have you decided what point breakdown you are going to use? I want to line up partners early this year

Brad wants to make sure that he's bumped down to beginner, so that he can save money.

sounds like gym is scared... he is playing with rambo again. I am only asking because kevin McCartney is coming from iowa so my dad is playing with him. I am looking for a forward in ams and I need to know my options

I just want a jacket I could care less about the money.

you and tim should own those guys! this is your year to take second place to myself and a forward to be named later. actually I wouldn't be surprised to see my dad and kevin in the finals

well you better at least stop by mom and dad would be pissed if they didn't get to hang out with you

I don't think Dustin is so badass that he needs to be bumped to Expert for any state tourney. Not a knock on him, but to say he shouldn't be allowed is pushing it. Someone like the other AM's - Bart, Miller, Trashy (SP world Champ), Moose, Lancaster...those guys I could see making a case not to allow in AM's because they are seasoned veterans and winners.

Yeah, he's going to be one of the sharks in that pool, but come on...there's always going to be sharks. I saw some out of state players last year at CO state that I thought were strong experts...turned out to be AM's too...and they still didn't win.

You can't just bump up good players so weaker players can win. How about training and practicing harder like Dustin does.

X

I'm just saying there's a lot of other good AM's in those brackets, and it's not like he's going to roll over everyone on cruise control.

You can't compare his situation to Boogie, because Boogie won at the state level, then went out of town to a Major and won again at that level too. Same with Roger. I don't think Dustin has won any major AM titles.


The rating system is messed up no matter how you look at it. Personally, I think the local promoters should have a hand in rating people.

Example: I think someone like Baller could tell Mary "So and So is not an AM...bump them." or "City hasn't been playing in years...he's an Expert again...lower him".

I think that's the most accurate way to rate someone, but it would require a lot of unbiasedness, and maybe a state committee of active, educated, fair players to determine that.


At the very least, man up! You and Tim are quite capable of beating any AM in those brackets - but that would mean you need to get Tim B out playing a lot and training. You play once a week, and don't tour - you're never going to win titles that way. Even if Dustin was bumped up, there would be other hungry players.

X

I think if you win your rank at a Major like Vegas or Worlds, you should get moved up. (Nationals is pretty weako lately)

Or maybe get moved up REALLY close to the next level at TX or CO State depending on the turnout.

I don't think Dustin is just "hanging around"...he's just not flying all around touring. That kind of dedication isn't for everyone - it's expensive, requires lots of time off work, is rough on relationships, etc.

And that kind of touring is where the real growth is at in an individual's game. Takes a lot of dedication and cash, but it also provides the more reward in terms of jumping skill levels. If Dustin (or any good AM) was touring, they'd probably be jumping levels and points and be out of AM, but he's just not.

Ross did it, he jumped.
Bru did it, he jumped.
Teezy did it, he jumped.
Etc...

Do we have any touring rooks anymore? Davin I guess?

What are you supposed to do if you can't afford to travel all over the place, but still love the game?

Play all the nearby local stuff you can, practice your ass off, and when a ranked event turns up that you can attend, play what you're allowed to and let the promoters do what they feel's necessary afterwards.

The great thing about the local events is that ranks don't matter one bit. Everybody's allowed to enter, everyone pays the same entry fees, and you win when you put 5 in the hole no matter who you are.

We all know the current ranking system is broken to the point that it's practically useless when it comes to matching up rank with skill level. My rank means nothing to me, but my skill level does, which is I practice every single day and compete whenever I get the chance. Sure, the tour events are fun, but I'm not going to go through all the stress and drop a lot of money on traveling when I already have an open singles, open doubles, and open DYP to play with some of the strongest players in the area every week. If I start winning everything I play like I did in Ohio, maybe I'd get the incentive to tour, but until then, I'm fine with the weeklies we have.

And yeah, I'm definitely not intentionally hanging around in the low divisions. Nobody that cared about ranks would be complacent staying a rookie for 7 years.