COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN SCRABBLE PLAYERS' ASSOCIATIONS
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
Friday, April 2, 2021 – 2.00pm in person and by Zoom
The meeting commenced at 2.10pm.
MINUTE TAKER: Carol Johnsen
ATTENDEES : Tony Hunt (NSW, CASPA Youth Coordinator) Martin Rose (Tas, President) Bob Jackman (NSW, President) John Hamilton (ACT, President), Carol Johnsen (Vic, CASPA Coordinator) , Rene Chelton (NSW, CASPA Treasurer)
By Zoom – Nick Ivanovski (Vic, President & CASPA Website Coordinator) Simon Walton (SA, President), Barry Harridge (Vic, CASPA Ratings Officer), Jane Brown (Qld, President) and Graham Bell (WA, President)
CJ thanked NI for the use and organisation of his personal Zoom account to stage the meeting.
APOLOGIES: Martin Waterworth (Qld, CASPA Records Officer) and Richard Birch (NSW, CASPA ATB Editor)
Treasurer's Report: Please note that the Treasurer stands by her reports which were presented to the 2020 AGM and that the comment re the figures not being a true reflection of the accounts is removed from the minutes. Nick Ivanovski had not followed up on his remarks with Rene Chelton as was his intention stated in the minutes.
MOTION: THAT THE MINUTES OF THE 2020 CASPA AGM (AS AMENDED) BE ACCEPTED.
Moved: Martin Rose Seconded: Nick Ivanovski CARRIED
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MOTION: THAT the Rules be amended as follows:
"10.3a (Self-adjudication at external device ) Both players cover or turn face down any tiles on their racks, and proceed to the adjudication computer. The challenger types the word(s) being challenged, the opponent verifies the word(s) and executes the adjudication command.
**10.3b (Self-adjudication via personal electronic device) Both players cover or turn face down any tiles on their racks. **
**Use of the personal electronic device must be agreed to by both players. The device must only be used in adjudication mode. ** This mode must be capable of accepting multiple words to be challenged at a time, but must show the play as acceptable or unacceptable and not indicate which individual words are correct or incorrect."
While in use, the screen must remain visible to both players. The owner of the device must demonstrate that the correct word list is being used."
"10.7 Once the clock has been neutralised (or, without clocks, once the challenge slip has left the table or both players have agreed to self-adjudicate) the challenge may be neither conceded nor retracted."
"PLAYERS' RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
12.1 No dictionaries or word lists in any form may be consulted by the players except for word adjudication for a Challenge as per Rule 10."
MOTION: THAT the CASPA website be moved from NetRegistry (Melbourne IT).
Barry Harridge reported that, as yet, Edward Okulicz has not undertaken this, but it was understood his work commitments were stalling this.
MOTION** : THAT CASPA supports the WESPA resolution –**
RESOLVED: WESPA should adopt the modifications to its Constitution as described in the attached. Note that the name "Crossword Game" to replace "Scrabble" should be understood as a placeholder. LOST
(A vote FOR the motion will also direct the WESPA Executive Committee to reject the proposed update to Collins Official Scrabble Words and take other actions as necessary to do business without a license to use the trademark SCRABBLE.
A vote AGAINST the motion will also direct the Executive Committee to accept the proposed update to Collins Official Scrabble Words and assist Mattel in its implementation.)
MOTION: THAT the criteria set up by Barry Harridge for the Australian qualifiers for the virtual WESPA Championship is accepted.
MOTION** : THAT Barry Harridge and Karen Richards be thanked for their work in setting up the criteria for Australian representatives in the virtual WESPAC tournament in July.**
Moved: Carol Johnsen Second: Nick Ivanovski CARRIED.
MOTION** : Commencing Easter 2021 CASPA awards a National Youth Champion prize to the best performing Australian citizen/permanent resident player in the Championship Division of the Australian National Championship. To be eligible, a player must have qualified to play in the Championship division, must pre-register (so we can validate) and must not have ha d their 16th birthday by the date before the tournament commences. And that this is a perpetual annual award.**
Moved: Tony Hunt Seconded: Nick Ivanovski CARRIED.
Co-Ordinator: Carol Johnsen
Editor ATB: Richard Birch
Trademark (Mattel) Liaison Officer Carol Johnsen
Youth Co-Ordinator: Vacant
Treasurer: Rene Chelton (until such time as John Hamilton would take over (approx.. 6 months)
John Hamilton
Rules Officer: CASPA Coordinator
Web Coordinator: Barry Harridge
Ratings Officer: Barry Harridge
MOTION: THAT the nominations be elected unopposed.
Moved: Jane Brown Seconded: John Hamilton CARRIED.
Co-Ordinator – Carol Johnsen
MOTION: THAT THE CO-ORDINATOR'S REPORT BE RECEIVED.
Moved: Nick Ivanovski Seconded: Martin Rose CARRIED
Editor - _ Across the Board _ – Richard Birch
MOTION: THAT THE _ ACROSS THE BOARD _ EDITOR'S REPORT BE RECEIVED.
Moved: Nick Ivanovski Seconded: Jane Brown CARRIED.
Trademark (Mattel) Liaison Officer - Carol Johnsen
I refer the Council to the following email which Tony Hunt sent to Scrabble discussion which confirms the lack of enthusiasm Mattel (Australia & New Zealand) has to engage in any discussions with us. In my capacity on WESPA Executive, I see that Ray Adler (Mattel, USA) seems to be the only Mattel representative who has the slightest interest in tournament play, so I would be happy to write to him if CASPA wants.
In my capacity as CASPA Youth Coordinator I've decided to seek support and cooperation from Mattel Australia in developing Youth Scrabble in Australia.
In previous posts I have questioned organised Scrabble's continued involvement with Mattel, but given that WESPA have decided to cede to Mattel's requests to make modifications to the word list, to me it makes sense to seek to capitalise on this development.
In the interests of transparency, I will occasionally report here when there is anything to report, subject to any confidentiality requests.
Obviously for Mattel to engage in discussions with any representatives from Australian Scrabble associations or CASPA, there needs to be a clear benefit for the company. Possibly in the past, the company has not seen demonstrable benefits and have therefore reduced their involvement to zero in Australia. They have been involved in the past, and I believe that Mattel are active in other countries promoting tournament Scrabble (e.g. Malaysia).
If its done right, we hopefully will have a situation that Mattel sees as beneficial and sustainable, as well as fostering a new generation of Scrabble players that will ensure continuity of competition through this century.
Whilst we may need to be flexible in initial discussions, some concrete things I am seeking in initial discussions are:
- an agreement to have constructive dialogue;
- support for developing a schools-based network of Scrabble clubs;
- support in promoting annual interschool Scrabble tournaments where teams of the best Scrabble players from each of the schools in the network compete against each other resulting in both individual and team recognitions;
- working Mattel to develop a scalable model that could be rolled out across the country.
- have a look at what is working for Mattel in other countries and explore suitability for Australia.
If discussions proceed well, I envisage that there will be opportunities for existing tournament players to volunteer and help out in the schools. I've already had expressions of interest from a number of NSW players, some of whom have already done preparations such as applying for their Volunteer Working With Children Check (WWCC) (free from Service NSW for volunteers).
Whilst anyone can contact Mattel and say what they like, Mattel are probably well aware of the player opposition to changes to the word list. From non tournament players (e.g. those on Mattel board) this may appear hard to fathom.
So my focus will be on looking for areas of mutual benefit rather than pushing buttons that may be destructive. Such as complaining about their interest in the allowable word list.
So what's happened so far? Not much.
My first 'reach out' was Thursday 4th March when I left a voice message with Mattel's Director of Marketing in Australia, Jacinta Whitehead.
This was followed up with a text message on Saturday 6th March.
There was no reply to either as of yesterday, so I sent another text message at 6pm yesterday asking when would be a good time to call.
No response yet, but I don't give up easily.
I will report on outcome of any discussions should they occur.
_Irrespective of Mattel's involvement, the 2021 Interschool Scrabble Tournament will still go ahead in July. _
Follow this link to the Youth Scrabble in Australia Facebook page and you'll see the flier:
https://www.facebook.com/scrabbleworkshop
I am very interested in hearing from school teachers who have an interest in Scrabble.
Tony Hunt , CASPA Youth Coordinator
Further email from Tony after response from Mattel:
Hello Jacinta,
Thanks for your SMS last evening.
As requested, here is the email. I am pretty sure that I got your phone number from LinkedIn, but it definitely was somewhere freely accessible on the internet.
Recapping, Carol Johnsen, the Scrabble Australia President and Mattel Liaison Officer has authorised me to contact Mattel on behalf of the Association with an intention to explore ways in which we can work cooperatively together. I can provide an example from another country of where this partnership appears to be working really well for both Mattel and organized Scrabble.
Our AGM is coming up soon and I would love to report back that discussions along these lines have commenced.
In NSW we are planning to hold our 6th Interschool Scrabble Tournament this year. Up to this point, we have only had a maximum of 5 primary schools involved, so the scope for expansion is huge, and it seems appropriate that Mattel, as the brand holder, should be foremost in mind when in comes to forging a partnership in this space.
I am very keen to promote Scrabble to the young people of Australia as I have seen the amazing benefits of such promotion in countries such as Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
I look forward to hearing back from you or from someone who is in a position to make some decisions in this space.
I have good availability today - but to ensure that my phone doesn't go to voicemail, maybe you would like to suggest a phone appointment time.
Regards,
Tony Hunt
CASPA Youth Coordinator
Treasurer - Rene Chelton
RI reported that the balance had increased to $17,523. The ACT had yet to pay their October 2019 levy but JH was sure it had been paid.
Note: It was later confirmed by RC that the levy had yet to be paid.
MOTION: THAT THE TREASURER'S REPORT BE RECEIVED.
Moved: Tony Hunt Seconded: Jane Brown CARRIED.
MOTION: THAT RENE CHELTON BE THANKED FOR ALL THE WORK SHE HAS UNDERTAKEN SINCE 2015 AS TREASURER AND A COUNCIL MEMBER.
Moved: Tony Hunt Seconded: Martin Rose CARRIED.
Web Coordinator – Nick Ivanovski
MOTION: THAT THE WEB COORDINATOR'S REPORT BE RECEIVED.
Moved: Nick Ivanovski Seconded: John Hamilton CARRIED.
Ratings & Records Officer's Report – Martin Waterworth & Barry Harridge
SW queried as to why the Results section does not load promptly. BH replied that it has always been a problem, however after speaking with Ed Okulicz, there was not much which could be done now but in the future when Ed was not as busy he would look into it. But BH has now done a landing page which has improved speed.
BH reported that communication to the website should be directed to NRO, i.e. websmaster@scrabble.org.au. The website will be amended accordingly.
MOTION: THAT THE RATINGS & RECORDS OFFICERS' REPORT BE RECEIVED.
Moved: Nick Ivanovski Seconded: Bob Jackman CARRIED.
The Use of Electronic Devices was passed during the year. This has proved very auspicious due to COVID-19 restrictions. There have been initial hiccups with players having to understand the various apps but implementation has been welcome by most players.
BH stated that it was unfortunate that some players were using electronic devices which displayed definitions and parts of speech and he would have like to have had the rule further defined.
CJ pointed out that BH had already written to Trevor Halsall, Vic Rules Officer on this matter, and that BH might like to chase TH up again on this matter to maybe present it to the Victorian committee.
Youth Coordinator's Report – Tony Hunt
MOTION: THAT THE YOUTH COORDINATOR'S REPORT BE RECEIVED.
Moved: Nick Ivanovski Seconded: Simon Walton CARRIED.
TH repored that the virtual youth tournament held in late January/early February has been conducted by Pakistan and had proved to be good from an integrity point of view. The instances of "cheating" found after review of recording of games had been minimal and dealt with appropriately.
NI pointed out that there could be problems with recording of games and consequent privacy issues – there were certain protocols which must be followed, including the safe storage of the material.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Funding criteria for:
Australian Championship (currently $3000)
Masters /State Challenge (currently $3000)
Trans Tasman Challenge (currently $1000)
Host States for –
Australian Championships
2021 New South Wales
2022 Queensland
2023 Victoria
2024 Western Australia
2025 South Australia
2026 Australian Capital Territory
2027 Tasmania
2028 New South Wales
Masters/State Team Challenge
2021 New South Wales
2022
2023
MOTION: THAT A DECISION ON THE STAGING OF THE MASTERS/STATE TEAM CHALLENGE, POSSIBLY IN OCTOBER 2021, BE DEFERRED TILL JUNE 2021.
Moved: John Hamilton Seconded: Bob Jackman CARRIED.
JH was hopeful that all States would be able to participate by October as vaccinations should be well in hand, particularly noting WA. BH said that the qualification periods would possibly be from January to March, and March to July – similar to the criteria for qualification for the virtual WESPAC. It was awkward no matter what.
Trans Tasman
2021 Canberra, Australia
2023 New Zealand
JH reported that it was meant to be held in late 2020 and was now planned for November 2021 at the same time as the ACT State Championship. The venue was holding the deposit to carry forward and they were waiting to see what happened with the Trans-Tasman border and it would depend on whether NZ players did not have to quarantine when they came to Australia, nor when they returned home.
National Championship - nil
Qualification Periods – Barry Harridge
BH undertook to set up criteria qualifications for the Masters/State Team Challenge and to circulate it during the Nationals over the weekend.
MOTION: THAT THE ROLE OF SCRABBLE AUSTRALIA PUBLICITY OFFICER BE CREATED AND THE COMMITTEE APPROVE A DEFINITION OF THE ROLE.
Moved: Tony Hunt Seconded: Carol Johnsen CARRIED.
THoffered to do a bullet point list and present to the Council. It was hoped that someone could be identified who was not particularly in a committee role but could try out their media skills.
MOTION: THAT A SCRABBLE AUSRALIA YOUTH COMMITTEE BE CREATED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE YOUTH COORDINATOR.
Moved: Tony Hunt Seconded: Carol Johnsen CARRIED.
MOTION; THAT DISTRIBUTION OF ACROSSTHE BOARD IS BY PDF ONLY TO STATE MEMBERSHIP OFFICERS AND THAT THE CASPA QUARTERLY LEVY IS REVISITED IN LIGHT OF THIS.
Moved: Bob Jackman Seconded: Martin Rose WITHDRAWN.
BJ was of the opinion that States should pay for their own printing if done by CASPA Editor. In NSW, if printed copies were mailed out, there was an extra $10 put on top of a member's annual levy to cover postage.
It has been suggested that the costs should be divided up as per numbers of printed copy sent to each State.
John Hamilton reported that he would abstain until he had discussed this with his ACT committee.
It was pointed out to BJ that, until such time as he presents a written case for revisiting the CASPA quarterly levy, it was inappropriate to proceed with the motion.
The motion was withdrawn.
The criteria for the virtual WESPA Championship was approved and is at http://scrabble.org.au/ratings/selective/2021WSC.html
Strategic Plan
MOTION: THAT CASPA CREATES A STRATEGIC PLAN TO IDENTIFY AND DOCUMENT KEY GOALS FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS AND LIST AGREED ACTIONS THE COMMITTEE WILL TAKE TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS.
Moved: Simon Walton Seconded: Nick Ivanovski CARRIED.
SW suggested we work on the Strategic Plan post-AGM.
Discussion ensued on whether or not it was up to CASPA or the individual States to determine their own paths. However, it was agreed that as membership numbers were declining across the country, it would only help that the States did more on a sharing basis of what was happening to encourage membership. A CASPA Strategic Plan would help in coordination of ideas and suggestions included seeing whether CASPA Council should be meeting more than once a year and the encouragement of more participation in Scrabble social and discussion groups as it had been noted there was a marked decrease in its numbers as people had not moved across from yahoo groups.
MOTION: THAT MEMBER STATES OF CASPA CAN CHOOSE WHICH COLLINS SCRABBLE WORD SOURCE (CSW19 OR CSW19X) TO USE IN THEIR COMPETITION PLAY, WITH ALL GAMES PLAYED BEING INCLUDED IN THE EXISTING RATING SYSTEM.
Moved:** Bob Jackman Seconded: Martin rose WITHDRAWN.**
With the imminent printing (approximately 6 months' time) of a revised word list by Collins (CSW19X) after the expurgation of around 400 "hate" words by Mattel, discussion ensued on the ability for States to choose their own word reference. The Council agreed that the Mattel action was wrong, just because some politically-motivated people don't like the words and that it was setting a precedent that could open up a whole Pandora's box.
The Council reached the consensus that there was no impediment in the CASPA constitution nor the criteria for holding tournaments which dictated the choice of word reference. A suggestion was that there might need to be a separate rating system , however there was clear evidence of States choosing their own word references when, back in the early '90's, the single/double dictionary debate saw one or the other form of word reference being used with no penalty.
CJ mentioned that it was unclear whether WESPA-rated tournaments within Australia would be governed by the need to use CSW19X if they wished to be WESPA-rated.
Bob Jackman withdrew the motion.
MOTION: THAT THE OUTLINE OF HOW THE WEBSITE WOULD BE SET OUT AS SUBMITTED BE ACCEPTED.
Moved: Carol Johnsen Seconded: WITHDRAWN.
MOTION: THAT CAROL JOHNSEN BE PERMITTED TO ENTER DISCUSSIONS WITH BARRY HARRIDGE AS TO WHETHER TO EDIT THE CURRENT WEBSITE OR TO DRAW UP A NEW TEMPLATE.
Moved: Carol Johnsen Seconded: WITHDRAWN
BH reported that he had moved off the server which CASPA had been using and was now using and paying for it on his own server. When he had time he would look into the acquiring one for CASPA and would seek out Daniel Piechnick's advice in that regard.
CLOSE: 4.20pm.