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Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 13:08:49 +0100
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From: "Ben Ravilious" <ben@ravilious.net>
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Subject: Re: Mixed Teams In Major Tournaments
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I think its fair to same that at times there *have* been instances of teams 'cobbled together' but better to have a cobbled together team attending international clubs tournaments than no team at all. Hopefully more teams fighting for places in the future will mean this becomes a thing of the past. Lets recruit even more players so that every UK slot is taken.
My take on this is that in fact the problem we have in the UK is with player loyalty (to their teams) and the existance of a stockmarket mentality when it comes to getting players for one's own team.
All of this is completely within the rules as they stand so it is a matter for UK Ultimate to tighten them up if its appropriate. We shall be looking at this soon (If nothing else, this will prevent the usual rumours, grumbles and poachings which we get each time an international clubs event is on the horizon - something I can do without thanks!)
Back to the original point about running different divisions at the same time, this is not something I want to see happen as it reduces choice for teams and players. One of the main points of my 'manifesto' (if you can call a paragraph a manifesto!) was that we should encourage choice of events for teams, indeed this is enshrined in the constitution of UK Ultimate (written by er.... me!)
If teams are using the mixed division to get to international events 'by any means' then the answer lies with improving and enforcing player loyalty to their mixed team rather than removing the choice between divisions.
If one division suffers because of another then at least you can say players were offered the choice. In such a situation UK Ultimate needs to be positively encouraging the ailing division rather than forcing people into it.
Playing in international tournaments is fantastic fun and I'm glad I've been lucky enough to have done this on a number of occasions myself. However, as individual players we must recognise that doing this should be on the basis of long-term commitment to a team. If we have this attitude then we will end up with more committed teams and therefore more *individual* players getting the chance to attend. Heck if you're not going to Hawaii go to Brugge/Rotterdam/Rimini/wherever instead - you will still have a good time and you don't need UK Ultimate to approve your roster for this!!!
Are UK players ready to accept the idea of tighter and more longer-term definitions of what constitutes a team?
Something else for you to discuss......
Ben
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: james.hewitson@uk.zurich.com
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 11:26:38 +0100
>
>Si,
>
>>> Why don't we make people have to choose, at least then
>>> the teams who represent Britain at Worlds are established Mixed teams
>rather
>>> than ones cobbled together in the season before.
>
>GB Mixed Teams in Recent Tournaments:
>WUCC 99 = Blue Arse Flies, Mild Mannered Janitors (the "original" mixed
>team, Gael Force
>WFDF 00 = GB ("Largely" made up of Chevron and Blue Arse Flies players)
>EUCC 01 = Blue Arse Flies, Strange Blue
>WUCC 02 = Blue Arse Flies, Chevron
>... think I'm spotting a trend here
>
>All these teams have proved their commitment to Mixed ultimate and it's
>development over the last few seasons and the squad BAF take to Hawaii
>will be the strongest BAF Mixed squad yet assembled for a major
>tournament... Hardly "cobbled" together at the last minute??? The Open Tour
>provides a perfect training ground for Mixed teams in the build-up to major
>tournaments and gives us the opportunity to play against quality opposition
>week in, week out whether at an Open or Mixed event. To marginalise the
>Mixed Tour by making it a "sideshow" to the Open Tour would only serve to
>weaken the Mixed teams we send to major tournaments rather than improve
>them.
>
>BAF are committed to providing the opportunity to compete in all
>(non-junior) variations of the sport (Open, Mixed and Womens) as proved by
>sending two teams to the vast majority of both the Open & Mixed Tours last
>season, a large number of indoor tournaments and all of the major womens
>tournaments. To force players to have to make a decision between Open v
>Mixed v Womens is only taking the sport backwards...
>
>Balti
>BAF 34
>
>
>
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