stellavision Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 After a disappointing 31st-place finish in 2007, I was determined to do better at this year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. I was in the top 10 in 2005, and wanted to get back in it. I made a conscious decision not to train excessively -- I had done something like 20 puzzles a day in the three months leading up to the 2007 tournament, and it obviously got me nowhere. I knew at this point I needed to work on my accuracy, not my speed, so I started giving myself standing orders like "If that answer doesn't feel right, something is definitely wrong" and "check your work!" I was more accurate this time around, if not perfect the way I wanted to be (but the mistake I made, I would not have caught during a normal end-of-puzzle accuracy check), and pulled myself back up to 12th place. Not good enough to get back into the top 10, but still pretty darn good out of 700 people. As we Phillies fans say, next year, man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Congrats... and cute outfit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellavision Posted March 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Congrats... and cute outfit! Thanks! Hee hee...I figure this is the only occasion of the year at which it is socially acceptable to wear my pajamas in public, so I'm damn well going to do it! Those PJs have gotten me in newspapers, magazines, and a movie (Wordplay) -- not too shabby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenure Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 You're giving Shea a run for his money with that get up! Wait till I tell him about this - him and his penguin-pyjamas will smell the competition in the air. Congrats by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkur Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I was more accurate this time around, if not perfect the way I wanted to be (but the mistake I made, I would not have caught during a normal end-of-puzzle accuracy check), and pulled myself back up to 12th place. Not good enough to get back into the top 10, but still pretty darn good out of 700 people. As we Phillies fans say, next year, man! Congratulations, Stella! 12th isn't bad at all - I have been doing this by mail for the past few years and can only get up to pretty low. I've run across several of the puzzles you have created including the NYT of a few weeks ago and have enjoyed solving them. Keep up the good work! Oh, and I've seen the movie and those PJs are a kick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.