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Reply-To: "Paul Meaney" <p.meaney@familygenetix.com>
From: "Paul Meaney" <p.meaney@cherwell.com>
To: <britdisc@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
Subject: Fw: Tour 2 !?
Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 15:04:46 +0100
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To whoever wrote this email,
while I share your concerns over QA of tournaments, I feel that
such
an anonymous diatribe like this will do little to advance the cause of
people who,
like myself, are concerned that the Ultimate Community of britain are no
longer getting value for money at tournaments.
In future could you please have the guts to put your name against such
a
mail.
In response to this, while I am sure Ian and Nancy struggled to put on
a
good show, I would like to ask the U8C to publicly confirm that the pitches
were NOT in such an atrocious state when the organisers booked the venue.
In
fact can the U8C committee confirm that the surface was made uneven, the
ground filled with rocks and the grass not cut in the period between
booking
the venue and holding the tournament.
I cannot see two people who have played ultimate for years looking at
shoddy, uneven surfaces and going "yep, this'll be fine for a Tour Event".
If this is not the case, the matter will need to be discussed further.
Paul
ps - the argument 'if you can do better do it yourself' is irrelevant
to
the above point. One has nothing to do with the other. If you decide to run
a tournement you have an obligation to those paying entry fees and transport
to get it right.
--- ---
Dr Paul Meaney | e-mail: p.meaney@cherwell.com
Java Developer | Phone: +44 (0)1865 784800 ext. 4839
FamilyGenetix Ltd | Fax: +44 (0)1865 784801
Oxford OX4 4GA, UK | URL: http://www.cherwell.com
--- ---
Apparently ultimate as we know it, played on a flat rectangular pitch of cut
grass, is too boring and predictable.
Only this could explain the events of last weekend when an official
BUF-sanctioned event was hosted on a site that would have been better suited
for a weekend of orienteering.
In a statement tournament organiser VP Noncing Stropbaärk said, "The problem
is that if the pitches are always the same then the players can cheat by
planning in advance what they are going to do in the game itself. Some
teams even meet and set up mock pitches of their own and practice on them in
secret ahead of the tournament.
"It is in order to stamp out precisely this kind of bad-spirited
win-at-all-costs tendency that we on the BUF brought in a few
counter-measures this weekend. Features such as wobbly/curving/non-existent
sidelines, random up/downhill gradients, knee-high grass and not always
being able to see the opposing endzone when you start the point - all mean
that players have to think on their feet and use their initiative. Or a
compass."
Asked whether it was also part of the plan to situate the nearest toilets
over a half-mile round trip from the 'pitches' and to fail to supply any
vegetarian food during the day, nor any food at all in the evening Ms.
Strepthraät snapped back, "There's a whiner element in every community - I'd
rather focus on the achievements of the last weekend.
"By making sure that every pitch was deeply rutted and pitted along with
rows of hidden cracks and a random distribution of holes and depressions as
well as rocks, flints and broken glass we took a huge step towards breaking
up the monotonous flow of the game that puts so may potential viewers off.
The more tedious cutting and passing elements of the sport were balanced
against plenty of action as players regularly went down clutching torn ankle
ligaments, twisted knees, concussions and camera-friendly heavily-bleeding
open wounds.
"Let's face it, we know what's best for the sport - the only way forward for
ultimate is to attract as much sponsorship and TV coverage as possible
because without that, those who administer the game will never feel as
important as we deserve to. If we can move on from the gains of last
weekend to rename the top teams, kick everyone else out of the sport and get
some town centre disturbances going before the big games then we will have
amply repaid you the value of your BUF subscription fee."
Ms Stripaäkht refused to comment on rumours that the Nationals Tournament
was to be replaced by a one-match "BUFBowl I" between the Catch Crusaders
and the Duffboy Disembowellers.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. The food was over priced and poor quality, I
understand the bar ran out of beer and shut early and the prizes were a
disgrace, especially spirit.