Mountain Mah Jong’s first Park City tournament draws 60 players

Mountain Mah Jong Tournament in Park City. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — Mountain Mah Jong hosted its inaugural tournament in Park City on Sunday, drawing 60 players for five hours of play, one podium finish, and, organizers say, countless new friendships.

Participants ranged from beginners to experts, spanned their 30s to their 80s, represented multiple faiths, and traveled from Park City, Heber City, and Salt Lake City.

Results:

• Amy Cribbs, 165
• Susan Duncan, 160
• Ellen Chapman, 155

The calculations team delivered an edge-of-your-seat moment by revealing a four-way tie for third place. The tiebreaker came down to a dice roll, with the highest number claiming the podium spot.

Podium finishers received mahjong-themed gift baskets.

The event sold out its roster immediately, and participants voiced support for another tournament next year — possibly two per year, with organizers floating the idea of a winter and summer event.

“It’s been a big hit,” Women of Har Shalom President Liz Fellows told TownLift. “Additionally, we offered registrants the opportunity, and we’re thankful that so many took us up on it, as we wanted this event to have meaning and to be aligned with our beliefs. People have made donations to purchase books for the Primary Children’s Hospital NICU, and to purchase sneakers for women who land at Park City’s Peace House.”

Attendees included Women of Har Shalom’s past and present presidents, June Volk, Nancy Friefeld, and Eve Stanger, as well as Fellows.

Many players grew up with mah jong woven into family or community life, mostly outside Utah. Fellows didn’t have that background themselves. She laughed, describing herself as a beginner-to-intermediate player and admitting she comes from a “canasta family.”

“It was really nice to get people to meet each other and come together in the area,” Fellows said. Talk turned to the competitive, mental, and social dimensions of the game. For her, she said, the order of enjoyment runs “social, then mental, then competition, for the fun factor, for sure.”

No men played this year, though organizers say they’re always welcome. A waitlist formed for open spots — one player noted her ex-husband was on it for a while, “but then our extended family decided to go to Lagoon, so that won out.”