The biggest issue is safety at the big league tournaments. The three biggest areas are netting, barrel bag safety and marker ROF and velocity control.
Besides safety I think marshalling is the most important.
Proposals that I strongly believe must be implemented at the next Millennium event:
1. New barrel bag standard: after chronographing players must bag their barrels until the marshalls give their signal for mask on and barrel bags off, just before the game begins. (And players are supposed to keep their barrel bags with them because they're supposed to put them on immediately after being eliminated). It worked on the JT field at Huntington Beach and it has worked at other tournaments. This system must be announced at the marshalls' and captains' meetings and vigorously enforced. Marshalls need a break from their masks and are going to take off or up their masks no matter what.
2. Penalise teams that violate marker safety regulations. Players in goggle-off areas who fail to use barrel bags at all times (except when cleaning the barrel) will get one warning and if it happens again that team will begin their next game with one player less. Apply this consistently with a safety marshall checking the players' tents and after a few penalties behaviour will change. It did with X-ball. (Russian Legion began one round with a player in the penalty box because of failure to use barrel sock.)
3. Have an assistant ultimate who will carefully evaluate the marshalling and be prepared to warn and possibly fire incompetent or biased marshalls. Create into the point system a possibility to deduct points for each incompetent marshall that has to be cut. This would go hand-in-hand with the availability of a spare marshalling team or two who could go in when a marshall is cut or who could otherwise rotate with marshalls who need a break.
4. Tournament safety: a safety marshall ought to be brought in to see to it that at least minimum netting requirements are observed. An ambulance must be present at all times. Then, of course, there are the other safety matters already pointed out above.
5. Marshalls (especially player marshalls) need to be better trained and more coordinated and uniform. The marshalls' meetings need to be taken more seriously and also used as a mini training session and some small but important details need to be clarified.
6. There needs to be enough marshalling teams so that they can rotate as morning and afternoon teams. That would guarantee fresh marshalls and more time to train. This is becoming increasingly vital for quality ensurance because a lot more teams are entering.
7. Make sure that there is a big national variety among the marshalling teams. Preferably no more than one team from any nation at any one tournament.
8. Go to 8-game preliminaries and 7 minute games. That will allow the tournament to go faster and be even more exciting as each game is a little more important and the job must be done quicker. The NPPL S7 has 8 and nobody complains. The NPPL/PSP had only 6 prelim games for years.
There's more where this came from.
Besides safety I think marshalling is the most important.
Proposals that I strongly believe must be implemented at the next Millennium event:
1. New barrel bag standard: after chronographing players must bag their barrels until the marshalls give their signal for mask on and barrel bags off, just before the game begins. (And players are supposed to keep their barrel bags with them because they're supposed to put them on immediately after being eliminated). It worked on the JT field at Huntington Beach and it has worked at other tournaments. This system must be announced at the marshalls' and captains' meetings and vigorously enforced. Marshalls need a break from their masks and are going to take off or up their masks no matter what.
2. Penalise teams that violate marker safety regulations. Players in goggle-off areas who fail to use barrel bags at all times (except when cleaning the barrel) will get one warning and if it happens again that team will begin their next game with one player less. Apply this consistently with a safety marshall checking the players' tents and after a few penalties behaviour will change. It did with X-ball. (Russian Legion began one round with a player in the penalty box because of failure to use barrel sock.)
3. Have an assistant ultimate who will carefully evaluate the marshalling and be prepared to warn and possibly fire incompetent or biased marshalls. Create into the point system a possibility to deduct points for each incompetent marshall that has to be cut. This would go hand-in-hand with the availability of a spare marshalling team or two who could go in when a marshall is cut or who could otherwise rotate with marshalls who need a break.
4. Tournament safety: a safety marshall ought to be brought in to see to it that at least minimum netting requirements are observed. An ambulance must be present at all times. Then, of course, there are the other safety matters already pointed out above.
5. Marshalls (especially player marshalls) need to be better trained and more coordinated and uniform. The marshalls' meetings need to be taken more seriously and also used as a mini training session and some small but important details need to be clarified.
6. There needs to be enough marshalling teams so that they can rotate as morning and afternoon teams. That would guarantee fresh marshalls and more time to train. This is becoming increasingly vital for quality ensurance because a lot more teams are entering.
7. Make sure that there is a big national variety among the marshalling teams. Preferably no more than one team from any nation at any one tournament.
8. Go to 8-game preliminaries and 7 minute games. That will allow the tournament to go faster and be even more exciting as each game is a little more important and the job must be done quicker. The NPPL S7 has 8 and nobody complains. The NPPL/PSP had only 6 prelim games for years.
There's more where this came from.
