I’ve long been interested in memory. When I was in college, I majored in photojournalism and minored in psychology and sociology. In one of my photography classes, I spent an entire semester working on a project on the memory of my grandmother. I also worked on a year-long paper about suppressed memory. Perhaps the reason I’m fascinated with memory is because, overall, my memory is pretty terrible. That’s why I was curious about attending the USA Memory Championships, held last weekend at the ConEd building in New York City.
VIDEO: ‘The Full Nelson’ Explores The Sport Of Memory
I entered the contest as a mental athlete -- something I’d never ascribe myself to. The room was full of people who take this serious, including defending champion Nelson Dellis, who began his career after a relative suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Nelson has dedicated his life to the art of memorizing, and he showed why he’s now a force in the sport. And yes, most consider this a sport.
His rival, Ronnie White, was the two-time champion before Dellis’ win last year. Their rivalry is a budding one, and it was no surprise to everyone in the room that it was the two of them at the end. To see how I fared as a mental athlete and see how they rest of the field did -- including a cameo by a celebrity -- check out this week’s Full Nelson.
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