Previewing the 5th annual Hood River Open

It’s hard to believe we’re coming up on the fifth installment of the Hood River Open. We began hosting the tournament shortly after I moved back to the Pacific Northwest, following up on Randi Goldberg’s lead about a truly amazing venue. Since then, 41 different players have descended on Panorama Lodge, including seven national champions. The strength of the field has been a constant, and it’s manifested in a different winner each year: Jesse Day (2022), Conrad Bassett-Bouchard (2021), Ben Schoenbrun (2019), and Dave Wiegand (2018).

Many players love the lodge and this tournament enough that they return year after year. Twelve of the 20 players in prior years had played all four Hood Rivers. And yet each year, we’re delighted to welcome new players to the lodge. This year, six first-time players will be joining us. 

I’m particularly glad to see several players who identify as women play this event, as women remain underrepresented at many Scrabble tournaments. When we look at the composition of Hood River’s many players, nearly one-third have been women. Despite that statistic, no woman has previously finished in the money. This year, with three of the country’s highest ranked women on the entrants list (Becky Dyer, Cecilia Le, and Kate Fukawa-Connelly), we may very well see a woman take home a wood-burned winner’s plaque. We’ll be awarding prizes and tree-slice plaques to the top four finishers, in addition to a class prize.

Beyond the people, there is much more that this tournament has offered over the years. For two of the four years, we ran an original murder mystery or puzzle hunt - custom written with personalized motives, alibis, and a Scrabble-themed storyline. Puneet Sharma has run a hotly contested and consistently fun trivia night, writing trivia questions that touch on the unique knowledge of all the people present, including spouses and partners. Every year, I make a custom souvenir for each person who comes to the lodge. This year’s souvenir returns to the lodge’s woodsy roots with a wood ornament that features a photo of the beloved lodge on one side and a custom wood engraving with the person’s first initial on the other side.

This year will feature all the usual elements that have made the Hood River tournament a wonderful experience: There will be group outings before and after the tournament to outstanding local brewpubs like Pfriem and Double Mountain. We’ll have tons of great home-cooked food and after-hours Anagrams and board games, all in the same cozy and rustic log cabin that has charmed us for years with its scenic mountain views. And for the first time, players can extend their stay in the lodge an extra night for one more evening of fun and relaxation after they complete 20 games of competitive Scrabble. Maybe this will be the year we finally remember to roast s'mores over the firepit!

All that is to say, I can’t wait for Hood River. I have a giant canvas print of Panorama Lodge hanging over my desk at home, and it reminds me of the fun, camaraderie, and relaxing setting that the lodge provides for everyone who walks in the door. If you’re on the entrants list, we look forward to seeing you there soon. For everyone else, you can follow the action on the CoCo’s social media channels and at cocoscrabble.org/live-coverage.