ok, let's talk unity ...

Beenut,
I think your just the type of man to help open this up. You have a good character about you and I like you. You bring up the most important point of all. No matter who's tournament you go to, everybody loves everybody! We're all buying and selling and trading and sharing ideas. Some items are pricey, but until I become president, there's little we can do about cost. The atmosphere is ELECTRIC at these tornys! It would really be nice to go to a Miggle table and buy my bases and some teams for the little ones. Smooze around the room and pick up some buzztones and numbers. Slide over to Reggie's table for some of my favorite figures. Sit down with the hommies and figure out what my next "sweet looking" team should be. I love to mix and macth. I don't see how we have become so one dimensional? When we were younger, we longed for field covers or endzone names of our choosing. We wanted different poses and names on jerseys, etc. WEwanted open up our imaginations! I woulsd really like to see a real national torny with evreybody there peddling their wares and getting along. We could even play weighted and have a seperate division just for that. I don't know, but the ruffling of dollarsalways sounds good until somebody gets greedy. Unified electric football now! Tron has spoken!

[Silverhorse 228]

I know for years we have all talked about it, but it is 2007...I am 38 years old...and a lot of us are not getting any younger. I think a National Electric Football Coaches Association is the answer for many reasons.

1. We could get a real idea of how many coaches are out there, where they live and how they play.
2. This would be a great tool for up and coming generations, so our kids who play could have a "history" with this hobby...that could be passed on from generation to generation...and would live on, even after we are all gone.
3. To be united under one banner would be great...with our own logo...reps from regions etc. I completely agree that this would be a great way to introduce new coaches to electric football...Imagine being a Newbie and going to a convention with a National Electric Football Coaches Association (we will just use NEFCA for now) and seeing a booth that had it all...contacts from your region, videos on how to play, a video on the history of our hobby, list and phone numbers of manufacturers etc....you get the idea...wouldn't that be awesome.

The time is now guys and I am interested...Great conversation guys now lets do it!!

Matthew Culp HHEFL

[mantaraydre]

BOTTOM LINE !

I would like to be part of one monstrous event with everybody in attendance, the first annual (you name it) to be held in vegas !
reg, george diamond, the landsman, beenut, don smith, etc etc all under one roof in an ef extravaganza. Don smith once asked me what i meant in a previous post entitled "the war stops now", it's exactly what is being said right here on this post. reg is my man and it bothers me that he is not at the conventions for various reasons, or some other events. Like don smith said, reg is the walt disney of electric footbball and the fact that some of his figs are not allowed in some venues is strange ! At the texas shootout he did not care what fig's you played with, you could field an entire team of buzzball or miggle, or a mixture of everything, he just wanted to have fun.

It's funny, i love the winterfest, i love the conventions, i love the texas shootout, AND IM GOING TO LOVE THE "SEAWALL BRAWL" AFTER TALKING WITH THE GREAT DON SMITH OVER THE PHONE.

A word about DON SMITH, he is unity, just in our converstions over the phone i found him to be an AMBASSADOR OF OUR HOBBY LIKE REG SAID. It's the way he reaches out and handles things and get things done in a military like manner. I see why reg made him the point man for the txso ! For those who never spoke with him, he is extremely passionate about this hobby and is looking to make it even better. I cant wait for the seawall brawl so i can fellowship and learn some things from reg and don under the same roof !Im already locked and loaded in regards to my hotel room and plane tick's. This is going to be some kind of doing come late june "BE THEIR" .

WEIRDWOLF is just the guy to also bring all of this home for us efler's, i met him at the convention and he is so dynamic in his personality you cant help but to want to be around him forever !

Im not aware of the goings on before i came on board, but i can tell their is a division amoungst some of our great masters. Im not sure if all are welcome to certain events and if this is the case can we please correct this.
I have fun at all the events and everyone does a very nice job their way, but can you imagine if all the bigwig's sat down in one room, ironed out whatever it is that's neccesary and put together "ONE BIG SHOW". All manufactures selling their goods and hosting one event under one tent for one lomg weekend. wow

WHO IS WILLING TO BROKER THIS DEAL !!!!!!!!!!

BROADWAY-DRE

Beenutt

We have had similar discussions like this going back to 1998. It is a great idea but could you better define what you mean by unity?

Unity from a manufacturers point of view?

Unity from a coaches perspective?

Unity from league to league?

Unity for how the game is played?

Unity for a tournament being organized?

Like you stated there are some truely good people in this hobby. Many are very giving and willing to help others. That what makes this hobby so good.

Wally

[NEW CASTLE HiTMEN]

Great! Sounds like things are moving along. A coaches commision who is un-biased to a certain company or style of play. Just think playing a game using my style "pass simulation sticks" vs a coach who likes to use the triple threat QB. A show, convention or whatever where a coach can buy what he wants. A show where a coach can use Reggies figures vs miggle decaled. But, I do need to ask this question and I know it will come up. Do we need to set a limit on size and weight?

Originally Posted by NEW CASTLE HiTMEN

" Do we need to set a limit on size and weight?"

Get everyone to agree on equipment (bases and figures) spec's and you are well on the way to unity.

[5-13 Studios]

i have recently returned to this game, so i do not know the relationships between people and their respected companies. all that i can offer is an experience that i am familiar with.
here in columbus every year, there is a miniature wargaming convention called origins. it is dubbed a miniature wargaming convention, but all types of gaming are welcome, from old board games to the latest in pc gaming. there are hundreds of booths ranging from manufacturers to flea market style bins where if you dig long enough, you may find a terrific deal on some awesome gear. it also gives one the opportunity to see, first hand, what's out there. you can demo games, find objects that are long out of print, and get inspired. the best thing (in my opinion) about it is it gives an opportunity for people to be re-introduced, or introduced for the first time, to social games thought to be rendered extinct by the onslaught of video games. they hold painting clinics, sculpting clinics, (all included with admission), etc... they also have all kinds of tourneys, from strict rules to free-for-alls.

my point...

conventions of this kind are not only good for manufacturers, but good for the hobby itself. it's an opportunity for fresh and old faces alike to see what's really out there and to decide for themselves what they like, and how they want to play. if it happens with ef, it would be great for the hobby OVERALL! if i may throw out a suggestion for it, find one location and keep it there. the wargaming convention draws people from all over the country, and they don't mind because they know ahead of time what the cost will be and where they can stay.

just my 2 cents,
chris

oh yeah, they alsohave functions called the "gamers widows". it's for gamers wives who make the trip with them for some reason.

[beenutt]

Help me out here Weirdwolf and Don Smith, but this is what I think we are talking about as far as unity goes. We need to have an event where we put out best foot forward in the eyes of the public and TV. Can we truly show as a hobby what we have to offer without having Reggies figures and stadiums and without Reggie himself there? Can we show our best without having Buzzball figures and bases represented? Can we neglect all of Miggles bases and assessories? What about the best boards out there - Watts and Porche to name a couple! What about dividers, passing sticks, decals (DM included!)? We have to have AB there to demonstrate his multi-stop! We need all the big names and all the products. Don't exclude anyone for the sake of the hobby. And we when all get together, we need to behave like adults and show respect for others.

At that same event, we need to have a designated place for the general public to be educated on the game and to donate merchandise to get people interested. We need to have DVD's running showing actual games to demonstrate that the figures don't always go around in circles. The main objective of the event is to grow the hobby and make it flourish like it should be growing. The hobby will take off if presented in the proper light.

beenutt

[NEW CASTLE HiTMEN]

Brian,

I believe that if we have this convention the manufaturing companies will follow. After all That is where the money will be. If I may i would like to use this analogy. When I am buying a car I never buy the first one I see. I will get a quote from number 1 first then go to number 2. I will tell #2 about #1 offers. If he say I can beat it then I say give me the offer. Then I go back to #1 with #2's and so on. My point being if the coaches and hobbyists have an un-biased convention the manufacureers will follow.

[NEW CASTLE HiTMEN]

To expand, if a company does not wish to send either their products or at least a representative then so be it. It will be their loss.