Clued in: Never a cross word for Farmingdale counselor

There’s a growing community out there that you may not have known existed. It’s a community that’s expanding by leaps and bounds, and its members are as diverse as any city or town you can imagine. What binds them together isn’t politics, or religion, or history, or even geography. What connects them is an absolute passion for solving crossword puzzles.

UUPer Kathy Conarck, a senior admissions counselor at SUNY Farmingdale, is a member of this community of “solvers.” And she’s not just a member; she’s one of its top performers. Conarck is the No.1 solver on Long Island, having recently won the Long Island Regional Crossword Puzzle Championship. She also is ranked 11th in the nation, following her performance in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) held in March.

Conarck has been a crossword puzzle competitor for the last 13 years, and has competed on a national level for the last 12 years. She is in the top seed category and said she has finished among the top 10 percent of competitors each year.

Conarck has been doing crossword puzzles since she was a child. It was a hobby she shared with her mother, who was also a puzzle enthusiast. As an adult, she began doing puzzles in magazines, timing herself to see if she could finish within the recommended timeframe. With some success on that level, friends convinced her to attend a local competition on Long Island. She’s been competing, and succeeding, ever since.

Conarck admits that, while she enjoys the competition, it’s the sense of camaraderie among solvers that keeps her involved. Conarck has established herself within the community of solvers, and has established lifelong friendships along the way. Each year, she looks forward to attending the national ACPT, held at the Stamford Marriott Hotel in Stamford, Conn. And she’s not the only one. Competitors come from all over the country to participate in a weekend packed with puzzle competitions and a variety of social activities. The contestant numbers are growing every year, with the 2002 competition reflecting a 25 percent increase in registrants.

As someone who loves a challenge and thoroughly enjoys the interpersonal side of life, Conarck’s role as an admissions counselor seems a perfect fit. Conarck’s efforts to continuously challenge herself have resulted in the development of an extremely successful open house program at Farming-dale. Just three years ago, Conarck developed the program with several of the deans at the campus. They have held an open house each semester and it has become one of the college’s most successful recruiting tools. At a recent open house, they exceeded all attendance expectations by hosting more than 1,500 potential applicants. As if this weren’t challenge enough, Conarck is looking forward to serving as the program’s co-chair next year.

Conarck is also the coordinator of Farmingdale’s international students program. As a result of the events of Sept. 11, the tracking requirements with regard to international students are more stringent than ever before. She recently participated in training on the new requirements and will be incorporating them into her review of applications from international students.

With all of those responsibilities, it’s no wonder that Conarck hasn’t time to train as a crossword puzzle solver. Unlike many other competitors, she enters each competition with no prior preparation. She keeps her skills in shape by completing the New York Times crossword puzzle every day, including the always-daunting Sunday puzzle. She said she can do that crossword in just 15 minutes.

— Carey Smith