You do you

[Reginald Rutledge]

I got to talking with a guy who wanted to start up a league. He asked me the simple question of "How do you recruit, Reg?"

I told him it's a simple question but a complicated answer for me. I told him for my years in creating leagues, the #1 thing I have to stay true to is what I do. I told him the basis for starting the DFW was the stadium. The stadium put me on the map, it brought people to my attention, and it got people interested in the things that I was doing. Furthermore, it was a media bonanza! I can go anywhere and show a realistic stadium and it garners attention. That's 75% of the battle for me.

The next thing I do is never compare the Shootout to any other style of play. I respect all styles of play and inform them of those styles but do not disparage or demean those styles in any way. Because the ultimate goal is to get people playing the game. Over time, they will decide for themselves. They will become educated on what is out there and what is not. When you spend your time insinuating on other methods of play, there may be some lack of confidence in your own agendas/style of play.

Go after any and all! You never know who may be a "sleeping" MF'er. Sometimes the ones you think are the most dedicated ends up being the worst ones. Always share the knowledge, information, and equipment. One of the things anyone coming into the DFW could tell you was that if I had it, and you needed it, I would gladly let you have it too. It's the price of running a league and bringing everyone up to speed. The ultimate goal here is to bring parity to a league.

Be flexible! Cater your league to people schedules and lives. I don't get paid to run a league and I am certain, the next person don't either (at least right now). I have instituted rules so that guys who would not be able to compete equally get a chance to play. I have always went out of the way to be open to new ideas and methods but with a foundation in place.

Hype the game! If you're not happy and geeked up about the game, who will be? To me, it's just that, a game! I don't have much time on this earth left so while I am still here, my thing is have a good time and let the nonsense slide off! Have fun, enjoy the game, and the people you associate with in the game. If I can't be loud, screaming, and sitting in the "Peanut Gallery" every once in awhile, I probably don't need to play in that game ro tournament.

Be open to Road Warrior plans. It is always an honor to have guys willing to travel great distances to be a part of your league. Treat them like Kings! Show them great hospitality and help them. Most guys want to get you there to "whup your arse". They look at it as a "feather in their caps". To me, that's total nonsense! I've seen it in the DFW League as well as other tournaments and leagues. To me, that's the wrong approach. I told the guy, remember, they chose to spend their money coming to hang out with you. Not a lot of guys would do that.

Make sure that the things that you say you can do can be achieved. Some guys advertise things they do in their league and have no hand in it. I know selling points are important but if you don't do it, don't say that you do, i.e., play in stadiums.

We talked for about 2 hours about things that we try to do to bring people to the game. At the end of the talk, I told him simply, "I just do me". These are the things that I like to do in the game and if people want to be a part of what I do, I am always welcome to have them. If they are not, I respect that and I must move on.

Reg