| |
BGonline.org Forums
Four Suggestions for All Tournament Directors
Posted By: Paul Weaver
Date: Saturday, 5 February 2011, at 5:46 p.m.
I have never organized, directed or been on the staff of a tournament. I know it is more work than I could imagine. Although no FBI background check is required of tournament directors, the vast majority are good, honest, hard-working people who are to be commended for their tireless efforts in promoting backgammon. Just as the theory of playing backgammon has evolved enormously over the last couple of decades, so has the theory of running a successful backgammon tournament evolved. Most directors do a much better job than their counterparts did in past decades. When a director and the staff work hard and do a great job, we should go out of our way to acknowledge and thank them.
I humbly offer four suggestions that will ultimately make tournaments more enjoyable for staff and players and/or result in increased attendance.
(1) Last year after the tournament in Santa Fe, Ed Rosenbloom did something that to my knowledge had never happened before in the history of the universe. The tournament organizer sent out a questionaire asking for feedback and suggestions. This simple act made a very favorable impression on me. Although some players' suggestions may be total BS, if you receive only one good idea, then the process is worthwhile. I would love to see all directors have the humility to send out a questionaire, asking the participants to help them do a better job next year.
(2) Some of the European directors have Web sites that give a list of players who have indicated they will be attending an upcoming event. I would love to see American TDs generate more interest in their tournaments by doing the same. When someone sees who the other attendees will be, he might participate in a tournament he otherwise would not have attended.
(3) My third suggestion will perhaps be of more benefit in events that do not use clocks, but will also be helpful even when clocks are used. Scoresheets should be printed that have a big box at the very top that is labeled, "Match Starting Time." Each contestant should be required to fill in the box at the beginning of the match and the winner should be required to turn it in at the conclusion. Directors who do not use clocks sometimes claim that they are on the lookout for slow play, but how can anyone know if a match is taking too long without knowing when it began?
(4) As some European directors do, I would love to see a schedule on the brochure giving the target starting and finishing times for each round. A director should have a definite idea of when every round should be completed if he is really serious about running a tournament on a reasonable schedule.
| |
BGonline.org Forums is maintained by Stick with WebBBS 5.12.