Masters division too crowded?

[meganium45]

Cyrus, with all due respect, you have hit the NAIL right on the head!!!

Why do I have 14 year old judges? They aren't professors, but they ARE players the younger set can look up to and relate to.

Why have I always gravitated towards having younger, likeable judges? Because they are the face of the game that keeps the kids coming back week after week, year after year.

Let's look at my younger judge set over the years...

Rachel - age 14, great young lady...great judge, great person.

Kendle - age 15, great young man, still running events, judging and trying to play :lol:

Colin, Chad, Scott, Matt, and now the latest group with Jayson, PPC and Copper...

The game needs a young face to it.

You don't think I'm the only one who buys this...who did what was necessary to have Ness show up at their leagues last year as World Champ? I think that was Chairman Kaga and myself...out of pocket.

Did it work? Yep. Why? Jason (Ness) has a way of making everyone around them comfortable, and showing, with him and his friends, that the cool kids really play the game.

Man I could go on with Silvestro stories, for a whole different tone...but that is it for now.

Not patting myself on the back here, but showing that Cyrus has at least one other person who thinks he is RIGHT ON.

Vince

 

[Squirtle]

<3 Vince, FWIW I agree with Cyrus as well

 

[researcher]

The current system is very hard on new-comers at the masters level, such as myself. I have a very low skill level and only have the help of a few professors and league organizers, yet I am thrown into the category with the world champion who is at every tournament I have been to and will go to. I would sure like a buffer category before entering the world of people with so many years of experience.

No offense Squirtle...

 

[The Gorn]

The current system is very hard on new-comers at the masters level, such as myself. I have a very low skill level and only have the help of a few professors and league organizers, yet I am thrown into the category with the world champion who is at every tournament I have been to and will go to. I would sure like a buffer category before entering the world of people with so many years of experience.

No offense Squirtle...

I will say this about Masters in general and Squirtle in particular.

If you're new, you're going to lose. A lot! But you can also learn a lot along the way. Most players are very open to discussing what works and what doesn't and are willing to give advice.

Regarding Squirtle, yeah, if you're in Florida/Georgia/Louisiana you're probably going to run into him. And you're almost certainly going to lose to him pretty much every time. But he's a good guy and I'll bet he'd be willing to talk to you about how to improve your deck.

 

[ryanvergel]

Actually, researcher, Florida is home to both US Worlds Masters winners, not just Steve, so you should be worried about more than just one champ! :thumb:
Amongst our other talent.

 

[researcher]

I agree. I'm not saying I truly dislike playing with such great guys, I just wish there was a sort-of buffer period based more on experience level. You guys are right though. I will lose and learn, and I lose a lot. I am learning quite a bit along the way.

 

[the_sniper]

Actually, researcher, Florida is home to both US Worlds Masters winners, not just Steve, so you should be worried about more than just one champ! :thumb:
Amongst our other talent.

Yeah, and maybe now that he doesn't have his invite he will show up at states this year

Wow, Ness, Stevie, eric, Bianchi, Omar, me( only 2 time -2 time winner btw), Jim Roll, you Ryan,benji, the south florida crowd,aaron curry, the rest of the solid players like miami mike, Bobby Malec, etc. all at the same
states

I dunno researcher, might want to spend some more time on the range practicing lol

Seriously, pay attention, ask questions, build consistant decks,you'll get better.

 

[Cyrus]

I agree. I'm not saying I truly dislike playing with such great guys, I just wish there was a sort-of buffer period based more on experience level. You guys are right though. I will lose and learn, and I lose a lot. I am learning quite a bit along the way.

You want a buffer period? Try league.

Or, is league not competitive enough, yet you're not ready for the the star-studded Florida metagame? Suggest a league ladder, weekly tournaments, etc...

Either way, unless POP sees it differently one of these days, we do not need to divide our tournaments into strictly "novice" and "varsity" divisions - age groups work fine.

 

[the_sniper]

Good answer Kettles!!

 

[Mitsuhoney]

I was gonna say something but decided not to argue with 16 year old anymore...I have to do that too much for a living.

I think Prof Clay actually teaches for a living, and has to deal with a kind of relentlessness of youth that can be quite frustrating, especially when the youth wants to be treated as an adult, at least in terms of argumentation, but the youth does not bring mature points, views, or argumentative styles..

One of my great joys as a teacher is I get to see them go from being brilliant teens to brilliant adults who come back to me and let me know that I really DID know what I was talking about when they were teens. The greatest thing about being a teenager is that it doesn't last forever.

YOU are making YOURSELF look greedy. No one is doing this to you. That too is another teenage trait that doesn't last forever. Can I say that without getting attacked? Will you accept it as an observation from experience?.

Maybe a trait of being old/older is the inability to be open to new ideas, and display some patronizing behavior.!!??.

I know that there is a lot of stuff going on I have no idea about. But thats not my concern. I dont really care about budgets and stuff.
All I care about is the tournament itself and when I think that there is something wrong with it I'll say so. I dont know about whats going on in the background, I'm just pointing out that there is a problem. And when I do this I would just want that people would accept that I think that there is a problem instead of making me look like I'm just out for more prices.
Getting your words twisted around like this all the time is what really makes me angry...

...

I fully agree

Cyrus, with all due respect, you have hit the NAIL right on the head!!!

Why do I have 14 year old judges? They aren't professors, but they ARE players the younger set can look up to and relate to.

Why have I always gravitated towards having younger, likeable judges? Because they are the face of the game that keeps the kids coming back week after week, year after year.

Let's look at my younger judge set over the years...

Rachel - age 14, great young lady...great judge, great person.

Kendle - age 15, great young man, still running events, judging and trying to play :lol:

Colin, Chad, Scott, Matt, and now the latest group with Jayson, PPC and Copper...

The game needs a young face to it.

You don't think I'm the only one who buys this...who did what was necessary to have Ness show up at their leagues last year as World Champ? I think that was Chairman Kaga and myself...out of pocket.

Did it work? Yep. Why? Jason (Ness) has a way of making everyone around them comfortable, and showing, with him and his friends, that the cool kids really play the game.

Man I could go on with Silvestro stories, for a whole different tone...but that is it for now.

Not patting myself on the back here, but showing that Cyrus has at least one other person who thinks he is RIGHT ON.

Vince

Cool

 

[ShadowCard]

The numbers of Juniors in the BRs reported in the Pokegym thread is scary. Out of about 20 events, about 3 had more than 10 juniors.

Orlando, Florida reports 101 for a BR, and only 13 of them are Juniors.

These aren't the 1-per-state events that favor travelling players, and therefore the older division. These are supposed to be the numerous-per-state local events that favor the non-travelling players, like the young league player.

 

[Scizor]

The numbers of Juniors in the BRs reported in the Pokegym thread is scary. Out of about 20 events, about 3 had more than 10 juniors.

Orlando, Florida reports 101 for a BR, and only 13 of them are Juniors.

These aren't the 1-per-state events that favor travelling players, and therefore the older division. These are supposed to be the numerous-per-state local events that favor the non-travelling players, like the young league player.

What is it going to take for everyone to realize this isn't a kids' game anymore?

 

[Cyrus]

^ Or, more appropriately, an "everybody's game" game. You don't need to risk legal fears (and waste more money on parental airfare) in order to accomodate little five year old timmy, who's playing the big, bad, mature 11/12 year old (as opposed to a...10 year old).

Either way, I eagerly await 12-, 13-17, and 18+ divisions for next year. It's time for a change...For the better. :thumb: