From spelling bees to Scrabble

I was never all that great at spelling bees. I still remember the last one I participated in, and the word I misspelled — “diagonal.” I added an extra letter in there somewhere, and quickly took my seat with the rest of the students who had struggled with similar challenges.

Orry Swift probably never had that problem. A former spelling bee champ, Swift — now a senior finance major at Baylor — has shifted his focus from spelling bees to Scrabble. And he’s good — real good. In fact, when you’re flipping channels later this month and come across a Scrabble tournament on ESPN, pause for a moment; the player you’re seeing might just be Orry.

The 4th-ranked Scrabble player in Texas, he’ll be competing in the National Scrabble Championship in Orlando July 25-29. He explains some of his strategy in this Waco Tribune-Herald article and offers tips in the accompanying video. Maybe these sorts of tips will help the next time someone breaks out the Scrabble board at a family reunion.

Sic ’em, Orry!