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• #302
Ace tornament guys, weather was nice too, but next time please be closer to Scotland!
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• #303
This will be my last (lengthy and boring) word on it, because I really don't want to stink up the thread (merge to a formatting/UK Champs discussion?) but this seems like the best place right now while it's fresh. And I'm really not as bitter as will come across (probably 20% bitter, but that's against a latent 10% bitterness so really only +10% bitter...).
If I'm right, 50% of the Round Robin teams have now said they can't go. As compared to 0% 'automatic qualified teams' and 0% of all teams who qualified for the main tournament. 66.6% of teams who qualified for the Wildcard and said they would go, now can't....
It seems to me like something is going on there.
Maybe some teams/individuals:
a) didn't book time off/make sure they can afford it before they said they *would go, *
b) liked the idea of playing 7 extra 'free' and competitive games enough to kind of fudge it - nobody's checking, right?
c) only wanted to go to the Euros it they qualified for the main tourney, and planned to pull out if they didn't make top-two in Round Robin.I've already disclosed that I was in the c) camp, and that it wasn't really possible to point that out had we actually got through to RR.
Constructive suggestions:
1) We do something to weed out people in the a) camp. Of course we're not going to check bank balances and such, but perhaps a stronger request at the time of organising would have helped? Instead of saying 'will go' or 'would go', be more specific and say 'people who want to compete to qualify for the Euros must have booked time off work and have adequate funds'. It might not have any effect, but that way people would actually have to lie to their friends and fellow players, which is a different ballgame.
2) We create some kind of barrier to competing to discourage people from getting 'free games' - maybe pay more money, which is refunded if you qualify?*
3) We do something to weed these people out of the process as it becomes clear that they won't qualify for the main tournament. Had I qualified for RR and then lost the first 2 or 3 games (or whatever it takes, I'm not a maths guy) I'd have been totally happy to dive out if it made things fairer for other people. I'm not sure if that helps, but again, maybe someone smarter can suggest something?
4) If you're attempting to qualify as a team and you know one of your players can't go to the Euros, you should already have someone lined up who is ready/able/willing to be your third. (We had this in place, it's not that hard). By all means change that third person, but don't pull your entire team out because you thought you'd take a punt on a third player. Again, I don't know if that will help, it seems like teams that bailed had two players who couldn't go...
One final question, as I still am not persuaded by the arguments for draws (beside logistical ones) in Swiss, but would four rounds of Swiss without draws be 'fairer' than five rounds with draws? Maybe something along those lines would be better.
*I really don't like this idea because it's totally cuntish and against the spirit of tournaments, but maybe someone else can suggest something cleverer.
Rant over.
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• #304
Perhaps having the UK Champs and the Euro qualifiers as one event wasn't such a good idea...
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• #305
Thanks for an awesome week Cambridge,especially Hayden, we all know that you worked really hard to make this run super smooth!
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• #306
Yeah what Chris said, amazing weekend, thanks for stepping up and putting it on Cambridge. While there may have been downsides to holding both in one weekend, you guys actually held both, and got shit done. Just a shame we never got to go pussy patrol partying in Josh's pool
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• #307
I think youd just passed out Woody, P.P. Girls Gone Wild pool party jam will be up on vimeo soon....
Big love Cambridge! What an awesome tournament, weekend, courts, vibes, set up. Never been to such a smooth running tournament or played so much competitive polo in one weekend. I know some found it a bit much but I really enjoyed all the back to back games on Saturday...
Bike polo has been taking a back seat over the last few months and slowly fading out but this weekend really rekindled it for me.
Big love to the Mega Sharks: Woody and Jess played solidly and passionately all weekend, it was alot of fun and i'm still buzzing.
And as always love to the UK polo community, it was great getting to talk shit with old friends and have craic with some of the newer scenes.
I love bike polo.
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• #308
Dan, I think you are missing out the psychological effect of not qualifying.
Before the Saturday I really wanted to go to euros and had checked with both my team mates they were willing and able to go.
But after a dismal Saturday I don't want to go anymore, there's a name for it, but the ego will protect itself by genuinely believing it never wanted to go to the party it's not invited to... It's probably German and coined by Freud.
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• #309
So is that a yes or no from Yomoyo?
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• #310
I'm checking with the other two...
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• #311
Heh
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• #312
Dan, I think you are missing out the psychological effect of not qualifying.
I don't get what you mean. You guys didn't get into the round robin did you? So you never had to declare whether you could go or not.
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• #313
Someone drove an Audi estate to Cambridge last week, can't really remember who it was. Can the said person drop me a PM please? Thanks.
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• #314
Was it Neil or was he in the polo bus?
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• #315
Shane has an Audi estate?
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• #316
Was it Neil or was he in the polo bus?
Polo bus.
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• #317
Anyone pick up a silver multitool that feels like it's falling apart?
Great tournament btw. Props to all involved.
(Hope everyone's happy with their jumble booty)
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• #318
Anyone pick up a silver multitool that feels like it's falling apart?
Great tournament btw. Props to all involved.
(Hope everyone's happy with their jumble booty)
Canyon?
If so I have it, its incerdibly similar to mine, sorry.
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• #319
Bloody thievin' Mancs.
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• #320
Whoever could make the wildcard should go for it. It will be the best polo tourney you'll ever have. Tickets are still sub 200 quid including bikes and bloody 8 quid a night stay is cheaper than drinks on a night out. Remember last year's Euros? Gutted to miss out? This is your chance! The wild card isn't that bad, more games and only one extra day! Come one UK polo scene, let's be the largest represented scene, Sons of Jor -Rel , Troika , Schink Snack Snook (Correct?)and Westway , what say you?
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• #321
Ben's drunk...
Would deffo come out if I wasn't flying out to Oz the week after, this will be such a mega-fun tourney... I fucking hate tourneys!
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• #322
Ha! I remember Corny in the Barcelona Euros although he wasn't even playing!
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• #323
Canyon?
If so I have it, its incerdibly similar to mine, sorry.
that's the one.
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• #324
Whwheres the videos? Of the weekend
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• #325
oh hai, I hear you like polo :PWhere are all the photos and that vid from the tornament?
I didn't notice the additional 43 shades of rage they'd found in Dave since the Bristol Open. Are all 50 shades unique?