Originally posted by Chuck
1. I have been told that the events (3or4) are full blown NPPL events.
2. If the teams are unable to afford it then they will not be able to compete so why bother with any Euro NPPLs at all?
Perhaps to play in some really good tournaments? Perhaps to travel to a new place and play paintball? Perhaps to prove to themselves they can compete at a high level?
3. Of course there is a bias, if you live in America you can attend all 5 of your qualifiying events over there and not have to travel to Europe ( unless you need the points) But that is optional. There are 3 or 4 Euro events planned but you can only use 2 of those scores therfore to make up your 5 scores you must travel to the U.S. How can that not be a Bias?
It's not bias, the Euro teams can travel to the US just as the US teams can travel to Europe. The NPPL is a US based league, the last 2 years have been US tournaments with Millennium affiliates. In the last 2 years you had to at least play in the US 3 times to have a chance at the top spot.
Last year I placed 1st at two millennium tournaments, if my team wanted to win the Millennium series we would need to travel over for more events. It was not in the books to go to more Euro events, so we did not win the series. We did not see this as a bias against US teams, we just saw it as a Euro based series with tournaments in Europe.
4. I am talking Div1 or lower, where do you think the average 17 yearold Euro player is going to find £600 x 3 for the U.S events plus training plus the money for the Euro events. Factor in extra days off work College x 6 (extra).
Yes you have to make sacrafices to play these events. Some people in the US can't even make it to all the NPPL events, is that bias against these people? Some people can't afford the entry fee is biased against them? No, it's just how it works, you have to find the money, time, etc to make it to these events and if you don't have those resources or you are not willing to give them up to play a tournament then that's the way it is.
5. If PP are not worried about having any one else in the world series why bother with the Euro events at all. True we do try to Improve, surely teams like us should be encouraged and not have obstacles constantly thrown before us.
Perhaps they are offering those events to give the European teams a taste of the NPPL, to entice them to come back to the US for the rest of the events? Or maybe they have the events in Europe so the US teams that want to play a European event or two can do so within their series. Or maybe the main reason is so they can make more money, this is a business in the end.
I don't see how you constantly have obstacles thrown at you. You want to have a run at a US based series without going to the US for all the events. I think it's a gift that the NPPL/PP even consider the Millennium Events from the last 2 years and the new Euro NPPL events next year as series points.
6. Example: cost of travelling to Amsterdam £40 inc ferry and Diesel.
H/ beach £350 flight+ £40 van hire. thats £350 per person more plus you have to take 2 extra days holiday or throw a "sickie" and lose 2 days money!
And we will have to do that a minimum of three times, if the qualification stays the same. Twice is possible 3 times I 'm not sure.
It may be possible for your team to do it twice, but maybe another team that wants to play in the series can only do it once, should they be allowed to use 4 events from Europe and 1 event from the US? At one point does it stop? A superstar team comes along, but with no funding, they want to win the series, should they allow 5 euro events to count? Should they give them double points for wins in their hometown? What's good for one team isn't always good for another. The NPPL is offering Euro teams, that have the resources, a chance at the series with 2 events in Europe.
I got an idea, play the first 2 US events (1 of which is HB, the best event of the year) and as many of the Euro events you can make. If your team is in the running for the series come time for Miami then as a team sit down and decide if it's worth the extra resources to go to Miami. If you decide it's worth it, then do everything in your power to make it. If you decide it's not worth it then there's no loss to you or your team. You may find that after HB it's not even worth it to travel to 1 US event (although that probably won't happen
or maybe your team does not perform well at HB, then you'd have to go to 3 more NPPLs to even have a chance.
This is exactly the way my team looked at the Millennium Series last year, as we progressed through the NPPL season we decided if it was worth it to go to Europe again based on how it would have an effect on our NPPL standing, as soon as we saw there was a very small chance we could win the series we decided to stop going to Europe because of the resources involved.
