationals - Scottish Qualification : Team selection will be based on ratings at 31 August. Participants must be resident in Scotland for the 12 months prior to 31 August (Scottish-born non-residents are not eligible) and they must have played at least 40 ABSP-rated games in that year, of which at least 30 must have been played in Scotland. It was agreed to offer £50 SSA funding towards the costs of each team member, for each year when the event is not in Scotland (as had been done for 2005 but not 2006).
13 August 2006 Back to top		World Scrabble Championship - Scottish Qualification : It was agreed that Scottish qualification by residence should be brought into line with UK and England, to be one complete year of residence preceding the year of qualification, instead of two complete years preceding the year of qualification.
30 November 2003 Back to top		Scottish Team Expenses : It was agreed that, in future, the SSA will not provide expenses for Scottish teams playing in UK events.
10 November 2002 Back to top		British Team Tournament : Neil Scott proposed that we organise a team tournament between Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales. [This has now taken place annually since 2004, Scotland winning the first two.]
Inaugural meeting 18 November 2001 Back to top		Function : It was agreed that the SSA would take over the organisation of the Scottish Championships, the Scottish League and the Scottish Masters. World Scrabble Championships : Qualification criteria for Scottish representatives were agreed. The highest rated player(s) on 1 January of the year of a WSC will be selected, provided (1) they were born in Scotland or have lived in Scotland continuously for at least two and half years prior to 1 July of the year of the WSC, (2) they have played a minimum of 60 ABSP-rated games in the year prior to the year of the WSC (of which 30 must have been played in Scotland), and (3) they have played a minimum of 30 rated games in the second half of the year prior to the year of the WSC (of which 15 must have been played in Scotland). Scottish Masters : Qualification criteria for invitation were agreed. The top 12 rated players on 1 January prior to the Masters will be invited, provided (1) they have lived in Scotland during the second half of the previous year, and (2) they have played a minimum of 40 ABSP-rated games in the previous year (of which 30 must have been played in Scotland).