Joel Sherman
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Joel Sherman (1962- ), nicknamed "GI Joel," is a top American Scrabble expert who has been chronicled in Stefan Fatsis' book "Word Freak" as well as Eric Chaikin's film "Word Wars" and mentioned in CollinsGem's reference book "mental_floss presents: INSTANT KNOWLEDGE." He was born in the Bronx, NY, to unusually short parents. His nickname is derived from a health problem, gastrointestinal reflux syndrome.
Sherman's major Scrabble tournament victories include:
- World Scrabble Championship - Washington, DC (1997)
- National Scrabble Championship - San Diego, CA (2002)
Since beginning his career in 1988, he has played at least 3,400 tournament games, winning about 64%, and earning at least $102,000 in prize money. He is director of N.S.A. club #56, which meets weekly in New York, NY.