Puzzle Mania: Making the pieces fit

Choking Hazard team members Lisa Reid, Becky Zaglifa, Nicole Sarampote and Jen Murphy proudly stand with their dog park puzzle, after completing the competition first in just over one hour. Toni Milbourne
SHEPHERDSTOWN — Puzzle lovers and lovers of music make for a great partnership, as was evident at the Sixth Annual Puzzle Mania fundraiser on Sunday afternoon, held in the Shepherd University Wellness Center on behalf of the Friends of Music.
The event, which was held most recently in Nov. 2021 following cancelations in the previous year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, drew in 15 teams to try to be the first to assemble “The Dog Park,” a 500-piece puzzle filled with dogs, trees, bushes and structures that all resembled each other.
Given up to three hours to complete the puzzle, the competing teams’ finishing times ranged from just over one hour to closer to the wrap-up time.
The first-place team this year, Choking Hazard, was comprised of Lisa Reid, Becky Zaglifa, Nicole Sarampote and Jen Murphy, also known as “captain.”
“It takes skill and strategy,” said Reid, “as well as being good friends and knowing how to communicate.”
“Like ‘Get out of my way!'” laughed Murphy, regarding their team’s communication strategy.
Strategy utilized by the winning team included handicapping — or, in their terminology –sabotaging, other teams. Teams could handicap other teams for a price, which Choking Hazard gladly paid.
Murphy, who said that she firmly believed in both winning and fundraising for a good cause, shared that her team paid for Puzzle Mania’s handicap method of putting others into oven mitts to slow them down. Her team members determined which teams might be the fiercest competitors, during a newly instituted “bathroom break” that allowed for some reconnaissance work to see who was closer to finishing the puzzle.
To protect themselves from receiving the similar handicap treatment they dished out, Choking Hazard and four other teams, took advantage of insurance that was available for purchase for an additional $50.
Second-place finishers for the second competition in a row were Sandra Wilcox, Kim Naiman, Lindsay Cobb and Kevin Wilson — also known as Val’s Pals. According to Wilcox, the first time she competed was with a friend, Valerie, who had since passed away. The team, at that point, was known as The Puzzle Princesses. Its new name, Val’s Pals, was chosen in honor of the teammates’ friend.
“Next time . . .” laughed Cobb, indicating that first place will come to them another year.
According to organizer Heather Marshall. there were several new teams competing this year, some of whom were not as familiar with the strategy of purchasing insurance or attempting to slow down the competition.
Puzzle Mania proceeds benefit the Friends of Music’s work in the community to present concerts via the Two Rivers Chamber Ensemble, offer music scholarships to local students and donate musical instruments to local elementary and middle schools.