Polo: Teams Proposal

me Andy and James? - team 1

^Fine with me.

You Dan LJ and... - team 2

If Dan_LJ wants to play with me, (and assuming Chris/Fin want to go together), my preferences would be Neil if he wants to play at tournaments (he's said before he's not bothered), Lucas, then Stu.

Where is Dan_LJ?

'If Dan_LJ wants to play with me'

wrong

who is james? my friend?! im back on sunday!! im $500000000 if anyone wants me...barca barca barca!

'It seems practically everyone is fed up with seeding now'

But it seems seeding has drifted in to this conversation..

Cloaks and daggers....

Judging by the interest of the Brighton Tourny seems peeps don't give a flying fook.

End.

The last discussion about seeding ended up pretty evenly split, but we carried on because nobody has the 'authority' to just say fuck seeding. Now myself and a few others are done with seeding, it seems to me there's a majority in favour of changing to something else.

As I've said - I'm not particularly bothered, but if there is a way of improving the standard of play in Brum, and making some cohesive teams, then why wouldn't we do it?

But it seems seeding has drifted in to this conversation..

Cloaks and daggers....

Judging by the interest of the Brighton Tourny seems peeps don't give a flying fook.

End.

I actually took seeding out of the proposal so that it doesn't restrict people.

Brighton is just one tournament - for Cambridge we had two full teams (equal to Birmingham's best ever representation) and maybe for the nationals/London Open we can get 3-4 teams.

lets be honest, cambridge was a proper ouch, i was texting players who took part and i was cringing..

I think concentrating on a scene is best atm, as you said, Skyride bought you Bhx bike polo back from the brink, and to be fair i think we are asking too much of ourselves for recent players.

No substitute for experience..

lets be honest, cambridge was a proper ouch, i was texting players who took part and i was cringing..

But like Dan said: at least we had players there. The best way to grow BHM polo is exposure, im up for us getting moving with this as I think others are too.

No cloak and Daggers just say who you want to play with.

i know exactly who i want to play with..

Just getting them in to it....

that sounds a bit wrong also.. ; )

lets be honest, cambridge was a proper ouch, i was texting players who took part and i was cringing..

I think concentrating on a scene is best atm, as you said, Skyride bought you Bhx bike polo back from the brink, and to be fair i think we are asking too much of ourselves for recent players.

No substitute for experience..

Yeah, I heard it was bad, but as Matt says, it's better to represent and gain experience than not show up (I talking teams here, obviously I couldn't go). It takes a few tournaments before your nerves calm down to the extent that you can play to your potential. Pretty much all the 'new' influx are totally up to speed now, and there isn't a massive difference between players any more. That's been reflected in the high standard of play recently. We'll do better at our next (big) tournament!

This proposal is totally about building the scene - as I said before 90% of games will still be throw-ins, and people who don't make teams won't play any less often than those who do. If that situation develops I'll be the first to call for changes.

Me and Fin have both said we're more interested in growing Birmingham than bettering our tournament results - if we wanted that, we'd just stay as Black Stabbath. If this system goes ahead, there'll be three okay-ish teams, rather than one okay team and one pretty shit one (at best).

If Dan_LJ wants to play with me, (and assuming Chris/Fin want to go together), my preferences would be Neil if he wants to play at tournaments.

Speak to dan lj then we'll have a chat, i need to be clear what our team song would be.

Found out he's on holiday, returning to polo on Wednesday next week, as am I.

as am i.

Spoke to Andy last night, hes fairly keen for me him n James to go ahead. If there is no objections..

I'd be inclined to say just go for it, but it may be best to wait until we get that one last vote to give it the illusion of acceptability. I don't think anyone else would be looking to poach people off your team anyway.

Fin/Chris/LJ? Get your names down!

Hopefully people i have known for years on push bikes may be convinced with trail chat tomorrow..

Same situations...blah blah..maybe beer may persuade them...

Deffo interested..I'm being given a bike from a chap at work to convert to a Polo steed, then they have no excuse for a quick knock around at my local court.

Might be a few grudges though..all the better.. =)

Might be a few grudges though..all the better.. =)

Exactly - I love it when we randomly get really close games which run for 15-20 minutes and it's 3-3 and it suddenly seems like you really want to win this motherfucker!!!

I think that would happen more often with actual teams...

ha ha!!

Really hope they are game... =)

( so much to sort on court cough cough)

=)

Right, been away for a few days, good to come back to more polo machinations from DWS.

I think this is a pretty good idea in that partnerships seem to be the secret to winning games. If I was partnered with Fin that could work well in that we're both as broke as each other and often have the same commitments that make us miss games. It would be a shame if a team suffered because one player couldn't make a couple of tournaments. At least seeding for two teams gives a bigger pool of reserve players. That would have to be talked about in advance I guess.

In general though, yep - I'm in favour.

I've not inwardly digested all of the above but this principal sounds promising. I back tonight so maybe we could chat through after sunset - spotted dog - beer - last one standing picks first?

I'm up for a post-polo beer (or two).

It seems almost everyone in the top 9-12ish are in favour, and people are happy enough with the partnerships I suggested, but nobody wants to be the final person to push it into reality.

Let's get it sorted tonight*, as we need to register teams for the London Open if we want any chance of accommodation.

*As long as my teams is sorted, I'm not that bothered what everyone else is doing.

If I was partnered with Fin that could work well in that we're both as broke as each other and often have the same commitments that make us miss games... It would be a shame if a team suffered because one player couldn't make a couple of tournaments.

I suggested those pairings because it seems to me those people have similar 'lifestyle circumstances' for want of a less shit phrase, and are happy playing together. To some extent the third player on each team is less relevant, and tournament rules only insist on there being 2/3rds of a team to still be called that team...

I envisage loads of subbing opportunites, but still 'core' teams, which already happens a lot with other more established teams.

Dems the teams then, no ...

Dan, Dan & Neil
Fin, Chris & Stu (or Lucas)
Andy, Matt & James

It leaves about 6 people from which you might get one team regularly, that'll be tranced into polo submission in about a fortnight.

I'm now in search of a good looking motorcyclist polo player, that's also hung like a horse, licks like a lesbian and writes wickedly funny remarks on these places. That'll be a good team that will.