What a week it’s been. Four out of five days spent memorizing in the hot California sun (well, not really). It was incredible to meet so many amazing people—memory athletes I’ve been reading about since day one.
Read moreXMT on the TODAY Show
I had some trouble finding this, but I finally found it! Here's the TODAY Show's 2-minute take on the Extreme Memory Tournament. It's great to see the sport get some major media coverage.
I'm Here!
Phew, the competition is fierce. Everyone in my group (F) has either 3 or 4 wins. It's gonna be tough. Follow along at xmtlive.com if you aren't already!
The Trouble with Words
I’m less than a week away from hopping on a plane for the 2015 Extreme Memory Tournament in San Diego. My strategies for most events are locked down at this point, except for one: words.
Read moreThe 2015 Extreme Memory Tournament: By the Numbers
In anticipation of tomorrow’s live group drawing on Twitter, I crunched some numbers about this year’s Extreme Memory Tournament competitors.
Read moreThe Power of Narrative
The oft repeated advice is that the key to memory is vivid visualization and using all the senses. Yet, in a recent interview, memory athlete and neuroscientist Boris Konrad reported that—based on his scientific investigations into memory—visualization wasn’t actually that important. Some of the best memorizers “actually have more narrative or even logical ‘images’ rather than pretty visual ones.” I think I understand his conclusion much better now.
Read more2015 USA Memory Championship Recap
I’m finally home after two days in New York City for my second USA Memory Championship. I didn’t win, but it was another stellar experience overall. The highlights: Nelson Dellis defended his title, bringing him even with Scott Hagwood for most USAMC victories (four). Records were broken in all four morning events. And here’s a snapshot of the results page. Alright, let’s get into it!
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New York, New York
Training for this year’s USA Memory Championship (March 29) is winding down. Here’s the agenda. I’m underprepared, probably more so than last year as far as practice hours. That said, thanks to a new system and another year of experience, I’m definitely better and more confident.
Couple of facts: There’s a new venue—St. Vartan’s Conference Center on 2nd Ave. Plus, Nelson Dellis, who I’d previously said wouldn’t be competing this year, is back to defend his title. It’s also on Sunday instead of the usual Saturday, which actually works well since I won’t have to miss Friday classes. I’ll be flying up Saturday morning, leaving Monday night. What I’ll end up doing the rest of Saturday is still a mystery. I have yet to work out a pre-competition ritual. Most of the top competitors tend to just relax, so the hotel hot tub’s probably where I’ll be. I’m pumped to see everyone I met last year and the handful of newbies and oldies I’ve been corresponding with.
More to come soon!