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Great interview, Ray and I agree with your pet peeves
Posted By: neilkaz In Response To: Interesting Interview with Coolray Fogerlund (Phil Simborg)
Date: Sunday, 13 December 2009, at 4:09 p.m.
Q.(from PS) What are your pet peeves at tournaments?
Ray.."Slow play in doubles events is one. Directors who create match conflicts by allowing players active in a main event to enter side events is another. Then they want to solve that problem by forcing me to play after midnight under threat of forfeiture! It is not my fault they have a log jam, and it is unfair to ask me to play an important match at the end of a 14 hour day so the last chance will go smoothly for them the next day."
Neil replies..Bravo Ray !! re: slow doubles play..clocks help greatly here and under no circumstances will I ever play unclocked doubles again.
Neil adds..re: conflicts, matches starting after midnight or very early the next morning etc etc. Most players hate this and we all hate it when it wasn't our fault and we have played no part in contributing to the log jam. A smoothly running Last Chance really shouldn't be of primary concern. It is only 5 pt matches and in most cases only pays one spot a smallish prize. Clocks help somewhat here, but the director and staff need to pay attention to how many events players get into. Allowing a player to enter doubles when he's still alive in the Masters or Amateur JP is asking for trouble at the typical Fri Night to Sunday afternoon ABT event. Sometimes I see players allowed to enter the blitz when it creates conflicts, however, no one likes to stand around with nothing to do for a few hours when they want to play something.
But as far as blitzes are concerned, the sillyness of letting a player qualify twice and then have TWO spots in the playoffs needs to stop NOW. If you qualify twice..you should get a bye..period !
A progressive LC really does help minimize Sunday conflicts as more players are out of the main quicker.
I do recall a miserable weekend 10-15 years ago, all because a rather slow player was allowed to play main, masters, doubles, and qualified twice for the blitz. Bcuz of concern over the obvious Sunday conflicts, I had to play my conso match with him at 1am (a round behind bcuz he was slow). I won but had to then play the next rd at 9 am so the loser could go into the LC rather than delay it somewhat. Things were worse on Sunday as this guy and his pard took nearly 3 hours to play their doubles semi match (mercifully they lost). A couple of players had to change flight plans to play late Sunday afternoon a past normal dinner hour in one case. I wasn't the only one, forced to play very late Saturday and very early Sunday all bcuz of this one player and his conflicts caused by inattentive directing and staff. Guess which T I didn't attend for a couple years afterward ?!?
I know some directors are sick and tired of hearing me and reading my comments and advice, but all I am trying to do is to make our ABT weekends more enjoyable for more players.
Great interview Ray !! ... neilkaz ...
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