Ah, back to the beach. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

It feels crazy to be saying this - jeez, have we really been directing events for this long? - but come this weekend, Jennifer and I will be hosting our fifth annual Oregon Coast tournament.

It's crazy but it's true. I checked and double-checked - there's really been five of these. There was the original Labor Day Oregon Coast Open (LOCO) in 2018, which we held on Rockaway Beach and it went absolutely perfectly in every way. (If anyone tells you of a fire at that beach house, ignore their vile slander, that never happened.) There was the LOCO the following year, in Lincoln City, when everyone spent the weekend trying to guess which candy bar Scott Jackson was middle-named after. There was a 2020 layoff due to the pandemic, a 2021 grand reopening, and a 2022 edition in which we rented our awesomest house yet, complete with a hot tub and pool table and gorgeous ocean views. Now we're back in 2023. The LOCO has given way to the Memorial Day Oregon Coast Open (MOCO), but it's still the same fun event. We look forward to the xOCO every year, and it's gratifying to know that a good cohort of others do, too.

In a lot of ways, I view our annual beach tournaments as a seminal CoCo event - a core part of our organization's history. It's not a coincidence that the 2019 LOCO was the first time that a group of us Scrabblers got together and seriously discussed founding the CoCo. It's also no surprise that when we first started to come out of the pandemic, in mid-2021, the LOCO was the event our players clamored for first. In a lot of ways, this tournament represents everything the CoCo stands for - every year, you can expect a great group of people, great competition, and a fun weekend from start to finish, both over the board and otherwise. And plus, the Oregon Coast is a top-notch location.

I think that last part is especially key. The beaches in Oregon are great - you can enjoy nature, wildlife, great food, great beer and wine, lots of cute little oceanside towns, and beautiful beach access areas all up and down the coast. Just speaking for myself as a director, I can say I'm proud to direct a tournament in a fantastic location like this. And as for Scrabble at large, I think this should be a greater priority. All directors should strive to run tournaments in cool, fun places. Doing so would help attract new players, retain existing ones, and keep everyone coming back year after year.

I came of age as a Scrabbler playing in a wide range of tournament venues. There were plenty of church basements, mall food courts, and libraries where they'd shush you if you announced your score at any volume above a whisper. I enjoyed all of those tournaments, and they all helped shape me into the Scrabble enthusiast I am today. But, truth be told, I think it's important for directors to be constantly striving for better, more attractive, more fun venues. That's something I value highly myself, and when coordinating with other CoCo directors, I try to nudge them in that direction as well.

Anyway: The MOCO is coming back this weekend, and I can't wait. Personally, I'm ready to have a blast, and it warms my heart to know there are a handful of others looking forward to it as well. Let's get after it - let's enjoy the beach, the Scrabble, and each other's company.