Erm
Hang on there, I have to disagree on your post Professor Dav with respect.
Although ukpokémonpro is one of the more 'vocal' advocates of the game here in the UK on these boards there are a fair few of us UK players... sorry, TO's, Professors and Gym Leaders, who watch these messages with interest and in particular how the USA branch of the Pokémon Company are dealing with International OP issues. And I have to say that I am a little dismayed at reading your comments for three particular reasons.
First of all, it has not been right for you through your distributors to have the National competitions changed from date to date. Yes, I can see that you may not have overall control of what goes on outside the USA and that these are local issues to be resolved with our distributors. But to be quite honest, you guys pay them and you selected them, so it's a reflection of PUI's stance when they don't get things right the first time.
Secondly, there will not be any chance of successfully pulling off all the CC's that we have been dictated to support. 30-40 with only 8 or so active Professors in the country? You have not given a chance for those who are now of the age and capability of running such events through any sort of official Professor test that we can direct them towards. Your software has been broadly problematic and unsuccessful in determining the outcomes of basic changes that need to be made in tournaments. I'm not trying to level criticism relentlessly but the fact of the matter is that the changeover hasn't been as smooth as it had been foreseen and we had been led to believe. granted it has been brilliant to see the game and TCG develop in the sense that the new sets, league kits, tournaments etc. have brought about a breath of fresh air in OP post-WotC. But, as a consequence there have been these problems and in particular it has hit us hard outside the US of A. A little humility towards, and acknowledgement of, the hard work that people like ukpokémonpro perform across the world, would not go amiss. This is a working relationship, after all.
Thirdly, I wish that you guys would listen to us, we WANT to help and we DON'T want to whine. Look, you need to publicise the Nationals, use Nintendo magazine for it, full page adverts or whatever. Support in the magazine that I have command over would not go amiss, to a distribution of 30,000 I'm waiting to tell them when, where and what they could be entering for this June... or is it July... it keeps on changing...
We've met in real life at GenCon-USA and although I don't pretend to know you fully you came across as being a really level-headed guy, eager to hear people out and ready to bring about positivity into this game. Please don't shut us, the International community, out with such comments - we suffered enough through WotC and are naturally sceptical of 'success around the corner' measures in this TCG.
I AM happy with how tournaments and OP is this year, I just wish more new people would come to the tourneys. Isn't that something you want too?
Sincerely,
~fK