'TRICENTQUINQUAGENARY'
The winner of The Star's competition to see how many words could be found in "tricentquinquagenary" is Fusae Shigezawa of Amagansett, with a truly mind-boggling total of 7,038. That's right, 7,038!
She wins a dinner for two at the restaurant of her choice.
The two second-place winners, Diane Oppenheimer of Montauk and Eileen Obser of East Hampton, each had the same number of words, 1,434, still an amazing total.
The judges started to check the lists in the Oxford English Dictionary, but eventually threw up their hands in frustration and decided to take the winners' words for it.
None of the entrants used a computer, which was not allowed, but the three winners admitted to using a dictionary, which was quite legitimate.
It seems appropriate that Ms. Shigezawa, who spent evenings in the Southampton College library searching for words, should help after school with the Springs School homework club.
Originally from Hawaii, she has lived on the East End for the past eight years and belongs to a Scrabble group which meets every Tuesday night.
"Once I got into it," she said. "I was racing through, finding more and more words. I felt as if it was my homework assignment. I could have found more, but you have to get on with life - do your taxes and things."
Her list has been turned over to the 350th Anniversary Committee, and may be found in the committee's new office at the East Hampton train station for the duration of the tricentquinquagenary year.
Mrs. Oppenheimer is a self-confessed word game addict who loves diagramless and puns-and-anagrams crossword puzzles and plays Scrabble against herself when she can't find other opponents. Ms. Obser, also a word-gamer, teaches creative writing classes at Southampton College and also at her East Hampton house. They win Star 100th anniversary posters.
The runners-up, all of whom live in East Hampton, are Kinnet Ehring with 857 words, Anne W. Bleich with 791, Joanna Rose with 710, and Joan M. Wyckoff with 648 words. They win Star T-shirts.
Honorable mentions go to Barbara Devaney of Amagansett with 521 words, Marvin Goldberg of Sagaponack with 457, Mary Petrie of East Hampton, 430; Judy Teller of East Hampton, 426; Marilyn Hunting of East Hampton, 423, and Hilary French of Bridgehampton with 400 words.
Adam Hamilton, 11, and Ashley Hamilton, 14, who were visiting East Hampton recently, get a special mention for having found 55 words. (No dictionary.)
Congratulations to everyone who entered the contest. The surprised judges never thought to see such results. As Philip the Bastard declared in Shakespeare's "King John": " 'Zounds! I was never so bethump'd with words."