The BIG Question! Take your gloves off and discuss...

[sweetka]

Sure everyone has their style. I agree to that. My only goal is for all to understand that at the convention their must remain a default ruleset.

With respect to regional tourneys, the object was simply to sanction them, not dictate how they play game. However if/when you qualify for the big elimination tournament at the convention, albeit by tourney points, CPC, MFCAL, or league championship, Then the default rules are put into place. This way the MFCA provides an "all inclusive" opportunity at the convention for it's membership to compete. Anything less than that is unacceptable in my opinion.

I totally disagree with meddling in regional tournament or having back door tournaments for the MFCA because it just can not happen. One will always be dominant over the other and the last thing I feel needs to be done is to push that on anyone. I feel that in addition to the regional tournaments, which the MFCA should only be responsible for sanctioning, supporting, and running skills competition, it also presents leagues with an opportunity to catch up on games like the Mid-Ohio did at both the MFCA and Miggle Conventions. To impose ourselves to a secondary tournament would undermine entirely our support for what the locals are trying to accomplish. No offense but a classic example to that would be the CBSMF dominating the 2009 convention so much that the CPC had to be incorporated into their games this year. Last year I remember watching Adrian Baxter (sorry I singled you out my friend) trying to get a CPC game in with little success. We have a mission statement: it can be accomplished.

Unity: You cannot have votes on the ruleset it is just that simple IMHO. It represents compromise which means no one is happy because for every rule they vote for will not pass. Again no offense but if you have not supported a tournament that has played no less than four different formats that is a clear indication that you are not willing to change. The unity comes from first the MFCA respecting what you do in your area through support, sanctioning, and adding ambiance with the skills competition and anything else we can offer. In return, when you qualify, whether you win or lose, you support the default rules when you come to the MFCA convention. If you choose to pattern your ruleset after the MFCA default rules I feel the choice should completely be that of those individuals running their tournaments in their regions. One clear fact is the average MF coach MAY make one tourney per year.

Integrity: This is the easiest of all to acheive. By having default rules it settles all issues related to those who have enabled themselves by only wanting to play their way. Sure, we are all confortable with our rulesets but we should not under any circumstance fit our rules to any style. Yes, we do need to offer an alternative passing method beyond the TTC. Logically, the passes become more difficult as the distance increases. Therefore, it stands to reason that it would appear that the only way for that goal to be accomplished is to find a established method that suits that objective. Don't give it a name, be not concerned who allegedly invented it because I am sure that everything we did has already been done. With any touch vs front of base it would appear simple unless you have a personal bias that clouds the objective of intergrity. Front of base (my preferred style) is very subjective unless progress is stopped. It lends more to the possiblity of integrity being compromised because one person's interpretation, or objective, is different from someone else's. With ATT it is clear, with the slightest movement, that a tackle has been made in most cases. Simply stated, it is more likely than not that you can see an ATT vs FOB. It's not about preference, it's about eliminating motive and opportunities to undermine fairness.


Fellowship: Again the mission statement is met here by the MFCA sanctioning the tournament, awarding all applicable points in the tourneys, leagues, or CPC. Again, if the CPC is extended people may see the value in not packing their bags as soon as they lose at the regional events which again fulfills our requirement for fellowship. We can only offer the vehicles for success through providing support mechanism that create a positive experience for coaches at the regional level.

I personally disagree that having a default ruleset for the MFCA convention playoffs undermine the mission statement. Trying to impose our will on regional tournaments does. Not trying to appeal to the masses undermine the mission statement as well. Our job is to support your efforts then give you something to play for as well. I don't know about anyone else but the prizes offered for winning the MFCA tourney were second to none this year. NONE! Our job is to extend that support to our entire membership by all the actions recommended above. Build it and we will support it without imposing. If people want to play by our default format then we are honored. Just understand that a "die hard" hobbyist must be flexible when they come to Canton.

Just my thoughts.