New York City— The second speediest texter in America is Brooklyn’s Briana Hendrickson, 14. She won the 2010 U.S. National Texting Championship, and this year she took second place. Hendrickson taps messages with her thumbs on her phone faster than a lot of people type with all ten fingers:
Austin Wierschke was the overall champion in 2011. He put in five hours of practice a day on his new phone in preparation for the Championship. Hendrickson talked about her strategy:
Who needs strategy? by elbertchu
The energy of the crows was amplified by the St. John’s University cheerleaders. They usually cheer soccer and basketball teams. So they created new chants for the special national championship:
“T-E-X-T text text text!” by elbertchu
Wierschke and Hendrickson both plan to save most of their winnings for college. In 2010 and 2011, overall champions took home $50,000 cheques. Hendrickson added $10,500 this year for her second place finish this year. Still, being the second fastest texter in the land is not without expectations.
I have other things to do. by elbertchu
Hendrickson said she will be back next year, but she still does not plan to practice.