Dawne’s Puzzle Story: 

Dawne (she/her) lives in Minnesota, where she is a Real Estate Accountant. She has casually puzzled since she was a kid, and competitively puzzled since 2020. Dawne credits puzzling for bringing new people into her life that she otherwise wouldn’t have met. She has found a community of puzzle teammates, casual puzzle friends, locals who run monthly puzzle swaps, and even discovered that her son’s orthodontist is a puzzle fanatic! (When Dawne brought in her son for an appointment the orthodontist connected the dots with their last name, having recently watched the live streams for Nationals and Worlds.)

At the 2024 USA Jigsaw Nationals, Dawne placed 11th in Individuals, 4th in Pairs alongside Andrea Kyle, and 2nd in Teams as part of “We Put the ‘Betch’ In You Betcha!” She looks forward to attending the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship in Spain in September of 2024; her second time attending. She will be attending with the same Pairs and Teams line-up as she had at Nationals.

Q&A Time:

What is your best advice for someone who wants to improve their speed puzzling abilities?

“One thing I am going to work on in practicing for World's this year is to practice images that don't necessarily appeal to me. At World's last year, I feel like I checked out on the final Pairs puzzle as the image wasn't necessarily my style, so it was really hard for me to stay focused.”

What is the puzzle community like in your area?

“Minnesota is home to several top ranked puzzlers, which is super fun! Puzzling events are popping up all around here. Almost any night of the week, you can join a Sarah Does Puzzles event at a local brewery, which are so fun to compete in with different groups of friends. There is also a huge puzzle swap event in my city with hundreds of puzzles to swap once a month. There are also swaps at our libraries, and even our orthodontist has set up a puzzle swap!”

”What do you enjoy most about the puzzle community?

“I love how many amazing people I have met since joining the puzzle community. It's so neat to go to various puzzle events, local and afar, and run into friends. I also love how friendly everyone is. We all obviously want to win competitions, but are just as excited for our friends that win.”

Do you have a favorite brand, type, or style of puzzle?

“I love all different types of puzzles. I haven't done many, but I love the cuts of wooden puzzles. I love the uniqueness of PuzzleTwist because their images are so fun, and of course since they are a local company here in Minnesota! I also enjoy collage type puzzles like White Mountain.”

Tell us about your puzzle teammates. 

“I have met and partnered with so many fantastic puzzlers in my two years of speed puzzling. It is so fun to meet and puzzle with so many people from around the country. Our Nationals team from 2022 was myself, Andrea, Mary, and Charity. Such a fun team and we powered through the Mermaids puzzle. Team Puzzle Hustle went to Spain in 2023 together, and consisted of me, Andrea, Kyle, and Kelly W. We were lucky enough to secure Kelly on a whim after Mary was not able to come with us a few weeks before the contest. 

Our "Betches" team has been going strong for almost 2 years now. Lauren, Sarah, and Andrea are so fun to puzzle with. There is never a dull moment with the Betches! 

Lastly, my Pairs partner Andrea. We have been through all the contests together! We started out at the Winter Carnival together, then attended Nationals twice, and Spain for a second time in a few months. We have been through the nerves of competing for the first few times together all the way to the nerves of being in the big time contests. It's so fun to get to partner with so many amazing humans and getting to know them on a personal level. It's like a family reunion at every contest. ”

How has puzzling changed your life?

“Prior to 2022, I had never flown on a plane. When Andrea asked me to join her for Nationals, I hesitated to say ‘yes.’ After some thought, I agreed to go with her. Little did I know that two weeks before Nationals, I would end up flying to New York for a work trip. And with Worlds taking place in September, it will be my second trip to Spain! It’s fun to see the different landscapes around the world.

Connect:

Dawne’s occasional posts can be found on Instagram @PuzzlesinthePines