1st Lynda Finn headlined a Reinke-less top three with a 3-1 +358 record, ending the 2024 club season on a high note (Christmas and New Years falling on Wednesdays means the 12/18 session was the final session of the year). A first-place finish seemed like a distant dream after a around-one loss to Bryan Benwitz, 322-383, but Lynda quickly rebounded (and then some) with a meticulous dismantling of Dennis Lloyd, 483-420. Her bingos were STANDEE, MINORING, and the phony WINDLIKE* (joining such creative attempts as BOARLIKE*, BONELIKE*, and WHEATLIKE* in the club's illustrious history of phony -LIKE words). In round three, Lynda managed to snatch a tightly-fought win against Richard Lauder, 372-358, despite being outbingoed two to zero (Richard's bingos were SALUTED and PATRONAL). Lynda finished the 2024 season by defeating newcomer James Rollins 425-263, getting down MEDUSAL and RESITES.

2nd Andy Bohnsack continued his recent run of solid play with a 3-1 +187 record. His usual bingo-happy style was not so evident in game one, but his single bingo of FEASTED for 91 points was enough to get the victory against Dennis Lloyd, 411-345. In game two, Andy reversed a four-game losing streak against Bryan Benwitz with a comfortable 457-360 win, finding GOATISH, SAUTERNE, and GRIEVES to Bryan's LAYERAGE and PEAFOWL. A 363-431 loss to Charles Reinke derailed Andy's unstated plan to go undefeated, but a 442-350 triumph over Karl Armstrong in the final round at least gave Andy enough spread to prevail over two other 3-1 finishers for second place. NEURONAL, DARNERS, and STRAWED were Andy's bingos in that one.

3rd Bryan Benwitz wrote the final chapter of his second-straight club championship with a 3-1 +133 record, although his 75% wins, 410 average, and 1.75 bingos/game on the night were all lower than his yearly averages. Things started off decently enough with a 383-322 win over Lynda Finn (playing HIREABLE), but a 360-457 loss to Andy Bohnsack meant that Bryan's total of 4-0 performances in 2024 would remain at fifteen, rather than the marginally more impressive total of sixteen. Bryan got back into his groove with a 431-305 win against Karl Armstrong, 431-305 (including an anomalously low-scoring QUIETENS for 59 - either the Q was a blank or all of UIETENS were blanks and Bryan counted the play incorrectly). His final game was a typically high-scoring 466-423 win against Thomas Reinke, where Bryan's MEDIATED, GYNOECIA, and NEUTERS matched up nicely with Thomas' FRANCIUM, BELCHING, and OLDSTER.

We welcomed two new players, James and Nalina, for the year's final session. James enjoyed uncommon success for a first-timer, going 2-2 with five bingos (including a nice find of OFFSIDE). Nalina did not have as much success against our club's tough level of competition (this writer remembers going 0-2 and not cracking 300 in his first-ever club session).

With the 2024 club season now over and finished, the club championship can now officially be awarded, although the outcome has been basically known for at least a month now: with a 75.3% winning percentage, a 443 per-game average, and 2.14 bingos per game, Bryan Benwitz is club champ for the second year running! All of those stats are improvements over last year's winning % of 74.8%, 438 average score, and 1.97 bingos per game. This latest achievement proves that Bryan's result last year was no fluke, and that years of Reinkeatic tyranny in the Madison Scrabble scene are over (or at least temporarily on pause), to be replaced with a cruel reign of...Bryranny? Okay, that wordplay sucked, but regardless, everybody should be bringing their A-game in 2025 to prevent a Benwitz three-peat.

In second place in the yearly standings was Charles Reinke at a 69.7% win percentage, a club-leading 453 average, and 2.21 bingos/game. Third place was Thomas Reinke, winning 66.4% of his games, averaging an even 450, and playing a club-leading 2.37 bingos/game. Thomas had the highest game of the year with a 651 against Mark Kenas (who had a 650 game of his own), Mark had the highest loss (and the only 500-point loss) with a 515 against Thomas' 525, and Bryan got both the highest-scoring word AND highest-scoring phony with a 212-point MARZAPAN* (he was looking for MARZIPAN there). The highest-scoring real word was Charles' 194-point QUINTALS. The club played 3096 total bingos; ISATINE was the most commonly played, hitting the board six times, with ATONIES and ERASION close behind, getting played five times each.