Loun said:
I was up tol 4am reading this entire thread last night and I finally finished just now... The entire time I was thinking there is one thing that noone has touched on... then at the very end someone hit it on the head in my opinion. I am a sales and marketing guy and the one thing that most of you failed to mention is how the league is also a business.
The 23 rule forces people to start new teams when players start to get good. New teams = more money coming in. I realize that more money coming in also means more prize money, more trips, and so on BUT I really feel a lot of what happens in the APA is more about the money rather than the advancement of the sport. Im not saying that is a huge problem because as a business its better if its making money than if it wasnt... however its gotta walk a fine line between not helping the andvancement of the sport and straight out hurting it.
Let me start by saying, it's interesting how without enough full knowledge, it's human nature to automatically assume the worst. Agreed, the 23 rule does help to grow teams and thus grow leagues. Note, that's not the only reason it's that way. I'd likely presume that it's not even the primary reason it was created. Most people without the full knowledge would probably automatically disagree....... (will elaborate more after they do)
One major reason for the 23-rule, is that if you encounter a typical group of players around a pool table (note typical, not focusing on those few groups of very experienced players) who have had very little to no league experience. There will essentially be a group of average players, some below average players, and some better/advanced players. If this whole group joined, when their handicaps were accurately determined, they'd be at or near 23. Thus, they'd have a reasonable opportunity to compete against the other teams, and have a legitimate chance to win. This fulfills the APA motto, "everyone can play, anyone can win". This is unlike other leagues, whereby you essentially have to stack your team, in order to have a chance, and, you'd have to have advanced knowledge of exactly how to stack the team. In those, you can often tell at least 2 of the top teams before the season even begins. Now, going back to the typical group... this also encourages the whole group of friends to participate and play together. The lower rated players are most reluctanct to join any formal competition, because they aren't good enough. But, in the APA, there is a place and need for those players as well. So, it actually allows for those friends to stay together, play, and have fun.
Loun said:
Ive been playing pool for less than a year now (more like 10 months or so) This spring session was my first session in the APA, I started as a 4 then went to a 3 for 1 week, then back up to a 4, then 3 weeks ago i went up to a 5, I won my first game against a stronger five, then last week I lost to a 5 that was more like a 6. Im not making excuses as to me being a 5 challenges me more and im getting more fun out of it. However on that same note it would be fun to play well in the playoffs and move on and go to vegas. That gets harder to do when I consider myself a borderline 5 (4.5) and im playing strong 5's (6 - 6.5 in reality) who have been in the league for a while. One of our new people was going back and forth between a 4 and a 5 for 4 weeks in a row, if he won he went up if he lost he went down... he went up to a 5 then got beaten 2 weeks in a row by 4's (all 5 or 6+ inning games) and is still a 5. Its just does not seem to be consistant enough.
As has already been stated, the APA allows players to bounce a bit at the beginning, in order to better assess the player's true rating. In other words, finish the season, and then see how accurately most of the players are rated.
Another human nature, is that you frequently believe that you are overrated, while your opponents are under-rated. This idea gets confirmed and locked in, even with very little supporting information. For example, you always notice someone else's great games, and often notice your own bad games. Rarely do you focus on everyone else's bad games, and your own great ones.
Loun said:
There is also one thing some of you have also hit on... 6 out of 8 people on my team were brand new to the APA and all started out playing as SL4's, and 1 SL3 even though a couple of the older guys could compete with 6's and 7's if they were having a good day. Everyone for the most part has slowly gone up, and they will go up furhter as more games are played.
This is one of the prime reasons, why APA bounces players around a bit at the beginning. If they don't, then your 4's, who can compete with 6's and 7's, would remain underrated throughout much of the season. By adjusting their handicaps, it'll be more likely to accurately rate them within a shorter period of time.
Loun said:
We put the team together to have fun, give the older guys something to do, and see how far we can get while doing it. So I guess with all of that said, I dont think the APA is a bad league I just think it is extremely difficult to successfully compete in it because almost everyone and their brother are not correctly rated for one reason or another. Also I know it would be better if i could come up with an idea how to make it more accurate but i havent been involved long enough to even know where to begin.
As has been stated, you don't have enough league experience yet. I wouldn't recommend you believing that you understand all the problems and all the solutions, just yet. Once again, for some, that's human nature, you want to be involved. I suggest that you give it more time, and allow the system to work on its own, as it has for so many years now. You may even be surprised to discover that many things you once thought were wrong, actually work out better than you had originally thought. But that all comes with understanding.
Loun said:
I dont know much about what other leagues are available but I think im taking the summer off from all leagues just to practice and develop my skill and I think we are reforming the team in the fall.
Feel free to take a season off. But, you may discover that you'll get more practice and skill development by continuing through the summer, even if you have to join a different team for one season. Those seasoned veterans could very well wind up providing you with much valuable information that would serve useful for when your team returns in the Fall. Of course, you'll have to decide what works best for you.