$5,000 Grand Prize up for Grabs at Cincy Typing Challenge

CINCINNATI, OH--(Marketwired - Jun 4, 2013) - In search of the fastest typist in Cincinnati, TREWGrip today announced the Cincy Typing Challenge at the Cincinnati Museum Center on July 20 and July 25, 2013. The speed-typing contest will commemorate the 125-year anniversary of an historic typing competition that established touch-typing and the QWERTY keyboard as the prevailing typing method and keyboard layout for the last 125 years. The qualifying round is July 20th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the finals are July 25th at 6:00 p.m. at the Museum Center. Prizes will be awarded to the top three fastest texters and the top three fastest typists, including a grand prize of $5,000. Registration for the event is free and open to the public at CincyTypingChallenge.com and at the Museum Center on the day of the qualifying round.

The History Behind the Challenge
On July 25, 1888, at what is now The Cincinnatian Hotel, Frank Edward McGurrin, a court stenographer from Salt Lake City (by way of Grand Rapids, Mich.), challenged Louis Traub, a Cincinnati typing teacher, to a speed-typing competition. The contest was not only between McGurrin and Traub; it was between two distinct typing methodologies and instruments. McGurrin used the touch-typing method and a Remington Standard No.2 typewriter with a QWERTY keyboard layout. Traub preferred a Caligraph No.2 machine using the eight-finger method. The Caligraph No.2 was the first typewriter with a key for every character, including uppercase letters. In a well-publicized media event, McGurrin won a decisive victory, typing 98 words-per-minute (wpm) and taking home the $500 grand prize.

Cincy Typing Challenge Format
Participants will compete in three categories: typewriter, keyboard and texting. The three fastest text messengers will receive prizes, including $500 for the grand prizewinner. The four fastest typists from the typewriter category and the four fastest from the keyboard category will be invited to compete in a seeded finals competition using a new TREWGrip device, which will be officially introduced to the public on July 25th. First place in the finals will receive $2,500, while second and third pace will receive $1,000 and $500, respectively. If the fastest typist beats McGurrin's 98 wpm using the TREWGrip device, he or she will also receive an additional $2,500.

Individuals 13 and older are eligible to compete in the Cincy Typing Challenge. Minors 13-17 must provide signed parental consent to be eligible for prizes.

"The Cincy Typing Challenge is a great opportunity for individuals, from authors to office types, to prove that they are among the fastest typists around, and potentially walk away with a large cash prize," said Mark Parker, President of Outlier Technologies, parent company of TREWGrip. "The Cincy Typing Challenge is also a rematch 125 years in the making. Not only will someone from Cincinnati have the chance to redeem Traub and claim the title for Cincinnati, he or she will also have the opportunity to establish a new typing record using a new 'Mobile QWERTY' key layout specifically designed for today's mobile lifestyle. This will be a fun event that once again connects Cincinnati with an historic occasion of national significance."

For more information about the Cincy Typing Challenge by TREWGrip, visit www.cincytypingchallenge.com. Also, follow the Challenge on Facebook and Twitter, and watch our launch video on YouTube.