Martinborough woman Glenys Hansen has shown New Zealand’s top scrabble competitors that age has a place at
the table.
At 82, Glenys won the Georgie Trophy for having the highest rating gain at the New Zealand Association of Scrabble Players national championship, gaining 221 rating points.
The Georgie Trophy is awarded to the player who exceeds expectations and makes the biggest ratings gain.Hansen had an average score of 361.3 and won 15 of the 24 games she played.
“I was totally surprised at winning the Georgie Trophy and also pretty excited,” she told The Star.
She was placed second in GRADE F of the competitions to grade winner Cooper Ashley from Auckland, with Auckland’s Rodney Jardine third inthe grade.
“Cooper was a 16-year-old who will be champion one day. I beat him in one game and he beat me in two,” Hansen said. The major event on the country’s Scrabble calendar drew 68 experienced players and grand masters to Hamilton.
Glenys Hansen described the “nationals” as “a pretty gruelling three days of intense scrabble, with two days beginning at 8:30 a.m. and one at 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. – leaves you mentally exhausted. I came very late to competitive scrabble (in my 80s). I didn’t even know there was such a thing,” previously.
“I like to tell myself that I am not that competitive but yes, I enjoy winning, but also love the game and think all of our club members are great.
“I have belonged to the Martinborough Scrabble Club for around a year. We play every Friday morning at the library. Also I play online and during (Covid) lockdown I had about 40 games going – otherwise it’s just been play with family.”
She explained her “low Category F” player rating as the result of taking part in few rated scrabble competitions.
“Someone warned me after my scores at the National Competitions my grade would go up and so it would be more difficult next time,” she added.
Would she compete? “I heard on the grapevine it is in Christchurch next year so (I’m) not sure but yes I‘m definitely up for more.”
As for her background, Hansen began working at Te Kairanga winery in 1986, became vineyard manager in 1999, and went to Charles Sturt University in New South Wales 1990- 94 as an extramural student (“to learn my job”), graduating in 1994.
“It was fun (and serious) being an international uni student.” She retired from Te Kairanga in 1999 then started a viticulture and vineyard management consultancy in 2000, retiring in 2019. She was also was a director of the bottling plant from 1991 to 2000.
Hansen became what she describes as “a self-supporting Anglican priest” in 2002 and “mainly played an assistant role except for two years when I was priest in charge.”
