“Draw four! Red!” The library was bustling with energetic card players on the big day.
The library is home to many lively events on campus, but in the month of January, a new type of annual tournament debuted: a contest of UNO.
The event was hosted from January 12th to January 14th.
A total of thirty-four challengers rose up to try their hand at UNO. Eight tables were brimming with potential champions.
Of these thirty-four contestants, twelve fought their way into the second round, and only four advanced to the final: sophomore Josephine Lurie, sophomore Josh Jackson, freshman Jack Deane, and Special Education teacher Rebecca Jessop.
“The first day, I was a second place winner, so I got a little worried when the first place won,” said Lurie.
However, her perseverance paid off, as she walked home with the grand prize of her very own deck of UNO cards.
She claimed that there’s a lot of luck involved, but also said that she saves her powerful cards for the end of the game.
“You can put down a Wild on top of any card you want,” she said.
Defending Uno Champion, Jessop, regularly plays board games. She was willing to share her winning strategy: paying close attention to her opponents.
“When I caught someone after he said Uno, he had one more card. Then, the next time we went around, he didn’t say uno, then I got him and he had to pick cards.”
Jessop invites any eager contesters for her title to bring a deck of cards and challenge her for her throne.
One contestant, junior Micah Choi, was not a finalist of the tournament, but thoroughly enjoyed himself and is a model for sportsmanship among students.
When asked about his favorite strategy, without hesitation, Choi exclaimed, “Swap hands!”
Choi, Jessop and Lurie all shared that they practice UNO and other board games with family and friends on a regular basis.
Where did the idea for the tournament come from?
“It felt like something that students would respond to, and we knew UNO was already popular with the students, so we thought we’d give it a try,” PVHS Librarian and UNO Tournament organizer Ashley Brockman said.
“I love to see kids doing something creative to relieve their stress and be in the moment with each other.”
Students can stay tuned for more themed competitions hosted by the library.