United States WPA Board Member
- Thread starter Wedge
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If he really wants to promote the WPA then I don't know what should he say more. Things are quite clear, aren't they ?
Forgive me if there is something I'm missing but I don't exactly understand what your asking here.
Promote the WPA in the u.s.?
Silent as he has been?
For the record, I do plan on speaking with him at some point this week and I'm sure DP will be among the things we discuss.
Something
He is the US WPA representative. Wouldn't you reasonably think he would voice an opinion on an event that is being planned by DP in the US that has received criticism from the WPA? I believe Cindy Lee mentioned him twice in the ABR interview and it appeared she got nowhere talking to him and had to contact Ian as well as the BCA herself. Does he have a hand in any of this as the US representative to get involved in a conflict bteween the WPA and DP concerning a tournament being held in the US?
Thanks
Wedge
Wedge
He is the US WPA representative. Wouldn't you reasonably think he would voice an opinion on an event that is being planned by DP in the US that has received criticism from the WPA? I believe Cindy Lee mentioned him twice in the ABR interview and it appeared she got nowhere talking to him and had to contact Ian as well as the BCA herself. Does he have a hand in any of this as the US representative to get involved in a conflict bteween the WPA and DP concerning a tournament being held in the US?
Thanks
Wedge
Wedge
Nothing, in my opinion. It is neither his obligation nor his role to defend, or even try to defend, actions viewed by nearly everybody as unethical.
American interests are in no way compromised by WPA's decision to take a stand against the organizers of a tournament that has been grossly misrepresented to potential sponsors, potential participants and potential fans.
I believe that Skip should be front line on these issues. This is because of the way that the WPA operates,
The way things are done is not strictly correct because the proper route for a tournament to progress is
PROMOTER >>>>>CONTINENTAL FEDERATION>>>>>WPA or in this case
DRAGON (or a rival bidder)>>>>>>>>THE BCA >>>THE WPA.
The role of the WPA is to ensure that all their requirements are fulfilled and making the event sanctionable. But they have not adhered to these guidelines and have run into problems in the past.
They have sanctioned events in Japan, the Middle East and the USA (The Ultimate 10 Ball) without channeling those events through the appropriate continental body.
Now in practice this is not necessarily a bad thing because it has produced the mega bucks event in Tokyo, ten years of events in the UAE and a miscellany of other events in different parts of the globe that were beyond the resources and administrative capabilities of the local 'official' organizers.
Now anyone who reads my postings will know that I am a staunch supporter of the WPA and it is because of their policy of bending the rules to get events on that I am,
The WPA are held in higher esteem outside of the USA and the Rest f the World accept the value of the word 'world' in front of the tournament name should not be bandied about gratuitously on tournaments that are not deserving top status
The way things are done is not strictly correct because the proper route for a tournament to progress is
PROMOTER >>>>>CONTINENTAL FEDERATION>>>>>WPA or in this case
DRAGON (or a rival bidder)>>>>>>>>THE BCA >>>THE WPA.
The role of the WPA is to ensure that all their requirements are fulfilled and making the event sanctionable. But they have not adhered to these guidelines and have run into problems in the past.
They have sanctioned events in Japan, the Middle East and the USA (The Ultimate 10 Ball) without channeling those events through the appropriate continental body.
Now in practice this is not necessarily a bad thing because it has produced the mega bucks event in Tokyo, ten years of events in the UAE and a miscellany of other events in different parts of the globe that were beyond the resources and administrative capabilities of the local 'official' organizers.
Now anyone who reads my postings will know that I am a staunch supporter of the WPA and it is because of their policy of bending the rules to get events on that I am,
The WPA are held in higher esteem outside of the USA and the Rest f the World accept the value of the word 'world' in front of the tournament name should not be bandied about gratuitously on tournaments that are not deserving top status
This coming Saturday morning (9amCT) we're holding a World 9-ball Championship at our community rec center.
$5 entry fee
No added money (added money is for wussies; play mano e mano, winner take all)
Winner take all (second place is still losing...and losers don't get paid)
Alternate break. Loser racks unless you want to rack your own.
No ball fouls. If you didn't mean to touch it, it's not a foul. Just put it back where it was.
No jump cues. In fact, no jumping allowed (trying to keep the cloth nice)
The bad news is that the 8-player field is full up. One of the 8 will be The World 9-Ball Champion! The other bad news is that the WPA might have us all thrown in jail unless our red-blooded, patriotic American WPA representative stands with us against the forces of evil!
$5 entry fee
No added money (added money is for wussies; play mano e mano, winner take all)
Winner take all (second place is still losing...and losers don't get paid)
Alternate break. Loser racks unless you want to rack your own.
No ball fouls. If you didn't mean to touch it, it's not a foul. Just put it back where it was.
No jump cues. In fact, no jumping allowed (trying to keep the cloth nice)
The bad news is that the 8-player field is full up. One of the 8 will be The World 9-Ball Champion! The other bad news is that the WPA might have us all thrown in jail unless our red-blooded, patriotic American WPA representative stands with us against the forces of evil!
Does the Championship come with a Belt like in the WWF?
Count me in for the stream.
WWE belt costs much more than entry fee. Muahahaha
http://shop.wwe.com/Title-Belts/shop-wwe-products-titlebelts,default,sc.html
No, but I like the idea...as long as it's an elastic expando belt (with the Holidays coming up and all).
Is a stream another one of those WPA requirements? If so, just add it to our already-long list of violations.
It is interesting that the article about WPA and DP on the AzBilliards Main Page has either been removed, taken down, or I can't find it. :sorry:
Skip Nemecek is with Tweeten Fibre Co. and a former BCA president. As we all know, BCA doesn't do a damn thing for professional pool anymore as far as promotion and helping professional pool in America survive. If anything, they have done more harm than good.
I wouldn't expect anything more from a BCA member on the WPA. It's like a "good ol' boys club." One hand greases the other. While the WPA members travel the world and get treated like royalty in Qatar, Philippines, and China, the professional pool players can't even make ends meet as far as earning a living in pool, especially here in the United States. The WPA members dine at banquets and hobnob with the rich, while the professional pool players eat a McDonald's and sleep three and four to a hotel room.
The title of United States WPA Board Member might look good on someone's résumé, but that's about it. You'd think somebody in America would help professional pool survive. Maybe they just want to help those who grease their palms. That's how it works, right?
Hi JAM
Just imagine if pool got into the Olympics. The banquets for the WPA would be bigger, while the players would be imprisoned for 3 weeks and have the honor of playing for nothing.
Colin
Right, like the dancing monkeys that they are today.
Loath as I am to upset you Jen but NO that is not how it works. Taking the case of Skip Nemecek, I am not party to all his travel schedules but I know that he has travelled to Europe twice this year for WPA meetings. These are unpaid visits and attract only bare minimum expenses, like your cab fare from home to the airport, phone home expenses and other similar things get overlooked. I was not aware how involved he was in this 'World' business but it sounds like he was up to speed on it
You seem to have a thing about Qatar and as generous benefactors to the sport that is unfair. Just total up the total prize money (that is all added money with no entry fee) plus the fact that they footed the bill for Kazoom to provide the best ever level of streaming this year,
When Qatar did their first event they asked me to come to them as an adviser. They sent me a first class air ticket to Doha. As I got out the plane there was a limo waiting at the bottom of the steps which bypassed passport control and luggage checks etc. They had assigned a Cabinet Minister to look after me and we went out for a late night meal, When we eventually got to Doha's top hotel I went to my room and found my cases unpacked and the contents stowed in wardrobes and drawers.
The Room - The Suite - The Lounge accommodated 29 players when they all came in to watch the European soccer finals.
What should I have done? Insisted on a Cattle Class ticket and Fleapit Hotel and some dodgy guide? No? I am sure that you could have advised them almost (but not quite) as well as I did. Would YOU have declined their hospitality.
Ian Anderson enjoys this type of welcome on a wider scale. But that is because he is considered to be an important figure by the people with whom he is negotiating. This by definition implies that they think that the game is important too.
Try WALKING A MILE in Ian's shoes and you will find that constant travel across time zones is not all it is cracked up to be. He is a dedicated man, performing a thankless job, in trying circumstances.
So who could begrudge him an occasional portion of Roasted Goat. Just for the record the tab for most catering arrangements is picked up by the host hotel or a separate sponsor
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Doug, I respect your opinions and value them immensely. I do like Qatar in the pool world, actually. We can use some more pool enthusiasts around the world, especially those who have funds to promote big events. That is a good thing, for sure!
I have not walked a mile in Ian's shoes. I just don't understand why the WPA is mute on important issues. Rarely do they provide a press briefing informing the public what's happening or their activities. Their website is okay, but it could be utilized better, I think, by being more inviting and user friendly.
Maybe this is an area the WPA could improve on. Like the BCA, it's like a secret society behind closed curtains. More transparency would be great, I think,
I don't begrudge Ian for enjoying a roasted goat, but it would be nice if the professional pool players, those dancing monkeys who perform in front of them while they are feasting on the roasted goat, could enjoy a couple bites. After all, with no dancing monkeys, there will be no roasted goat being offered to anyone. Food for thought [pun intended]. :grin:
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/feb/26/qatar-foreign-workers-slave-conditions
It's a bit ironic that Filipino maids are treated thus, while the Qataris are promoting a sport that is half dominated by Filipino players.