For many students, the thought of playing a board game on a Friday night does not sound thrilling, especially when it involves spelling and math.
But for one group on campus crafting words is a delicate art form, and the phrase "triple-letter score" is cause for celebration.
For anyone who has seen these students in action, one thing is certain - Scrabble is not just for retirement communities anymore.
H-I-S-T-O-R-Y The Scrabble Club at Ohio State was founded in 2004. A self-described "Scrabble nut," Meaghan Ebetino had been a member of her high school's club, and she was eager to stay in the game.
"When I came to OSU, I was really sad that there wasn't a Scrabble club," said Ebetino, a senior in molecular genetics. "So I got together with some other people in my dorm and started one of my own."
Ebetino took on the role of president and set up shop in Hale Hall, where the club still meets every other week.
From the beginning, Ebetino said she was confident the club would catch on with students.
"It's a good way to get in touch with your nerdy side," Ebetino said. "It really appeals to the dork in all of us."
S-U-C-C-E-S-S In four short years, the OSU Scrabble Club has grown by leaps and bounds.
"We are the first university club to become affiliated with the National Scrabble Association," Ebetino said.
There are now more than 100 recipients of club e-mails, and Ebetino said an average meeting draws about 35 people.
With a rare break in the rain, Friday's meeting was considerably smaller. Even so, 10 dedicated club members took their places at three game boards in a Hale Hall conference room.
At one board sat Matt Johnsen and Liz Tufts, seniors in industrial engineering and theatre respectively, and Adele Vergis, a junior in history and the club's treasurer.
Even though Johnsen was keeping score, it was clear the three were playing for fun, not for bragging rights. They ignored the traditional two-minute turn rule and asked each other for help with words, all the while chatting about classes, football tickets and the previous night's episode of "The Office."
"I'm openly cheating," Johnsen said as he consulted a copy of "The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary."
Currently in its fourth edition, the dictionary contains 654 pages of playable words, spanning from Aa - defined as "rough, cindery lava" - to Zyzzyva - "a tropical weevil."
"Most of the words you use in Scrabble, you don't use in real life," said Jacob Liu, a senior in biochemistry. He added his favorite word to play is Qat (pronounced "cat"), which is a shrub found in the Middle East.
With all the unusual words flying around, even basic vocabulary started to confuse the players.
"W-O-N - is that a word?" Tufts asked.
After being answered by the blank stares of the other players, Tufts burst into laughter.
"Wow," she said. "Sorry about that."
In the end, Vergis W-O-N the game with 244 points. Tufts was a close second with 236, and Johnsen sighed as he tallied his 148 points.
"I never had a chance," he said.
G-O-O-D-B-Y-E With only one meeting left this year, it is almost time for Ebetino to bid a fond farewell to the OSU Scrabble Club.
"It's been such a great experience," Ebetino said. "I'm really proud of how far we've come."
She said she is happy to pass the presidential torch to Vergis, who will take her place at the start of the next school year.
"Adele is an awesome person," Ebetino said. "I'm sad to give this up, but I know I'm leaving the club in good hands."
Students can join simply by showing up at one of the club's meetings on Fridays at Hale Hall.
The club's Web site is scrabbleclub.org.ohio-state.edu.
Kim Setliff can be reached at setliff.3@osu.edu.
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