-Ran
Smash Master
To everyone one that has attended a tournament or plans to in the future, I implore you to read the following paragraphs that I’m taking my time to write. As a Smash player, I have been to many tournaments, some of which that involved crossing the state lines to meet new and exciting individuals. As a tournament organizer, I’ve hosted tournaments that are spotty at best, organized events for people to come practice, and I’ve helped out my fellow TO’s when they’ve had tournaments just as they do the same for me. I merely wish to state that as a community we have become over reliant on our tournament organizers.
If a tournament fails, it is due to the short sightedness of the TO. If there is anything that goes wrong in a tournament it is his or her fault. If there are only ten set ups, then he will be the blame. If a tournament runs long, it becomes his fault for not managing time. If the tournament exceeds the length that the venue was scheduled for, it is on his shoulders to find a solution. The TO will be heckled for these things, and he has come to expect it, yet when these things happen it isn’t his fault. As a participant in a tournament there are certain rules that you should follow to the letter. I thought that they would be unspoken, yet it seems that tournaments are echoing the same issues no matter where you turn.
1. Be proactive. Ask the TO if he needs help with anything. Maybe he has a setup that he has left in his car, and if he spends time going get it, he won’t be able to work on the sign ups.
2. Bring set ups. Even if all you can bring is a Wii or a 15 inch tv, bring it. I’ve never been to a tournament that had a set up that wasn’t used. Hell, bring a power strip if that’s all you can muster.
3. Be punctual. If it is time for you to do a match, do not dawdle. Don’t make the TO hunt you down. Don’t make the TO hunt for you. If you’re going to have to step outside to grab a bite to eat in between a bracket match, make sure to let him know.
4. Be nice. Remember that the TO’s typically aren’t getting paid. Many of them don’t really even have a shot of winning the tournament that they are hosting. Hosting a tournament is a draining process.
5. Know the rules before hand. Don’t show up to a tournament not knowing that a stage isn’t banned. The TO doesn’t have time to hear Johns. More so, the day of a tournament is not the time to attempt to change the rules.
6. Be attentive. The moment that you hear an announcement about a match for one of your crew mates, make sure that they are aware. For every announcement a TO makes on a PA, he has to repeat himself ten times.
7. Report your matches immediately after completion.
8. Don’t bring large bills. Seriously, don’t be that guy. Try not to bring anything larger than a ten dollar bill. I can’t tell you how many times change runs out and sign ups are turned into a frantic hunt for who can break a twenty.
9. Create a kinetic environment. When you see someone dawdling after they’ve been called to a match five minutes ago, encourage them to actually get to where they need to be.
10. Clean up. Don’t ditch at the end of the day with the venue in a mess.
It is my belief that many times when a tournament fails that the players have a larger stake in its lack of success due to how they handle the situations. Stop relying on the TO for every problem. I’m not asking that everyone show up fifteen minutes before a tournament starts to help the TO set up. If everyone works together and is mindful of the ten concepts that I have supplied, tournaments will run better.
And most importantly. If the TO is drowning, jump in and save him.
Feel free to post this in your tournament threads, print it out and hand to players, whatever you want.
If a tournament fails, it is due to the short sightedness of the TO. If there is anything that goes wrong in a tournament it is his or her fault. If there are only ten set ups, then he will be the blame. If a tournament runs long, it becomes his fault for not managing time. If the tournament exceeds the length that the venue was scheduled for, it is on his shoulders to find a solution. The TO will be heckled for these things, and he has come to expect it, yet when these things happen it isn’t his fault. As a participant in a tournament there are certain rules that you should follow to the letter. I thought that they would be unspoken, yet it seems that tournaments are echoing the same issues no matter where you turn.
1. Be proactive. Ask the TO if he needs help with anything. Maybe he has a setup that he has left in his car, and if he spends time going get it, he won’t be able to work on the sign ups.
2. Bring set ups. Even if all you can bring is a Wii or a 15 inch tv, bring it. I’ve never been to a tournament that had a set up that wasn’t used. Hell, bring a power strip if that’s all you can muster.
3. Be punctual. If it is time for you to do a match, do not dawdle. Don’t make the TO hunt you down. Don’t make the TO hunt for you. If you’re going to have to step outside to grab a bite to eat in between a bracket match, make sure to let him know.
4. Be nice. Remember that the TO’s typically aren’t getting paid. Many of them don’t really even have a shot of winning the tournament that they are hosting. Hosting a tournament is a draining process.
5. Know the rules before hand. Don’t show up to a tournament not knowing that a stage isn’t banned. The TO doesn’t have time to hear Johns. More so, the day of a tournament is not the time to attempt to change the rules.
6. Be attentive. The moment that you hear an announcement about a match for one of your crew mates, make sure that they are aware. For every announcement a TO makes on a PA, he has to repeat himself ten times.
7. Report your matches immediately after completion.
8. Don’t bring large bills. Seriously, don’t be that guy. Try not to bring anything larger than a ten dollar bill. I can’t tell you how many times change runs out and sign ups are turned into a frantic hunt for who can break a twenty.
9. Create a kinetic environment. When you see someone dawdling after they’ve been called to a match five minutes ago, encourage them to actually get to where they need to be.
10. Clean up. Don’t ditch at the end of the day with the venue in a mess.
It is my belief that many times when a tournament fails that the players have a larger stake in its lack of success due to how they handle the situations. Stop relying on the TO for every problem. I’m not asking that everyone show up fifteen minutes before a tournament starts to help the TO set up. If everyone works together and is mindful of the ten concepts that I have supplied, tournaments will run better.
And most importantly. If the TO is drowning, jump in and save him.
Feel free to post this in your tournament threads, print it out and hand to players, whatever you want.
