Polo Tournament: The Draw?

how about we just trust roxy, turn up, play, to the best of our ability, and don't stand about moaning that it's unfair.

+1

yo.
I'm working really hard to make this a great tournament. I am doing the play of the day like most bracketed tournaments, best vs. worst (see the World Cup or Wimbeldon for reference). However, I have also taken into consideration that I don't know every team and that some are coming from out of town.

here's what I've done:

1. rated all the teams I know as a 1, 2, or 3 (one being best, 2 being middle-skill, 3 being worst/newest)

2. then I've starred all out of town teams and then numbered those as well if I know them.

3. all teams that I don't know got a 2.

4. Next I put all out-of-town teams vs. london-based 3-rated teams. I think it would be crap to have all these out-of town teams come to London and only get one game in.
   *there is an exception to this if I've seen the team play

5. I placed all 1-rated London teams vs. 2-rated teams.

6. Currently, due to a team canceling (Sweet Thunder), there is an odd amount of teams, so one team will get a pass through to round two. However, this obviously changes if another team drops out and so on.

Reasons:
-This is the totally normal way to do a tournament.
-if we draw out of a hat, we'll get some worst vs. worst games which means that a bad team will get through and best vs. best game which means one of the best teams playing will have to be out. This does not lead to a "fair" tournament it leads to the teams with the best luck winning, not the best skills
-We are very limited in time, I don't want to take the time that we could be otherwise be playing, drawing teams. Plus, having worst vs worst games going for 12 minutes and having them end at 1-0 is crap.

The whole point of a tournament is that the best teams progress, not the worst.
If I had a week I would have every team play every team, we have one day. Currently we have 8 hours to play 10 hours of polo (though I'm working on that).

Anyone who wants to offer suggestions as to whom should play whom, is welcome to come over tonight or tomorrow before polo for a cuppa and a butcher's and check out my current line up.

I think this is reasonable way to proceed. It seems fair to give the out of towners a chance to get more than one game, as opposed to risking them coming up against one of the better London teams, and getting knocked out.

It's true that no one has seen all of the teams play, but must of us have seen most of the regular London players at some point in the last couple of weeks, and I don't think it's that hard to work out who the better players are. Nor do I think it is unjust to assume that if none of us have seen, for instance, anyone from Pedalphiles play, that they are only in it for the saddles and the chance to cause a little mayhem, and will go out with bang, and perhaps a whimper.

I agree with Aidan and Hops that it's not perfect, but the alternative seems less fair on the out of town teams, and less fair on those of us who have been practising our polo 3 times a week for the last couple of months. Imagine if Pedalphiles got drawn against bikefix, and BAD got drawn against RMY. I am pretty sure that bf have hardly played at all, and I am certain that pp have only seen bike polo on youtube. Say pp don't show, and bf get a bye. Then one of BAD and RMY get knocked out. That would not be fair in my view.

After this tournament, there is another quite soon, so the results from this one can be used to seed the next.

Right then you lot!

So it seems that seeding is the way to go for a fair and exciting competition rather than a straight random draw? We all want a good competition, but we also want a fair, impartial tournament so here is what I suggest:

1. Rank all the teams 1-3 as Roxy suggested above. Her justification seems fine. I think that teams should be posted here with their seedings here so that any major discrepancies can be ironed out, especially with the outta-towners/teams that she doesn't know.

2. Draw up a schedule based on these seedings.
   e.g Rounds one: a ranked 1 team vs a ranked 2 team, a rank 3 team vs a rank 2 team, etc etc. The winners of heat one goes through to next round etc etc. It is important not to allocate actual team names at this point.

3. All team names go into three separate pots with their seeding number on.

4. On the day of the tournament, numbers are picked out at random to determine who is playing. This will be done publically by an impartial person - one of the sponsors? - so no arguments can be had.

All the hard work will have been done prior to the tournament of seeding teams and working out the games schedule. All that needs to be done on the day is picking names out of three boxes. Doing the draw on the day also means that no-one has an unfair advantage of knowing who they are playing for tactical reasons.

A Good Plan?

>>>>

^^^^^^

+1000000000000000

:-)

funny gabes.

>>>>

i'm guessing you've already received your saddle...

As far as Im concerned if you put in all the hard work to put on an event like this you make the rules. And to all the wingers & haters If you have a problem with this tournament you put some hard work in a do a tournament of you own am show how it is done. ithere put up or shut up !!!!!!!

can you print that on your team-shirt please? ;)

{edit} thanks mike and john paul and lee.

i'm guessing you've already received your saddle...

so...

rob I don't think It quite works that way...the teams are as important as the organizer.I think it's fair for people to express their issues if they have any and it should be the 'organisers' resposibility to adress them in a diplomatic fashion.
What's a tournament if it's not fair?

witty.

so you organise a polo tournament and then you go ahead and complain!!! but untill you do something for the comunity keep you negative opinions to your self

ha... Negative opinions,where are these negative opinions you speak of?

For the sake of transparency, here is how I've rated teams. I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I tried to favour women's teams early on in my thinking. This doesn't work very well as it tends to screw up the play for other teams, but that's why the women's teams are starred. 2 stars means out of towners. 1-3 is how the teams are rated.

*Madelz, Berlin-Berlin
**The Fabulous French Fuckers
**The Cycle Kings
** MCR Dropouts- Manchester
** MCR Douchbags- Manchester
**BikePolo-Muenchen- Munich

1** The Unknown
1 The Moving Targets- London
1Oakenden Invicta
1 Who’s Bad?
1 Rollapuluza
1Oakenden Pedallers
1 Zombie RMY
2 The Pedalphiles-London
2 SLAP
2* Team Trouble
2 Bike Fix- London
2 Bicyclestars Galactica pka Hogs
2 Spoke Newingtons- London
2 Them’s The Breaks
3*Sezza & The Lezzas
3 Burning Chunks Of Flesh
3 Fighting Mongooses- London
3 The Lost Boys- London
3 The Rolling Drones
3 Blazing Saddlesores
3 Riders of Narm
3 Green Suede Shoes
3 Mallets Of Hazard

3 Cluster Fuck Unit
3 The I <3 Ric’s

Those of you who are just now catching on to the fact that the tournament is this coming weekend and are just now wondering how the start will take place, are really late. I've been having conversations about this with active members of the polo community for months, garnering opinions and answering questions. While a small percentage of people seemed to have wound each other up and are keen to find some conspiracy, there is none. It has always been transparent and your just late in the conversation.

I find it insulting that suggestions have been made that I might fix the tournament in some way to favour my boyfriend. I know that these insinuations have only come from one person who, admittedly has said she is accusing me of that because that's what she would do. However I always assume that if there is one person who has had a thought and said it, there are probably a couple who have had the same thought and haven't.
So to clear the air, I'll say first that that would be so frickin' pathetic!! I value my place in this community and wouldn't want to harm my reputation or my friendships by doing something so fruitless and sad. Secondly, my boyfriend's team can take care of themselves and certainly wouldn't want me to fix the tournament (how stupid would I make them look!?!!?), and thirdly I am an audience member at the tournament not just the organizer; I want to see some good fucking games.

I also find it disappointing that people who have yet to offer any help in organizing, well anything, would sit here behind their screen and criticize the efforts of someone else who has worked incredibly hard on numerous bike related and fgss-forum related projects. I think my efforts in this community should speak for me and how hard I try to add creation and not destruction to this community.

Most important it's fucking bike polo, it's a fucking game, and at the end of the day, means very, very, little to the world. What it does offer is another bike-positive and fun event. I suggest if you won't be having fun and being positive on the day, and won't be adding to other people's fun and positivity on the day, then there is simply no reason for showing your face at the tournament nor offering your whinge's and paranoia here. You are only adding destruction to a world that doesn't need it. Come, don't whinge, and be happy with the immense amount of time and effort that has been put into the day. LIGHTEN THE FUCK UP! IT'S A GAME! I'm a little disappointed and embarrassed in myself for taking the bait here.

So having said all of that. I have a polo tournament to put on (that I have been working on for 8 months), a birthday party to throw (I missed the last one), and a new job to work at. I'm super busy. I won't be reading this thread again. However, that doesn't mean that I don't want to hear any new suggestions as to how to make the tournament awesome-er or hear about what you are going to offer on the day to add more greatness. Give me a call and chat to me about it. Have the conversation with me no need for posting here. Like I've said, come over and have a cuppa. There aren't any secrets here.

For those of you that actually want to volunteer and offer needed, valuable help with all parts of the tournament, check out the "Lots of people needed" thread and make some actual effort.

****I also want to thank everyone who has written me, called me, and talked to me in person and offered me their encouraging comments! How great are you!! This has been a huge amount of effort and hearing people say 'good job' means a hell of a lot.

yo everyone! i am still desperately seeking a slot on a team, any team, for the tournament next sunday. If you have an opening on your team as a result of injury or schedule conflict or whatever, let me know! (ps- the original team member can keep the saddle, i just want to play)

I think that, in the interests of fairness, the Fighting Mongooses should get at least a 4 or 5.

the name alone should get you a 3.

MOH are planning an upset just be warned.

'Most plans do not survive contact with reality'

• messenger proverb
  

'(fuck you(deleted too harsh))Go jump!'

ray proverb.

shins, we should hit the button soon. yeehaw!

i was skeptical of the seeding thing, but i hadn't read all this and so sunday was a barrage of moaning, name calling and left me confused. anyways, having read roxys plan and this entire thread, i reckon roxy's plan is fair and should prove entertaining for all watching.

so lets just turn up, play and have a good day. it shouldn't hard.

I just want to play some polo.