Hey Folks,
As a coach or a captain let's talk about the captain's meeting. I'll admit to you guys, I don't think I've been to more than one captain's meeting in all of 2006. The topic of this blog is, I don't want to go to another captain's meeting.
Here's what happens at most of these meetings.
Pictured Above: WUCC pool play. Sub Zero player makes a throw on what appear to be beautiful sidelines. Courtesy of James McKenzie."Is everyone here? Is everyone here?"
Then we go through roll call. "Anyone here from Quadriceps," and so on.
There's always a few captains who aren't there (the smart ones).
Next, the TD tells the captains what's up.
"So, 10th edition rules, foot blocks are in, bricks are marked on the field, ..." and some other details about the tournament. Then the TD tells you to pick up your goodies bag, and that's it.
Then steps in the internet in 1990. E-mail has been around since 1965. Why can't all captain's meetings be dismissed and tournament directions run through electronic channels. All you need is a spot to pick up a schedule and your bag of goodies.
My only other request is to have details about the next day of a tourney posted electronically sooner than later (or at the field as soon as possible). The Saturday night captains meeting, with details about the next day, would actually be useful. Good time to collect scores and figure out details for the next day.
I understand organizing these events is difficult, but there are lots of tools to help TDs these days, and I know we have the people to implement anything that is needed. Many tournaments are organized spectacularly. I'm just trying push the envelope and get more sleep.
PJ
7 comments:
As an event organizer, I will always have captains meetings. Sure, I send out the schedule, ground rules, party info, etc ahead of time, but how do I know the captains actually read the information and passed on pertinent info to their teams? Most of the sites I've used for tournaments have some sort of special rules (no open containers, no parking in certain areas, leash laws) that, if broken, could lead to the venue not welcoming future tournaments. It's hard to properly emphasize these rules via email.
There's nothing worse than having a first round bye and having to show up at the fields 2 1/2 hours early for the captains meeting. I usually have a secondary captains meeting 30 minutes before the 2nd round for all the teams with first round byes.
Also, I always bring a laptop to the fields and collect the scores after each round. If there's wireless at the fields, the scores go straight into the UPA-SRT. Otherwise, I put them in after the last round so teams can check the next day's schedule from the comfort of their own hotel room. It's much easier than having another captains meetings at the party to let everyone know the Sunday schedule.
If nothing else, the captain's meeting is a great place to hand each team a trash bag so you're not stuck cleaning up trash by yourself on Sunday night.
-Dusty
CCC TD
East Coast Open SC
Hey Dusty,
It sounds like if you were running the events I went to, that I wouldn't have as much trouble with the captains meeting.
PJ
The tournament you decide to quit holding captain's meetings is going to be the tournament where they leave the sprinkler's on all night on field 3. I always hold a captain's meeting because I have things worked out in case a team doesn't show, people have emailed me about needing pickups/wanting to pickup, I want to enforce people turning in their scores, whatever. Sometimes it's helpful to reiterate the main points people got in email. Especially since some captains never tell their team anything. Plus, how many times has someone asked you to re-explain the rules of the caps in a captain's meeting?
I keep it short and I schedule it half an hour before play.
Any decent team will already be warming up so I'm not cutting into anyone's sleep.
Actually, I find the meeting very disruptive in my warm up. I still think the meeting is not necessary. I understand both your reasons, but it sounds more like captains are not doing there job and TDs need to go that extra step to makeup for bad captains.
I remember about five years ago their used to be a thing called Ultimate time, which meant teams would start a little bit late in the morning. The last four years I've seen Ultimate time disappear because the sport culture agreed not to accept this anymore. Maybe the same could happen with captains.
PJ
captains won't disappear, but coaches will be added eventually...
i don't think captains' meetings occur at nationals, but I could be wrong (not being a captain myself, all i have to go on is not remembering my captains stepping away from the field during warmups).
as a rubric, i'd say: if youre tournament is as planned and standardized as nationals, you don't need a captains' meeting. if it isn't, you do. anything could happen at most of the crazy sites that even the best teams play at.
There is a captains' meeting at club and college nationals. It occurs the night before play starts.
The college one typically lasts about an hour with lots of information including stuff about CSTV and how teams are expected to present themselves.
I like the evening before captain meeting for big tourneys that teams are typically flying to.
thanks for the clarification. i seem to recall something about that now.
man, it is really sweet not to be a captain.
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