Newswink 12 • 14 February 1981

14 February 1981

An official publication of the North American Tiddlywinks Association
Special tergiversative issue

“Edited” by Rick Tucker

Competition, Statistics, & the Future of NATwA

by Larry Kahn

Over the past several seasons there appears to have been a steady decline in the activity of the so-called “established” winkers. Some people have become completely or partially boondocked but there are others who have been around but just aren’t playing as much. While the reasons for this decline are quite varied, I often hear such things as “the game just isn’t as fun anymore”, “Some people are just here to pad their stats”, or “I wish the games weren’t so serious”. These are probably valid complaints because at least half of the regular season is devoted to some sort of championship or the Easterns, which is usually a pretty serious tournament. Newcomers also seem to have some difficulty in coping with these types of tournaments.

Let’s also look at the statistics aspect of this. Right now almost all tournament results find their way into the statistical history of NATwA. Personally, I like statistics because they lend themselves to numerous interesting discussions although few real conclusions. I look on the present state of NATwA as comparable to baseball in the late 1800s and hopefully someday tiddlywinks will be played on a much broader scale. If this does happen it may be important that we have an accurate and unbroken record from the beginning. It’s already fun to look back on games and seasons 10 years in the past. However, statistics aren’t for everyone and there should be soe tournaments just for fun. Previous fun tournaments such as the Scholastics and to some extent the Westerns have had a very high enjoyment quotient. Perhaps the highest level a winker can attain is to play all games the same, regardless of whether they count or not. I probably won’t ever be able to completely do this, and for most people there will be some difference. In some cases the differences will be large, and for a few people, very small.

As a possible compromise and to increase total winking I propose something like the following: Right now we appear to have centered around 7 “stable” tournaments that happen every year: the HOTT/Harvest, 2 regionals, Continentals, BIT, Pairs, and Singles. These tournaments would be defined as something like [note: continued on page 8] “Official NATwA Statistical Tournaments” and would be treated as they are now. I think we should be a little more conscious of scheduling these tournaments more in advance so people can make definite plans if they want to go.

Other tournaments & get-togethers should be encouraged, particularly within the Boston & Ithaca regions. There are enough people in these areas to have good turnouts & if someone wanted to show up from out of town it would be a bonus. To generate some interest in playing some fun, semi-serious winks why not try out some new and unusual formats.

How about a duplicate winks tournament, to be run much like a duplicate bridge tournament. A team of four tournament in which all possible pairings must be used would enable small groups to play as a team. Ideally there would be four teams, each team changing its pairings after each round.

Another possibility is “designated shooter” in which if a shot comes up that one partner can do better than the other, he or she can take it no matter whose turn it is. Hopefully this rule would not be abused in which case the game degenerates to where one person plays everything and the other just watches.

I’d like to see a match in which the time used to shoot is relevant somehow, like in speed chess. That ought to take care of people like Lockwood and Mabbitt.

There are numerous possibilities including such old standbys as boondock and triples.

I hope this article generates some interest in improving the NATwA season so that more winkers will get and stay involved. Tournaments such as the Scholastics and this year’s Westerns were big successes in terms of winker enjoyment. “Official” tournaments should remain to satisfy that (occasional) statistical craving and to keep our records continuous. I don’t ever plan on putting my squidger down and hopefully there are enough of you out there who feel the same way to keep NATwA going.

Heliotropy

by Sunshine

The 1980-81 winx season has thus far been a very poorly attended one—the HOTT, Westerns, and Easterns each setting match records for least games played. Many factors are responsible for the decline, such as a poor communications network, boondockment, and possibly a reverse reaction to last year’s boom (resurgence at MIT and Cornell and a Somerville revival). What we have is a changing NATwA in terms of location and priorities of its members, a more Continentals-oriented season (regionals not “counting”), but [note: continued on page 9] few new players and a match schedule that has not adapted.

More active communications could help. The poorly publicized HOTT (= the oldtimers still call it that =) led to a very small October field but did point out the future need of a Regional Coordinator (Ross Callon). Lack of a coordinator in Ithaca contributed to the absence of the Toads at the Westerns. However, even had winkers been well-informed about those matches, attendance would probably not have markedly improved and for sure would not have approached last year’s level[.] (Approximate games played totals for the fall the last 3 seasons are: 1978-102, 1979-183, 1980-59).

So who is NATwA and what does it want.

At this point we’re looking at a 6 teams of 8 Continentals, about 50 players. Maybe 20 from the Boston area, 10 from Ithaca, and 20 spread around elsewhere. What is desired by each of these sectors? Last February winkers were asked to comment on what they thought about the Continentals (see Newswink #11). Maybe we need such feedback on the season in general. Larry has made some alternative matches suggestions (see front page article). I offer some additional starting points for these comments.

In Boston little winking takes place outside of matches and MIT meetings. Perhaps a revival of the old TBL—’The Boston League’—could be attempted. In the spring of 1974 volunteers for captains held a player draft to establish teams of 4, going slightly across team lines. Matches were played either at MIT or at winker homes. Such a league would give the opportunity for non-winking interaction (dinner, etc.) and could also serve as a low-key breeding ground for novices (friends who were not interested in breaking in at a competitive NATwA match, etc.). An Ithaca League along the same lines could also be considered. The questions are: would winkers be interested in such activity, and would anyone be willing to facilitate the inception of the leagues.

And what about the scattered contingent. The real boonies (mainly Relix) must resort to air travel and are probably only available for the Continentals no matter how we change the winking season. There is a group of players (mainly Ohio and Chickens) who can travel but time, distance, and other priorities make attendance of more than the Regionals and Continentals unlikely for all but a few. These winkers should comment as to what, if anything, could change this condition, and whether future attendance at the Regionals is in jeopardy. And then there is the Alliance—players willing and able to travel if there were matches to attend. NYC and DC have small winking factions, not large enough to support match play within themselves (what is the critical ‘winkers mass’?) and to this point, unable to create/find many novices. Perhaps reduction of winking interest in Ithaca and Boston concerns these winkers more than it does the players in our traditional winking centers. Haverford (near Philadelphia) is being considered as the site for the 1981 Continentals. Should (could?) it also be thought of for a spring match for the NYC, DC, and Ithaca sectors?

In summary, let me say that we know there is less winking going on—smaller matches and few novices. Is this a problem or an acceptable direction for NATwA? I suggest that team leaders attempt to find out what their teams think about it all, that individual and group preferences be written/verbalized for discussion at this year’s Continentals.

Fading-Out, Burning-Out, Recruitment, Gratitude, Competitiveness, Compromise, and the Future of NATwA

by Fred Shapiro

Over the past 3 years I have probably been more involved with the different aspects of NATwA organization than any other winker. Through these activities I have gradually, sometimes painfully, learned a lot of things about the way NATwA works and the prospects for future development of our game. I would like to take Mr. Kahn’s article as a point of departure for communicating some of the lessons I have come to accept.

Larry mentions a [note: continued on page 10] steady decline in the activity of established winkers. This is an unmistakeable and ominous fact. Taking the list of the 20 players who have played the most tournament games as a good compilation of the most long-term “dedicated” winkers, we find some strong indicia of how widespread this trend really is. Of these 20 veterans, one has completely retired from NATwA (Craig Schweinhart) and one is apparently taking a leave of absence (Dave Barbano). One is virtually unable to be involved due to boondocking (Jim Marlin) and three have their activities severely limited by boondocking (Bill Gammerdinger, Charles Frankston, and Scott Hirsh). I see significant declines in activity in recent years on the parts of Ferd [Wulkan], Bill Renke, Joe Sachs, and Indian; and Sunshine, Severin, and myself appear over the long run to be waning in interest. Bob Henninge and mary kirman are probably limited in their winks involvement by geography, and Rick Tucker will probably feel the effect of partial boondocking as well. This adds up to as many as l6 of the 20 most veteran winkers probably heading downhill in involvement.

I will have more to say on this trend, but let me switch for a moment to the question of expansion, or more precisely the recruitment of new winkers. I wrote a long letter for the May 1978 Newswink setting forth a kind of gospel of expansionism, and sent out in the fall of that year a rather embarrassing letter announcing an expansion-oriented candidacy for SecGen, There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then, and I now view expansion as virtually inconceivable in the current order of things. The number of people in NATwA willing to do any work toward expansion is never more than about a half-dozen; more importantly, it is damn hard to force recruitment however hard you work at it. last year myself, Rick, Ross Callon, and Arye Gittelman made an all-out effort under the most propitious circumstances to restore MITTwA to a self-perpetuating basis, but, according to reports I hear from Cambridge, this attempt appears ultimately to have failed. Cornell’s idea of a new recruit is a High School graduate who enrolls there. Ithaca High School is the only reliable source of novices we have at this point, although Bob and mary have done a notable job of bringing some new people into the game in recent years.

To quote Ross, what does this all mean? It means that if older players fade out, they will not be replaced so easily. There are only a handful of newcomers each year; more importantly, since Joe in 1973 there have been very few newcomers who have stuck around to be major presences in NATwA, Arye being the foremost example. In the face of the fading-out trend discussed above, we’re not talking about expansion, we’re talking about maintaining the current scope of the organization. Since veterans that fade take with them not only their individual presences as other games-playing bodies at tournaments, but a wealth of experience and commitment with regard to sporting skill, general enthusiasm and organizational savvy, it is that much harder to replace them. How would you replace a Sunshine or a Joe? I am not even talking here of the tremendous personal qualities of such people, only of their importance to NATwA in terms of enthusiasm and energy and knowledge-ability. Of course, the personal qualities, which play the biggest part in making the game what it is and encouraging others to stay in, are irreplaceable in an absolute sense. In summary, every veteran we lose is a major loss.

The causes of the general fading-out trend are varied and inevitable. Boondocking is inevitable as time goes on; you cannot stay very active in NATwA outside the Northeast no matter how hard you try. As people get older, they have more responsibilities and demands on their time; our interests diversify and change. In terms of people’s lives, these developments may be natural; in terms of the future of NATwA, they are ominous.

Other long-term trends pose equal threats to tiddlywinks’ future. In various ways, the people who have kept the organization going have become disillusioned with such work. Over the last three years four people have done over 95% of the work in NATwA. I cannot speak for Rick or Joe or Dave Lockwood, but I myself have become somewhat frustrated with working for NATwA, and I suspect they may know what I am talking about. It might be in the future self-interest of NATwA to recognize that it is wise to cooperate with, to encourage and occasionally to thank the people who do the necessary work which all of us benefit from.

So, to the extent that Joe has dropped out from organizing and I intend to to a large extent and others may [note: continued on page 11] have less willingness than in the past, this is a long-term threat. Someone has to reserve the rooms and make the phone calls and sell the equipment and put out the Newswinks or the organization will wither. Equipment is of course the overriding long-range threat to the future of winks? I am told that even the new winks are mysteriously running out now. This threat, however, has been extensively discussed and I have nothing to add to what everyone already knows about it, except to say that I hope that when the moments of real crisis hit there are people around willing to do the work necessary to ensure the continued supply of sets and mats.

So, Larry, you are right that we need to think about how to keep NATwA going. The points you raise tie in with what I have said as follows: there is so much else going on tending to undermine the continued involvement of the veterans who are the backbone of NATwA, we don’t need to add to these factors the element of disillusionment which many, probably most, veterans feel at the over-competitiveness of tournaments. We must provide outlets for winkers who want to get together and play relaxed games. This can be done through low-pressure, imaginitive-format tournaments. Probably these must not be “official” “statistical” tournaments, because some winkers will always get hyper if their stats are implicated.

Probably also this must be done in some form at the Continentals. As I write this (Dec. 4) I do not know what the format of this year’s tournament will be, but I think some of the comments on the sheets at last year’s Continentals, emphasizing the spirit of compromise and flexibility so that “all winkers big and small” can get out of this, our major tournament, whatever it is they look to winks for, hit exactly the right note.

Puzzle Perversion

by Larry Kahn

Fill in the blanks with winkers’ names or winks terms. Warning: some clues may be obscure. Reading down, the boxed letters spell out a message. For clues, the starting letters are listed elsewhere in this issue.

 1 More of these winkers than any other _ _._._
 2 John B.                              _ _._._
 3 Pitty town                             _._._ _ _ _
 4 1.5 pair                               _._._ _ _ _ _ _ _
 5 Top chick                        _ _ _ _._._ _ _
 6 Don't clown around                     _._._ _
 7 Potbound                             _ _._._ _ _ _
 8 Sideways squop                     _ _ _._._ _ _
 9 Colored winker                     _ _ _._.
10 Winks stadium                           ._._ _
11 Wink sink                          _ _ _._.
12 Dive! Dive! Dive!                _ _ _ _._._ _ _ _
13 Mottob                               _ _._.
14 Mixed-up Fred                           ._._ _ _
15 Watergate                          _ _ _._._
16 Wink press                 _ _ _ _ _ _ _._.
17 Honcho                         _ _ _ _ _._.
18 Cleveland team                   _ _ _ _._._
19 Variation of 4               _ _ _ _ _ _._.
20 Some winks just ain't got it            ._._ _ _
21 Occasionally can be your opponent      _._._ _ _ _ _
22 Winks rag                          _ _ _._._ _ _ _
23 Lobdell special                  _ _ _ _._._ _ _ _
24 Down in the                  _ _ _ _ _ _._._
25 Pile mover                              ._._ _ _ _
26 Get me out                     _ _ _ _ _._.
27 Veg-o-maniac                 _ _ _ _ _ _._.

Answers to the Puzzle Perversion.

Dewrinkling and Dyeing Winks Mats

by Larry Kahn

I have had good success in getting a lot of the wrinkles out of cross cut mats and also in dyeing the new mats gray. The method is still somewhat under development and you prabably [sic, should be probably] shouldn’t try it without talking to me first.

Rick Tucker found that a dye such as gray Tintex gives an excellent color. I used about 3/4 of a package emptied into a bathtub that is nearly full. The mat is then loosely rolled and placed in the water. Once in, it becomes waterlogged and WILL STRETCH if lifted out of the water. In water, it is nearly weightless and won’t stretch if you’re careful.

I have had some problems in getting a completely even tint because the mat will have air pockets that must be pressed on by hand to completely saturate them. The biggest problem remains in how to get the mat out and onto the flat pressing surface without stretching it. After trying this twice, I believe the solution is to get a tube such as a mailing tube, but waterproof (maybe plastic) and roll up the mat while it’s still underwater. Then drain the tub, press out the excess water, and roll out the mat on the pressing surface. I am currently using hollow core doors for this.

After the mat is flat, take a rolling pin and run it down the mat, pressing out the excess water. Then let it dry (a few days) and it’s as good as new. For cross-cut mats you should roll them up with the preferred side out since wrinkling of that side is thereby reduced. This is because in a rolled mat the outside is in tension and the inside is in compression.

The first time I tried this I had some stretching so I cut off the excess. This doesn’t appear to have harmed the mat so don’t be surprised to see a few mats with slightly irregular borders. I believe this problem can be completely solved by finding a suitable rolling tube. The second time I used a mailing tube there was a big improvement, but the tube got soggy.

Again, I wouldn’t advise anybody to try this out before talking to me first.

Westernalia

by Matthew Solà

Laidback winks appears to have made at least a small comeback in the Western Regionals this year. The Toads proved themselves the least worried about the outcome by not showing up at all, making the way easy for a quiet tournament. We’re sorry they missed the kind of match they prefer but it was precisely their absence that made the tournament enjoyable. Those remaining were the High School, Cornell, & ECA (aka Dave and his Megalomaniacs). Teams of four played cheerily with the full knowledge that the tournament couldn’t possibly count (= I guess you have to quadrumanous to count it. =), one-upping the East’s post-Western randomizing of regional standings last year.

What made the tournament most pleasant for the fun-in-winks contingent was its brevity. There were one and 1/2 rounds totalling 6 games completed between 10 and 5:30 on Saturday (= 8 November 1980 =). Tempers remained calm as there were no major time pressure disputes about lateness, long lunch breaks, or electronic-quarter-eater time-outs. Even normally intense players (Dragon…) showed unusual ability to play seriously without getting hyper about bad position or missed shots. While playing with a rookie against Doug Young and me he started with very poor position and was quickly trapped by a threatened blitz in heavily protected territory. A strategically tight game by both sides kept Dave and partner Nathan largely underneath. But Dave’s late round potting and my lack of it after Doug and I missed some simple squops in early rounds gave them a 4-3 victory. In that game I proved to be the more volatile player, duplicating the famous “Schiller Shatters Squidger” after missing a 1/2″ squop. (Should anybody find a 1/4″ square of red squidger at North Campus I would appreciate its return.)

I am a strong advocate of ‘keep the game friendly’, ‘play hard and seriously’ and ‘to hell with the score’. But for the extraordinary pleasantness of this last tournament I had begun to think that laid-back winks was on the wane and my retirement was inevitable. Maybe this was not the ideal way to have a Western Regionals, but it was reassuring to think that this type of match could happen. Perhaps now I can postpone my departure from the game.

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Clues to puzzle on page 2: [first letters of each clue word]
1D, 2G, 3I, 4P, 5S, 6B, 7N, 8B, 9B, 10M, 11P, 12S, 13P, 14F, 15S, 16S, 17S, 18I, 19K, 20W, 21P, 22N, 23H, 24B, 25G, 26P, 27S.

1980 Easterns Report

by Fred Shapiro, Esq.

The 1980 Easterns, on the 6th of December at MIT, continued the recent trend of tournaments with record-low turnouts, as only 21 people showed up and, as happened at the Westerns, a 6-game quad format was forced by universal team shortages. Nonetheless, the match had a high enjoyment quotient and provided a model for how a relaxed, friendly team tournament might be conducted. Probably the only purpose of a Regionals nowadays is precisely to have a low-key teams tournament, anyway.

For the record, the newly-formed Alliance won handily with 54 1/2 points. MIT, in the absence of enforcement of singles penalties, edged Relix for second place, 41.4 to 41. MIT now leads Relix by .23 in their recent series of photo-finishes. Chickens placed fourth with 31.1 (= the editor of this precistent journal, dodecaNewswink, butts in to remark upon the unnatural team scores. See article, Sapience vs. Lyssophilia =).

In individual trivia, Ross Callon played a truly impressive tournament, going 5-0 for 29 points. Dave Lockwood extended his NATwA unbeaten streak to 16 games, going 5-0-1, 32 1/2, and Fred Shapiro, Esq., was 5-1, 30. Larry Kahn needed a 6 in his last game to extend his record streak of consecutive tournaments with over a 4 ppg to 22 (since the 1976 BIT). Dave and Larry tied Bill Renke and Ferd, only the second tie in almost 500 games for Dave, and, for Bill, his first since, believe it or not, [the] 1970 BIT.

Pay Time Limit

by *

A new concept in timing winking was unveiled in Ithaca in September. For a mere penny, winkers were granted an hour time limit by Matt’s strange device.

The Secret Squop

a short story contest

Your nonchalant editor often hears murmurs of mesmerizing fiction anxiously awaiting appearance in triskaidekaNewswink. Details elsewhere this issue.

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