TEAM ORGANIZATION

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XGC xVIPERx XI

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Whether you are planning on attending the Amateur Open in Pittsburgh or any other tournament for that matter, there are several factors that must be considered when organizing a team and preparing for such an event. Some of these are very basic but are often overlooked by new and established teams alike. These are your team roster, use and availability of alternates, preparation for the event and the level of play that your team will be participating in (rookie, novice, amateur or professional). These seem to be the simplest and most basic of areas but many teams over look these, focusing on other topics, then finding themselves rushed to make a decision that should have already been dealt with. Lets take a basic class #101 approach to team management and look at these topics in detail.

What is a team roster? A team roster is the list of team members that will be attending the tournament. Above all else, this is probably the largest concern of a team captain. It seems that inevitably, the very night before the tournament one or more team members will call with major emergencies and multiple excuses as to why they will not be able make the tournament. This will happen and you must be prepared to handle such a situation. The other way that the team roster will effect the team is in consideration of what level or class of play that the team will be competing in.

Currently there are multiple considerations as to how the team is ranked and this varies from tournament to tournament. The ranking of a team is primarily influenced by the players on the teams previous tournament experience, if you had a player who’s name appeared on a professional team roster with in the last three years, there is no way that the team can participate in the amateur division. Currently there is a rule book in production that will unit all of the tournament circuits as too a generalized criteria for the ranking of teams, what divisions the teams may play in and other issues that govern tournament play.

A general rule of thumb is have at least one alternate on the roster for a three man event, two alternates at a five man event and three alternates at a ten man event. Often the number of alternates is limited by the tournament promoter, check with them and see how many you can have appear on the roster and utilize this to you fullest advantage by filling these spots. It would be much wiser to run a three man squad with one alternate than to run a five man squad with no alternates. You never know what is going to happen at the last minute, who will not be able to attend or who will not be able to complete the tournament for any number of reasons.

Alternates have a multiple of benefits when accompanying the team, but many people are uncertain as to what being an alternate entails. The first mistake that is commonly assumed in reference to an alternate is that they are not going to play in the tournament unless there is an emergent situation (injury, down marker, etc.). The person in this situation would not be an alternate, he would be there for support. An alternate is a member of the team, who plays with the team, practices with the team on a regular basis and will play in the tournament equally. In the case of a three man event the alternate player would sit out the first game, the second game he would be in, while someone else would sit out and it would continue to rotate through the squad until the conclusion of the event. An alternate pays his share of the entry fee and plays his share of the tournament.

Another benefit of having alternates on the roster is the cost of the event. Instead of five players paying sixty dollars each for a three hundred dollar entry fee, if you have two alternates it would drop the cost to forty three dollars each. This is extremely beneficial to a team just starting out, without sponsors tournament entry fees can be extreme at times, not to mention the cost of lodging when you travel to tournaments. By including alternates on the roster you lower the expense of the entry fee to more reasonable and affordable level, this is extremely helpful when you look at some of the national events who’s fees can be in excess of six hundred dollars per event.

When the team is at the crony, so are the alternates. In the event that a marker is too hot and will not come down to permissible levels or is malfunctioning, the alternate will either exchange his marker with his teammate or the alternate will assume the other players position entirely. The alternate is there in the event of an injury, which prevents another player from continuing with the tournament. An alternate is there when someone needs a break. An alternate can assist in the staging areas by working on markers, loading guppies, getting air or paint and cleaning old paint off fellow teammates and their equipment when the alternate player is not playing. In a tournament environment every available hand is a plus, especially in the staging areas between games and the alternates are the ones who assist in picking up the slack by not only assisting the team but playing as well. An alternate is a valuable asset to a team, make the most of these positions on your team roster and fill all the available spaces.

The preparation for the tournament is critical and encompasses everything from practices before the event, the paying of the entry fee, the condition of your equipment, and accommodations for the team. Many teams focus heavily on one of these factors (usually the practice category) only to find themselves blindsided and rushing haphazardly to cover another issue that should have already been addressed in their preparation for the event. Preparation for a tournament has many sides to it and doesn’t always have to do with how you play, despite how well you play there are numerous outside factors that will influence how good of a time you will have at the event overall.

Do not make the mistake in thinking that practice as a team is unimportant, it is the single most important factor that will influence how the team fares overall but there are other considerations that must be addressed for preparing for a tournament. How you approach practice is almost as diverse as the styles of play that individual players can use. Some teams practice on a weekly basis while others may only meet on a monthly basis. Some teams only scrimmage, others play walk on games, others may participate in extensive drills and maneuvers while some do a little of everything. Who has the right to say what the best method of practice is, it is more of an individual factor that will effect each team differently. One thing that I would suggest is that teams should mix the drills with the scrimmages, and when scrimmaging attempt to scrimmage with other tournament level teams. Drills should not be overlooked and will provide you with the opportunity to put individual performance under the microscope to suggest and implement the necessary changes, while scrimmaging with other teams will afford you the opportunity to put these changes into effect.

Also be aware of the format that the tournament will be using and the type of terrain that the tournament will be held on. If it is speedball, practice speedball, if it is to be played in the woods, practice in the woods. Implement the necessary terrain into your practice and if at all possible, play on the fields prior to the tournament. Some fields offer the opportunity for teams to come out and practice on the fields they will be using, check with the sponsor and see if this is the case, if it is, take full advantage of this opportunity.

Make sure you have a commitment from your team members and collect the money as soon as possible. Make certain that they are serious about attending the event. From personal experience I have seen that when you have to continually remind them, despite the fact that they may have already paid their entry fee, chances are that they will be a no show at the event. If your team doesn’t appear psyched about the event and your chasing them for the entry, forget it, wait for another event. This is the number one reason that teams don’t show at the event, the team was not behind it and they felt pressured into attending, so they cancel the night before.

Check your equipment the day before the event, chances are that the weather conditions are going to be at least close to that of the day of the event. If you have access to a chronograph, zero in your marker, at least you will be close when you step up to the chrony and will most likely only have to make minor adjustments. Use this to your advantage, it is a horrible feeling to get to the event and find out that your marker is down and not functioning. Now compound this with the possibility that it is a minor, common part or tool you need, and you have none of these with you, yet yesterday you could have purchased this part and repaired your marker. Now spend the first hour before the tournament rushing around looking for this item, then rushing to repair your marker, just how well do think you are going to play your first game?

If it is necessary for you to book accommodations, due so as soon as you send in your entry fee. Try to book a room near the field to limit your travel time in the morning. The closer you are, the longer you have to get there! Ask the Field owner or sponsor what accommodations are available and what they would recommend. Chances are they can help you find a room in your budget if you are working on limited capital. The night before the tournament, attempt to get a good night rest. Most likely your mind will be rushing like a freight train, running scenarios and plays over and over in your mind, but try to get some rest.

Choose a division that is reasonable to your level of play. Don’t let your pride prevent you from choosing a lower ranking because you don’t want others to know that you’re new to the game. If you are new to the tournament scene and haven’t participated in a tournament, take the rookie division or the novice division. Don’t let your pride write a check that your heart can’t cash. Play in a division that you are most suited for and your tournament experience will be much more enjoyable.

There you have a basic look at some of the considerations that have to be made when preparing for a tournament. Hopefully this will assist some newer captains in their endeavors into the tournament scene, or others that are considering playing tournament ball on a larger scale.
 
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