Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Discussion and announcements relating to unofficial Countdown competitions, held online or in real life. Observation, discussion, reflection, and other stuff ending in -ion.
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L'oisleatch McGraw
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Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

TL;DR summary:
~It will probably be a socially distanced event with hand sanitiser and facemasks.
~We worked within these parameters last year, and it worked well.
~The numbers are provisionally capped at 24, but if social distancing rules are relaxed in the interim, we will review that.
~It costs €15 for those who have sorted out their own accommodation.
~It costs €50 for anyone who is availing of our campsite facilities.
~Overseas guests will be welcome to attend, subject to whatever quarantining rules are in place at that time (if any)
~The Saturday night usually consists of a pub sing-song. I hope this will be the case for 2021, but cannot guarantee it.
[Event facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/275002497528932]

--------------------------------------

WHAT IS IT?
Based on Channel 4's flagship daytime TV quiz show, this will be a chance to partake in a real life Countdown tournament, in a rural setting. We'll have consonants, we'll have vowels, we'll have numbers. We may not have Rachel Riley to dispense them, but we'll certainly have someone equally glamorous [TBC] who will be co-hosting.

--------------------------------------

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS.
Like with the 2020 edition, we are unsure if this event will go ahead at all this year, as we're still in the grip of a worldwide pandemic... and indeed if the COVID situation worsens, it will have to be cancelled. However, as our event is scheduled for a Summer month after an extended lockdown, and with vaccines being rolled out... it seems feasible to be cautiously optimistic. Even so, there will be certain safety measures in place at Co:Wat?! 2021. We are probably capping the number at 24. The venue could accommodate around 26 players using the correct (2m) social distancing, but we're going to go with a max of 24 people just to be extra safe, and it is a good number to work with as it gives us 3 quarter final groups. There will also be numerous readily accessible hand-washing points. (These are the same precautionary measures that worked well in 2020.)

--------------------------------------

WHO CAN COME?
Anyone at all! Having an interest in anagramming, word games, or puzzles would certainly make it more fun for you, but that is not a requirement. The event caters for all abilities. Some players will be very skilled, but many will be beginners. There will be prizes on offer at each ability level... so whether you are expert, intermediate or novice, there is a chance of coming away with a prize.

--------------------------------------

WHERE IS IT?
The event will be held in the Carbally Community Centre in Ballymacaw, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, Ireland. (At the heart of the sunny South East. :)) The Community Centre is located a 5 minute walk from a beach and around a 7 minute walk from the two local pubs, Dowers and Whites. The venue is very spacious, and contains kitchen facilities.

--------------------------------------

HOW WILL IT WORK?
It kicks off at 10:30am, and will be conducted using the Bristol-style classroom format. Everyone gets to see the same sets of letters and numbers, and to play them at the same time. Each person will have a direct opponent assigned. These match-ups will be drawn at random just before the start of each game. Everyone is guaranteed 8 games during the day. The results of the early matches (five 9Rers) will determine the composition of the different quarter final groupings. After lunch we play the QFs SFs and finals for each grouping of 8 players. These matches will be 15Rers. The top 8 (sorted by number of wins, then number of points) will contest the quarter final group from which the event winner will come. The final game to determine the event winner will be the only game that won’t be done in the classroom-style setting. It will be a stand-alone match, and everyone will be welcome to stick around and spectate if they so wish.
.
After dinner, we might* stroll down to Whites for a few games of pool, followed by an evening of music. Can’t bate the oul singsong! 🙂
*This depends on coronavirus best practise at the time. If the pub is not an option then we shall think of a socially distanced alternative for the afters.

--------------------------------------

COSTS INVOLVED.
Once again the aim is to make this as cheap as possible while still covering costs. This year there are two price plans:-
.
~PLAN #1 [FULL PACKAGE]:- €50 …includes the event, access to a camp site, and up to 4 meals during your stay.
.
~PLAN #2 [EVENT ONLY]:- €15 …includes the event and a gourmet lunch (no... really, ask anyone who's been before, Finola has a talent when it comes to all things culinary!).
.
I would expect that many of those travelling to Waterford for this would need accommodation. Most years we can provide decent dormitory accommodation very cheaply, but this year is different and our options are limited. We can only offer a camp-site. We will provide 3 large tents, each of which can accommodate 6 people, but we will only allow 4 people per tent... so that is 12 spaces. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag, air bed, pillow etc. (If you are concerned about social distancing, it is advisable to bring your own tent just to be sure. There is plenty of space in the campsite. For your €50 you are getting 2 nights access to a camp site specially kitted out for Co:Wat guests (with toilet / basic kitchen facilities), the event, breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Saturday, and also breakfast on Sunday.
€15 is the price available for Waterford natives, or anyone else who has their own accommodation sorted. The price includes the event, and lunch on Saturday.
Other items that are provided throughout, free of charge, include:- 1. Pens and paper to use; 2. Coffees, teas, and some soft drinks; 3. Snacks.
(We are hoping all of this will be doable without operating at a loss financially. If we get 20 players or more, it is possible.)

--------------------------------------

BOOKING DETAILS.
We can only guarantee a place in our tents to the first 12 people who apply, and need a place to sleep, thereafter, you'd need to bring and pitch your own tent, or sort out your own accommodation in a local hotel or B&B.
As mentioned novel coronavirus dictates that our venue cannot cater for more than 24 players. (I will keep this page updated with what the numbers currently stand at...)
To book your place at Co:Wat?! send the payment to Eoin Jackson via paypal at the address ayum@live.ie. (please remember to select 'payment to friends & family') Alternatively make out a cheque to Eoin Jackson and send it on to 33 Shanakiel, Coxtown, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford. Or you can pay on the day. (Payments on the day cannot be done by card.)

--------------------------------------

FLIGHTS, TRAVEL, etc.
If you are coming from overseas, the best options are to fly into Cork or Dublin. Both of these are approx a 90min drive from Waterford. Bus and train would be available to the city, and we can arrange a lift to the venue from there (for free, obviously). For anyone who would rather take the Ferry. There are regular sailings into Rosslare harbour from Pembroke and Fishguard in Wales. (Rosslare is a 60min drive from Dunmore East.)
For anyone travelling within Ireland, if you can make it to Waterford, we can provide a lift to the venue for you. If you are using Sat Nav, “Carbally Community Centre, Ballymacaw” should work fine.
[More details to go here as they come available.]

--------------------------------------

I think that’s everything for now! If you have any queries, leave a comment on this thread, or contact me (Eoin Jackson) via a facebook private message.

So if you fancy a few games of Countdown potentially followed by a swim on the beach, come to Waterford in the sunny South East of Ireland this July! Hope to see you there. 🙂

--------------------------------------

LIST OF CONFIRMED ATTENDEES (as at 10-07-21)
[C= Appeared on CD. | A = Apterite. | N = Co-event Newbie.]

1. Alan O'Sullivan [N / A]
2. Annette Martin
3. Gerry Tynan [C / A]
4. Mark McDonnell
5. Jessamine O'Connor [C / A]
6. Roger Stevens
7. Kevin Jackson
8. Liam Thomas Davis
9. Sarah Langan
10. Eddy Byrne [C / A]
11. Elaine McCormick Dunne
12. Liam Holton [A]
13. Dick Winters
14. Sarah Tynan [N]
15. Brendan Duke [C / A]
16. Troy Joseph Prendergast [A / N]
17. Muhammad Fakhar Usman [N]
18. Seán Lonergan
19. Mary Grehan [N]
20. Finola Jackson
21. Michelle Jackson
22. Annalisa Byrne

Our 23rd player pulled out on the morning of the event :/
We had 4 TV contestants, 7 Apterites, and 5 co-event novices in attendance.
Last edited by L'oisleatch McGraw on Tue Jul 27, 2021 4:16 am, edited 28 times in total.
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Edward McCullagh
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Edward McCullagh »

I'm in Waterford the week after :(
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Edward McCullagh wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 5:47 pm I'm in Waterford the week after :(
Funny you mention that.
Originally it was supposed to be scheduled for that very weekend, but there are two regulars who cannot make that date, so it got pushed back.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Excellent news on this:-

It is open to UK guests!!! :D :D :D
There are travel restrictions between ROI and Britain, however there are no restrictions between NI and Britain, and no restrictions between NI and ROI.

So, if you are UK based and keen to come to Ireland for a cheap holiday at the end of July (that includes a co-event) here's what you do:
1. Take your car.
2. Pack a tent and some bedclothes.
3. Sail from Liverpool (8hrs) or Scotland (2.25hrs) to Belfast.
4. Drive from Belfast to Waterford.
5. Pitch your tent in our campsite (available from Friday 23rd till Tuesday 27th if required).
6. Enjoy Co:Wat, and the associated after party.
7. Do some sightseeing (tourism tips available, incl. some good off the beaten track spots).

If this sounds like the type of cheap and wonderfully anagrammy holiday you'd like to take advantage of this Summer, get in touch with me via facebook messenger.

(We have 15 confirmed and 6 strong 'maybe's so far, so don't wait too long to get your name in the mix.)
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

We are at 20, with a few "maybes".
Very close to filling our initial quota of 24.

If demand continues at this rate we will have to look into what we can do to accommodate bigger numbers safely. But for now the limit is 24, and we are nearly at it. If you are toying with coming, it may be time to get in touch. You can message me here or via facebook to register interest.

[Original post updated list of confirmed attendees]
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Just updated the contestant list above.
Now 21 confirmed entrants... and a key to show some more info about each person:-

[C] = They have appeared on Countdown.
[A] = They are (or have been) an Apterite.
[N] = Newbie alert! Co:Wat 2021 will be their first co-event.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

The theme for Co:Wat 2021 has been decided! :)

2017 - Waterford
2018 - Oirishness
2019 - G.O.A.T.
2020 - Plague

and...

2021 - ZoomDown!
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Gavin Chipper »

I'm not sure why you're showing a minute or so of irrelevant Zoomdown stuff before announcing each contestant. It doesn't seem to connect well.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 8:30 pm I'm not sure why you're showing a minute or so of irrelevant Zoomdown stuff before announcing each contestant. It doesn't seem to connect well.
Odd. I thought u were smart re: seeing connections etc. Perhaps I'd best re-evaluate my existing assumptions about Gevin! :shock:
The theme of this year's Co:Wat?! is Zoomdown. There's always a theme, and it will run throughout the event.

As ZD is YT based, YT intros seemed the way to go, and ofc those videos will be ZD related (as that is the theme). The specific ZD clips chosen will often bear some relevance to the Co:Wat contestant in question... some of these connections are blatantly obvious (like with the talk of the Irish events scene in Gerry Tynan's video. Everyone knows that Gerry is one of the good eggs of the scene who makes an effort to support all the Irish co-events where possible.), some connections, less so (like the 'bring a friend' references in Roger's video. Not everyone would know that Roger comes along as Jess's +1), and there will be some in-jokes featured too.

The most important thing is that the contestants themselves get the references and enjoy the videos.
And for anyone who cannot join the dots, these videos will still:-
a) Reveal the contestants one by one.
b) Contain a (not excessive) amount of ZD footage, which may help spread the word a bit that ZD exists, and that can't be a bad thing.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Gavin Chipper »

I saw that Zoomdown was the theme, but it still seems overdone and a little bit irrelevant. I'm also not really sure what it means to have Zoomdown as a theme for the event in practice. E.g. if you were having a Hallowe'en theme, people might dress up as witches or ghosts, but Zoomdown doesn't really lend itself to "theme".
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Don't worry Gevin, I'll make it work. :)
Feedback is positive from the contestants themselves thus far, so that's the main thing.

But I acknowledge your inability to understand it, and you have my sympathies.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

With cancellations from Niall, Kevin S, Maria & her daughter, Richard, Pat, Mary & Damian... and with Kevin O'S as a pretty shaky maybe, the number actually stands at 22 for now. It would not surprise me if there were more dropouts B4 Saturday (as we live in Delta times), but am sure we will have at least 16 players, which is enough for two QF groupings. So that will do.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Happy Co:Wat?! day everyone!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

The final is set to take place at 6pm, and will be live streamed to here:- https://youtu.be/pyYU6lF-czY

Also, I hope to do a general live stream of the entire event game by game... and those don't have a direct link, but they will start from 11am on my YT channel:- https://www.youtube.com/user/EoinJackson

Enjoy!
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Callum Todd »

Good luck all taking part! Will try drop in to the live streams when I can; great idea Eoin.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Rhys Benjamin »

Don't leave us hanging for results, Eoin... there's several hopelessly complicated wiki pages to update, you know...
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

HALF-TIME standings

Image

FULL-TIME placings

Image

Congrats to all the prize winners of the day!
1st - EDDY BYRNE (3 in a row now!)
2nd - Brendan Duke
3rd - Troy Prendergast
............................
1st [B-Group] - Elaine McCormick Dunne
2nd [B-Group] - Mark McDonnell
3rd [B-Group] - Kevin Jackson
............................
1st [C-Group] - Mary Grehan
2nd [C-Group] - Liam Thomas Davis
3rd [C-Group] - Annalisa Byrne
............................
Last Place - Muhammed Fakhar Usman
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Co:Wat?! 2021 [The AFTERWORD]

-----------------------------------------

~INTRO~

When the strange COVID edition of Co:Wat?! came to a close in August 2020, we were relieved and very much looking forward to things being back to normal for 2021… As the event loomed closer and closer, it was clear that we were going to have more of the same, but with the added challenge that indoor events were now banned! More zombie apocalypse fare, but with new obstacles to overcome. Time to crack out the marquee, and to try rally all local and Irish Countdown fans once again. 22 brave souls in the end, tied with 2017 as our 2nd highest turnout to date! FOCAL chair Callum Todd pointed out that the most recent co-event on the calendar before Co:Wat 2021, was indeed Co:Wat 2020, and that it was quite the feat to organise something like this given the world we live in… and while I am pleased that we have now become proficient in how to run in-person events in a pandemic, I sincerely hope we won’t be going for a hat-trick of such events in 2022!

-----------------------------------------

~ATTENDEES~

.
[Host] Eoin Jackson*~ [AS]
.
1. Alan O’Sullivan [AP]
2. Annette Martin*
3. Gerry Tynan*~ [AS]
4. Mark McDonnell*
5. Jessamine O’Connor* [ASP]
6. Roger Stevens* [P]
7. Kevin Jackson*~ [P]
8. Liam Thomas Davis*~ [P]
9. Sarah Langan* [P]
10. Eddy Byrne*~ [ASP]
11. Elaine McCormick Dunne*
12. Liam Holton* [AP]
13. Dick Winters*
14. Sarah Tynan
15. Brendan Duke* [AS]
16. Troy Joseph Prendergast [AP]
17. Muhammad Fakhar Usman
18. Sean Lonergan*~
19. Mary Grehan
20. Finola Jackson*~
21. Michelle Jackson*~
22. Annalisa Byrne~
.
Key:
* = Attended Co:Wat before.
~ = Attended other co-event before.
A = Apterite
S = Has already appeared on the TV show, Countdown.
P = Has definite plans to apply for Countdown in the future.

.

~BREAKDOWN~

.
1. Of the 22 participants, there were 9 female and 13 male.

.
2. There were FIVE co-event novices in attendance, namely Alan, Sarah T, Troy, Mo and Mary.

.
3. Of the newbies, Troy made the biggest splash, with his 3rd place finish. This bodes well for his future TV appearance. Alan also performed very well, finishing 7th, but accumulating the 3rd highest points total of the day. The C quarter-final grouping was won by a newbie, so congrats to Mary on that.

.
4. We had 28 players signed up.
There were EIGHT dropouts, including SIX during the week running up to it (one of which was on the morning of the event).
There were also TWO late additions (both co:wat newbies)… Mary is Sarah L’s scrabbling friend, and she found out last minute that she was free to accompany Sarah. Eddy’s mother, Annalisa, was another late addition. Her attendance dependant on whether her dog could come too!

.
5. For the 2nd year running, no UK-based players attended. (Not surprising, given the times we live in.) Just seven of the participants would describe themselves as "Apterites".

.
6. Eight of the players had appeared at co:events other than Co:Wat before (mostly Co:Dub tbf). Of the remainder, nine had appeared at a previous edition of Co:Wat.

.
7. Of the 22, three stayed over in the campsite.

-----------------------------------------

~TIMELINE~
.
Fri 4:30pm – Trophies, prizes and last of the supplies bought and/or collected.
Fri 5:00pm – First arrivals at the campsite in Brownstown.
Fri 10:30pm (ish) – No technical run-through possible this year, as projector is inexplicably AWOL.
Fri 11:00pm (ish) – Tables and chairs set up with social distancing in mind. Centre not decorated though.
Sat 4:00am (ish) – Conundra docs ready for the morning.
………….
Sat 7:30am – Up early to trial run some technical elements for the live stream.
Sat 10:00am – Players arrive at the venue.
Sat 10:30am – Proposed start time & many delays.
Sat 11:20am – Draw for Round 1 of games.
Sat 11:30am – Start of play for the morning session.
Sat 2:50pm (ish) – Lunchtime!
Sat 4:05pm – Start of play for the afternoon session.
Sat 7:10pm – End of play for all but one game.
Sat 7:20pm – Grand final begins
Sat 8:00pm – Presentation of Trophies and Prizes.
………….
Sat 9:45pm – Singsong begins for the campers and a few others.
Sat 11:40pm – Back at the camp-site.
Sun 2:45am – Bedtime for a few hardcores at the camp-site.
………….
Sun 7am-2pm – Breakfast / packing / recuperation!
Sun 12:30pm – All campers departed for the long journey home.

-----------------------------------------

~NOTEWORTHY~
.
1. For the first time ever, Apterous was used as the engine to run the event rather than Matt Bayfield’s “Countdown picker” spreadsheets. It ran seamlessly throughout the event, so that was great. Also, it meant the letters selection resembled what you get on the show. No 4-i-ed monsters for us this year! However, there were very few 9’s throughout the day. But thankfully, we did have some, so we got to crack out our newly pimped clip of P!nk’s “So What” with the lyrics changed so she sings “Co:Wat?!” instead. Pretty nifty! 😊 We had 9’s from [NTLAEIHOS] IN Game #3; [TNSUIREAN] in Game #5; and from [VTTEIASCA] and [SNGROAEOM] in the Grand Final. (The only one that went completely unsolved was the 4th of the day.)
.
2. Our 2021 theme was “ZOOMDOWN”. Zoomdown is an online CD sensation conceived by Ashwin Abinashi and implemented by Callum Todd and Paul Anderson, whereby contestants play games of Countdown over Zoom videoconferencing software, using Apterous. There were supposed to be Zoomdown decorations, but time ran out before they could be finished. The theme manifested itself firstly via the series of videos announcing each entrant, then on the day we had several ZD-themed conundrums throughout, and the entire event was live-streamed, just like episodes of Zoomdown are. (The live streams are still available to view on my YouTube channel.)
.
3. You could argue that we got very lucky with the weather. All week we were enjoying a scorching heatwave, but the rain was forecast for Saturday. However, the rain held off, as did the blistering heat… but it was still a lovely day to sit outside and have lunch al fresco, aka absolutely perfect conditions. A few random gusts did cause the walls of the marquee to flap around from time to time, and we had to move the Countdown teapot and kryptonite to a safer location… but these were minor considerations. Our luck eventually ran out, but much later. In the wee hours of Monday morning, the marquee was still up, until some high winds caught it and blew it into a neighbouring field of barley, buckling some poles in the process.
.
4. Another precedent set, as we had the first non-human competitor at a co-event! Annalisa was happy to play as long as her canine counterpart was allowed play along. And Tilly, to her credit, held her own. She was the first to bark in with the answer to the conundrum dedicated to her mistress [ABIGBYRNE]. However, she did get a little drunk and disorderly by the end of the day, and started a few rows, notably with Brendan and Liam… earning her the rather cruel nickname of “Killy”!
.
5. Food on the day included lunch [baked potatoes, broccoli & tomato salad, three bean salad, grated carrot salad, coleslaw, cold cuts of ham / chicken / egg + Eton Mess for dessert], snacks of chocolate (Heroes & Celebrations)… No-one went hungry anyway! For drinks, there was free flowing tea, coffee and delicious deluxe raspberry juice with lashings of ice (my drink of choice on that warm day).
.
6. There were no fewer than THREE parent/child combos in attendance! We had Gerry & Sarah, Annalisa & Eddy, and the traditional Michelle & Kevin. In the 5th game of the day, the random draw threw up two parent vs child pairings! As our winners were Gerry and Eddy, the score was parents 1, kids 1. We needed to see Michelle and Kev in action to break the deadlock, but sadly it was not to be.
.
7. No surprise with those parent/child results though as, along with Brendan, Troy, Alan, and Jessamine; Gerry and Eddy were two of the players seeded in the draw. And the tournament largely went with the seeding, but for Sean and Michelle finishing higher than Jessamine in the halftime standings, and Sean finishing above Alan overall. The David vs Goliath award would go to Elaine for her win vs Jessamine in Game #1, Finola for her win vs Mark in Game #2, and to Troy for his performance against Gerry in the bronze medal match.
.
8. I had a ZD-themed T-shirt ordered as our last place prize this year, the text would have read “’Justice for Matt, James and Ashwin’ -P. Anderson, 2021”, but it wasn’t ready in time, so it got cancelled. Instead there was an inspirational “I am, I can – 365 affirmations for kids” book for last place along with a bottle of bubbly to drown the sorrows. Our winner also got a bottle of sparkling wine and a box of luxury chocolates. Trophies were given for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, B winner, and C winner. Other prizes included crosswords books, superhero masks, party blowers, and Ferrero Rochers (with which we were really spoiling everyone).
.
9. Like with most years, there were many candidates for “Word of the day”… almost everything declared by Eddy, for starters! Here are some of the contenders:- HOMELAND, MIAOWED, RIGADOON, LECTERN, NOUNAL, ODDBALL, EXTRANET, AIRWOMEN, POETESS (which Jessamine did not see! :O), EVOLUTE, SEAHORSE, PALADINS, RITORNEL, XENOTIME, PARIGOT, PETIOLUS, TRIVIA, and three of the four nines of the day. There were 14 letters rounds that no-one maxed, they were: [TFVREEUEW], [RGSEALIDV], [SUXAPUBIS, -yes the letters really spelt that out!], [DVFIELETU], [VZNIIAFCS], [RNZAAUTER], [VNMYSOEOL], [NCRTOOIAA], [IOIRRSIPH], [CNEAOKVNE, easy enough one tbh], [NOVEGIRIP], [CRZWAIIOY], [NMRHIEEAB] and ofc [SNGROAEOM].
.
10. It was very heartening to see so many Irish Countdown fans coming out to support one of the few events we have in this country. Each one of them genuinely deserves a “Spoon of Awesome” for truly having the best interests of the community/game at heart. On the subject of fostering the development of the Irish scene, Jessamine and Roger went away from Co:Wat on a mission. They are all fired up and determined to bring the West of Ireland its first ever Co-Event in 2022. 😊 It will be named Co:Sli or possibly Co:Mon (for Monasteraden)… and she has already negotiated a venue! Talk about get up and go! Watch this space.

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~QUOTES~
.
“Great event, looking forward to next year already, well done to all involved in the organisation!!”
-Elaine McCormick Dunne
.
“That’s 3 in a row now!”
-Eddy Byrne
.
“that was brilliant, thanks again 🙂 i am now on a MISSION to get it going in Monasteraden…”
-Jessamine O’Connor
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“Made a new playlist of the streams [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... P9t2zBUZOh]. Now going to have fun watching again as the rain falls in Dublin..”
-James Grant
.
“That’s why she’s on a short leash…”
-Annalisa Byrne

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~SCORING~

And now to the key part of the report… How did the games go, and what were the final standings? Those stats will be included in the comments underneath this status… Standby for that…
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Some photos from the day.

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2021 champ and his entourage!

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We had some masks and blowers spare for Ellie and Leeny.

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Mark, Mo, Annalisa and Dick chilling at lunchtime

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Sarah, Mary, Roger, Jessamine, Finola & Elaine

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Gerry, Liam & Sarah

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Liam!

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Our finalists, pictured at lunchtime before they knew they'd be battling for the trophy.

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Troy, Gerry, Sarah... and Brendan in the background checking the horses!

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Sean, Annette, Alan, Michelle, and Kevin.

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Annalisa, 3rd in C group.

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Liam, 2nd in C group.

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Kevin, 3rd in B group.

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Elaine, B group WINNER!!!

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Mo, plucky last place prize winner!

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Troy, 3rd PLACE!!!

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Brendan, RUNNER-UP for the 2nd year in a row!

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Eddy takes his 3rd consecutive Co:Wat?! trophy!

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Eddy, FIRST PLACE!

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Eddy having just completed the hat trick...

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Annalisa & Tilly

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Kids with their Co:Wat prizes!

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Mary, Liam, Tilly & Annalisa

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Mo, Liam, Sarah & Dick

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Michelle & Alan

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Jessamine

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Roger, Elaine, Kevin & Mark

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Sarah, Gerry, Troy & Finola

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Thumbs up to Apto for being a reliable engine to help us run a successful and fun day! :mrgreen:
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Callum Todd »

Looks like a great event Eoin. Thanks so much for putting on BOTH of the last two FOCAL events. I've updated the FOCAL league standings here. Not sure if Tilly needs any FOCAL points for her attendance here? :)

Will do a little write up for the FOCAL site once I get chance.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Rhys Benjamin »

Haven't checked, but if I managed to get the wiki scores 100% correct I will be happily amazed.
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

Callum Todd wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:12 pm Looks like a great event Eoin. Thanks so much for putting on BOTH of the last two FOCAL events. I've updated the FOCAL league standings here. Not sure if Tilly needs any FOCAL points for her attendance here? :)

Will do a little write up for the FOCAL site once I get chance.
Thanks.
Hold off a little on any write-up till I have the final part of the Afterword report done (the conundra & results).
Meant to do it today, but had a seizure, which always knocks me back for a couple of hours.. :/ Will get on it now.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by Callum Todd »

Sure, just give me the green light when you're ready. Hope you're feeling okay.
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

CONUNDRUM - GAME #1.
(This one dedicated to the countdowning machine and racing guru, Brendan Duke.)
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CONUNDRUM - GAME #2.
(Who is the Edwardest Edward? Nope, not Edward from John and Edward... Instead, tis our very own 3-times champ, Eddy Byrne!)
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CONUNDRUM - GAME #3.
(This one was for Alan O'Sullivan, who as most Apterites have learned, can be a pesky daemon betimes!)
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CONUNDRUM - GAME #4.
(The next conundrum was dedicated to Liam Holton, meant purely in the 19th century sense of the term, as he is a merry, happy-go lucky kind of a chap!)
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CONUNDRUM - GAME #5.
(On the assumption, that at one point Eddy was "little" when Annalisa was -by comparison- "big"... this one was for Annalisa Byrne.)
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^^^That was the last conundrum before the lunchbreak.
After lunch we switched to 15R games, and each of the three dedicated QF groupings got their own conundrum.
4 of the after-lunch conundrums were made from contestant names... but the other 6 were based on this year's theme of ZOOMDOWN!

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CONUNDRUM - QF Group C.
(Finola had outdone herself with the spread she put on for lunch, and the help with refreshments during the day. The least I could do is set a conundrum in her honour.)
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CONUNDRUM - QF Group B.
(If Roger Stevens had been the one to conceive and implement this word game, rather than Armand Jammot and Marcel Stellman, perhaps it would be named...)
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CONUNDRUM - QF Group A.
(Our first Zoomdown themed con of the day! Eddy LOVED this one, so much so he took a photo to send to Dan McColm.)
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CONUNDRUM - SF Group C.
(This was dedicated to our Group B winner, Elaine McCormick Dunne, and also to Michelle who was one of the helpers in the run up to the event.)
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CONUNDRUM - SF Group B.
(Troy J. Prendergast is new to Apterous, and Co:Wat 2021 was his first co-event. But as his opponents on the day quickly discovered, he's quite handy at the game.)
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CONUNDRUM - SF Group A.
(On Zoomdown, when you think you know the answer to the conundrum, you have no buzzer, so you just say the word "buzz". This conundrum acknowledges that. The answer, we dedicated to Tilly who had just put the run on Brendan and Liam!)
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CONUNDRUM - Group C FINAL.
(With COVID having put paid to new Countdown episodes in spring last year, Ashwin Abinashi suggested trying Zoom to play a few games. This inspired Paul Anderson, and the rest is history.)
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CONUNDRUM - Group B FINAL.
(Is Countdown Zoomable? Turns out it was!)
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CONUNDRUM - Group A FINAL.
(When it came to ZD letter picking, people usually pick their letters in blocks, rather than the one-by-one method preferred by the TV show. If you wanted to alternate a certain number of letters and vowels, there was no easy way to say that, till Paul came up with the CV7 / CV8 etc. nomenclature. If like myself or Robin McKay or occasionally Thomas Carey, you like to alternate Cs and Vs for the full 9 letters, perhaps you could be called a CV9ite?)
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CONUNDRUM - GRAND FINAL!!!
(Traditionally at Co:Wat?! and at co-events in general, the final conundrum of the day can present quite a challenge. Just to switch things up a bit for this year's Grand Final, we went with a handy one that would be an insta-buzz for most top level Apterites. And congrats to Eddy who won the buzzer race on the day, in what proved a crucial in the end. This one has a mild relevance to ZD as it was a 9-letter word declared in their Goatdown special. Another major selling point of ZD is that it is not afraid to stray from the vanilla variant of the game. So far they have run a "Hyper" special, a "Goatdown" special, and numbers specials featuring some zany specialist rounds. We secretly hope "Spoilage" is next.)
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SPARE CONUNDRUM #1.
(This was used as a tie-breaker between Mary and Annette in the C group semi-final. -Mary won, and went on to take the trophy too!)
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And that's it!
All of the 2021 conundrums.
If anyone wants to try their hand at solving them, feel free.

I decided to make the conundrums a little easier, as in past editions of Co:Wat, they have been a little intense, the likes of EGGSARPOO, MELLORISH, ROSEPOYLE, CARBALLYI, NOREPEALS, INHERBODY, OUTBRAWLO, TOMDROHEN, PANDEMICS and COVIDDIES... all pretty hard solves even for the top players. The toughest ones this year were probably ALINDEMON*, GAYHOLTON, ABIGBYRNE and CVNINEITE, though definitely an easier set than we've had before.

(*The ALINDEMON conundrum was not vetted properly in advance. It actually had 3 distinct solutions. Obviously, any of the 3 would have been acceptable answers. In practice, this was a moot point, as the only people who solved the con solved it with the intended answer anyway, so no disputes.)
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

THE RESULTS


ROUND #1 results...
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ROUND #2 results...
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ROUND #3 results...
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ROUND #4 results...
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ROUND #5 results...
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Co:Wat?! 2021 - HALFTIME STANDINGS.
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The day started with five 9-Rounders where opponents were randomly assigned (with some basic seeding).
After lunch, the competitors were split into three quarter final groupings based on the performances before lunch. (see above ^^^)
The QF, SF, and FINAL rounds were played out using 15-Rounders.

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ROUND #6 results... [QF Group C]
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ROUND #6 results... [QF Group B]
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ROUND #6 results... [QF Group A]
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ROUND #7 results... [SF Group C]
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ROUND #7 results... [SF Group B]
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ROUND #7 results... [SF Group A]
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ROUND #8 results... [FINAL Group C!]
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ROUND #8 results... [FINAL Group B!]
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ROUND #8 results... [FINAL Group A, to decide places 3-7!]
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ROUND #8 results... [THE GRAND FINAL!!!]
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The TUFF LUCK table from the morning's play.
(This table shows those who lost by the slimmest margins in 3 of their 5 morning games.)
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The ROCKIEST ROAD table from the morning's play.
(This table shows those who faced the toughest opponents -based on halftime rankings- in their 5 morning games.)
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SCOREBOARD WHEN SORTED BY POINTS TOTALS.
(This shows the rankings if the players were sorted by points totals, rather than strategic wins. A pink colour indicates when a player finishes higher on this table than on the actual final scoreboard. A blue colour indicates when a player finishes lower on this table than on the actual final scoreboard. The + or - number after the name represents how many places they move up or down the scoreboard when sorted by points totals only.)
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Co:Wat?! 2021 - SCOREBOARD [full-time placings]
(Pink: denotes group winners. Blue: denotes those who could not complete all of their games.)
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Re: Co:Wat?! 2021 - Countdown in Waterford (24/07/2021)

Post by L'oisleatch McGraw »

That's the lot now!
All that's left to do is pay the FOCAL fee, and give the Callum the green light to do the piece for the website.
If u'd like to copy any bits from the above report, feel free.
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