I liked puzzles as a kid, but never did I ever think that I’d be a competitive puzzler. It started a couple of years ago when someone I knew posted on Facebook asking if anyone would be interested in joining her to form a team for a Puzzle Palooza event. I had recently started doing the occasional puzzles as an adult, mostly on family trips to the Cape or when I had some down time to kill indoors before having kids. It sounded like a good excuse to get out and potentially a lot of fun, so I gave it a try. Since then, my team has been participating in Sudbury’s Park and Recreation’s monthly Puzzle Palooza.
Pre-Scheduled & Inexpensive Fun
On one Friday evening a month from 6:30-8:30 pm, all registered teams of up to four people are given the same 500 piece puzzle to do as quickly as they can. Held in Sudbury’s newly built community center, Puzzle Palooza gives prizes (you guessed it – puzzles!) to the first, second, and third place winners. Teams are allowed to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages. Win or lose, each team keeps the puzzle they are given to complete. $35 for a puzzle and a night out for four is a great deal!
My team brought food to the first one we attended but quickly realized there is no time for eating when four competitive women are trying to win. We have done as well as second place and usually finish in about an hour, more or less depending on the puzzle’s difficulty and whether or not we have our full team of four.
A Causal Social Activity
Competitive puzzling makes a great moms’ night out event. It doesn’t take too long, sweatpants are appropriate attire, and it works for close friends or new acquaintances because there’s an activity to do (unless you’re competitive and you discover that your friend or acquaintance is not good at puzzles – then you may have to end the relationship). When we’re feeling up for it, we go out for food and drinks afterward, or head home right after, but just late enough to have missed the bedtime battle.
A Growing Trend
Competitive puzzling seems to be gaining popularity. When we first started going to Puzzle Palooza, there were a handful of teams. Now there are over 20 teams and a waitlist. I’ve also seen more puzzling events pop up at local libraries and through other towns’ Parks and Recreation departments. Apparently speed puzzling also exists, and it’s even more hardcore than regular, old competitive puzzling. These puzzlers often come in matching team shirts and finish the 500 piece puzzles before we’ve even found all the edges. My team is not ambitious enough to compete with them, but we are considering matching shirts. Does anyone have a good team name or design?
