Student ranks in texting contest

It was the keyboard that did her in.

Freshman Rachel Frazer’s second appearance at the at LG’s National Texting Championship in New York City last week was cut short by a rule of thumb.

“They made four out of 12 of us go do news interviews rather than dress rehearsals,” Frazer said.  “When I made it to the final five, we had to use the Swype keyboard, and I didn’t know if we were allowed to use both hands.”

Frazer, who’s averaging 55 words per minute, is not too upset. For the second year in a row, Frazer beat the millions who competed through the Facebook entry contest and ranked in the top 12 out of 30 semi-finalists to compete in New York. Frazer placed third her first year, receiving a $5,000 check. She was also featured in the documentary “Thumbs,” which chronicled the lives of the top contestants.

“Last year, I thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Frazer said. “I never thought it could be a second-in-a-lifetime experience.”

This year, the stakes were higher.

The contest is based on a cumulative score of speed and accuracy. Returning to the contest for the second time was less nerve-wracking for Frazer; she didn’t have a strict practice regimen, just a few sparring rounds with her friends throughout the day. The day of the nationals, she donned a simple, black V-neck T-shirt and sparkly silver TOMS shoes that grabbed the attention of a celebrity guest.

“Ashley Tisdale told me that she loved my shoes,” Frazer said. “I guess you could say they became my good luck charms.”

Her weapon of choice was the new T-Mobile LG DoublePlay, with its split QWERTY keyboard and dual touchscreens. Contestants were allowed to keep the phone, which is not yet in stores.

“But I don’t have T-Mobile, so I can’t even use it,” Frazer said. “I did get Ashley Tisdale to sign it, though.”

Each round had challenging phrases that required competitors to add punctuation and cipher words spelled backwards without surrendering to the distracting chants of St. John’s University’s cheerleading squad.

It all happened in one swipe of a send button. Frazer, slowed down by trying to thumb wrestle the Swype keyboard with one hand, was eliminated from the competition after making the top five. Austin Wireschke, a 17-year-old hailing from Rhinelander, Wis., with a Justin Bieber haircut and a dream took home the $50,000 first-prize check.
So, what will Frazer do in the off-season? Applying for the Kelley School of Business is her first priority.

“People may think we don’t have a life and all I do is text, but I am more proud of the fact that I have received full ride to IU.”

Frazer’s biggest fan and mother, Cheryl Frazer, agrees.

“As long as she keeping up with her school work then sure, why not do this other stuff?” she said.

Her mom, who can remember Frazer as a sprouting adolescent with a silver flip phone, said she now receives more texts than phone calls from her daughter. However, she has learned to adjust.

“This summer she made me upgrade my phone, so now I have a QWERTY keyboard, and I kind of like it,” Cheryl Frazer said. 

Rachel Frazer said she knows there’s next year and even the year after that. She’ll get faster.

She’ll get more precise, and most importantly, she’ll know to use both hands.