Award Ceremony

[CEValkyrie]

What would you prefer of the options above.  

[maa4208]

I'd get the smaller divisions out of the way first. I think if someone did well, then they should be congratuated for it.

[SnoMoDude]

I'd get the smaller divisions out of the way first. I think if someone did well, then they should be congratuated for it.

Says the kid who wouldnt play up when there wasnt any one else in his division just to say he won and got a trophy.

The reception of awrads are fine the way try are.  I dont see any improvement is needed.

[CEValkyrie]

I just brought this up because I was reading about another tourney shortening the awards ceremony.

I personally like the idea of calling up only top finishers for several reasons.
1. At the end of the long day i'm ready to get home. Say you play an event like Rockford or the Homie where there are 150 players. You are looking at 50% (75 players) being called up to get their prizes. When i'm not close to home the shorter the awards ceremony the better. I like to play tournaments but I absolutely hate waiting around 1 to 2 hrs for the ace toss, pie toss, & awards ceremony. Getting back at a decent time allows me to spend some time with the wife and get off the leash to play more tournies .
2. I want to see disc golf expand and become a major sport. How many major sports call up the top 1/2 of the field? Nascar has a winner circle for 1 of 43. The PGA presents the champion a trophy & check. The olympics have 3. I can't think of a sport that calls up more than 3.
3. I don't want to get called up if I finish 10th of 30 players. I'd rather just collect my winnings and go on my way. I have the philosphy 2nd is the first loser.  

[Jon Brakel]

I'm fine with speeding up the awards if that is what the players want. Logistically, how do the tournaments that do this distribute the other awards? Do they just have a guy who's job it is to distribute them and people stand in line to get them?

Non-televised sports traditionally have longer awards. Once the TV people take over it gets stream lined. No one at home wants to see the guy who came in 63rd place at a PGA tournament walk up and accept his check!  That's just not going to sell commercials. Long awards are not holding disc golf from being on TV. The awards ceremonies change when disc golf is on TV.

Being called to the front to accept your award is an inexpensive prize...it also might be a cheap prize.  But I can really go either way on this...I don't have a strong feeling about it.

First loser? Do we pay losers? Hey Brett, the next time you are the first loser maybe you should take that money and give it to the winner!    

[Mike S]

I would be fine with top 3 for each division, and maybe only the winner for "micro" divisions.  It seems dumb to me to announce the presentation of the third place trophy to the person that came in last, in a field of three.

[amdiscgolfer]

I suppose I should have read the posts before I voted - I am usually on the Road byt the time the awards are passed out only because they don't give an award for DFL .

I would have to say that it does make sense to have those players who have "Cashed" to collect their money off the side and get the Top 5 or so have the spotlight so to speak.  I would have to agree with the Nascar "Victory Lane" statement - they show the standings and then go to Victory Lane to show the WINNER of the race.

Even in the olympics they show the TOP 3.  

[Chainmeister]

I voted "D" because I really am on the road most of the time.  This year was my first year as a PDGA member and I split for the last brass spot in one tournament.  Otherwise, I endeavored to avoid the bottom.  The one time I heard my name called it was a kick.  So, for me, mostly, I am on the road, unless I have time to watch the Safari on the rare tournaments where I play the same day as the big boys.  As long as the TD's are willing to stick around and do it, it seems no harm. There may not be much of an audience, but I guess the players who cashed in might like to hear their names called.  That being said, I also think the Gold/Silver/Bronze philosphy of awarding the top players only, makes sense too.  Frankly Jon, Bruce, Brett and other TD's, whatever you are willing to do is good enough. I really don't think the fact or lack of an awards ceremony will effect attendance in any way. That, in a nice circular discourse, leads me back to...WHATEVER...  

[Bruce Brakel]

We are going to give out the same amount of cash and brass no matter how we do it.  So to me it just seems like the question is, "Do we want to do it in an orderly way of our choosing that we have figured out how to do accurately and efficiently or do we want to do part of it in an orderly way and part of it in a way that has not been fully explained yet?"  

When a tournament has a long break between the end of the last round and awards, doing something informal for most of the players makes sense.  At past DGLOs the amateurs finished their last round four or five hours before the pro final 9 as over.  So there it made sense to have a relaxed process for non-trophy places.  We do some relaxed payouts at our own tournaments while the pros are having their Final Four and we have processes in place to track who got paid early.

I think in order for me to be for a different process, the different process would have to be laid out.  The current process is orderly.  It ensures that everyone who won a prize and sticks around for the awards will find out he won a prize.  It safeguards against someone fraudulently or confusedly claiming someone else's prize.  It is easy or me to bear the financial burden of a prize screw up when I'm the one handing out prizes and screwing things up.  An alternative process would need to be as orderly, as informative and as failsafe protected as the current process.  

[CEValkyrie]

I just wanted to get some opinions. I don't mind how we do it at the IOS. It goes pretty fast compared to most tournaments & players are on the road. We also don't throw for pies & the ace which speeds things up.

As for the first loser. I play to win. I've always played to win. If I realistically think I have a chance to beat the competition I am the first loser if I finish 2nd. I then have to go and evaluate my performance & get better. I am realistic though & know my abilities and what I can do right now compared to other players. However, i'll take the $ for 2nd but i'd rather not go up front and let the winner enjoy his win.

[amdiscgolfer]

So do you think the throwing for Pies and CTP's contests "FILLER" are a waste of time?

[Tom McManus]

I just wanted to get some opinions.

I think the top three for each division would be nice. It is nice to give some recognition to the top players in each division.  If there is another way to award the payouts in a reasonable and equitable fashion that may be the way to expedite the process for everyone.  If the entire process were to be shortened maybe more people may stick around for the awards ceremony.

[CEValkyrie]

So do you think the throwing for Pies and CTP's contests "FILLER" are a waste of time?

If they are done quickly and handled by volunteers that are not getting payouts and scores done, then I don't think it's that bad. I've never really got into the CTP & Pie contest. If it's throwing for the ace, then yes i'll stay. I've played 4 tournaments this year that took over an hour from the time the last card was in to get these activities & prizes thenget on the road. Most of the time i'm playing on Sundays so i'm ready to go.  

[Jon Brakel]

We are usually ready to go with awards about 5 minutes after the last cards comes in and any playoffs are done. I'm really not sure why some tournaments take an hour to get ready for the awards.

Brett, I was just giving you a hard time about being the first loser, I wasn't serious.

[Bruce Brakel]

Brett's attitude about first loser is why he is so good.  Jon's attitude about most fun is why Jon still plays even though after 30 years he still sucks.  

I hate waiting for the TD to get the thing rolling at the end.  I don't know why it takes so long at some tournaments.  What I really hate are all the A-tiers that do the amateur prize hostage thing where they won't pay anyone out early.  That totally sucks.  You've won two discs for 28th place and now you have to wait for a lunch break and a pro final 9.  I'm not going back to that tournament.  

[maa4208]

I'd get the smaller divisions out of the way first. I think if someone did well, then they should be congratuated for it.

Says the kid who wouldnt play up when there wasnt any one else in his division

For the whole IOS series I didn't know the courses (except Lombard) so I thought I would play IN THE DIVISION THAT WAS MADE FOR ME. It just so happened that there was only me in the division for a majority of them and I won the trophy.

So, from what it sounds like you are saying is that they should get rid of age-protected divisions and let the advanced masters and grand-masters play in advanced divisions because there usually (I'm not saying all the time) not alot of players that play in there (about 4-6). Well, alot of people woludn't be too happy if that happened.

just to say he won and got a trophy.

I play for the love of the sport. I don't need trophies. All I need is the fact that I did well for NEVER SEEING THE COURSE BEFORE and to compare my score to the Rec. players.

(Oh, and I'll be playing Rec. next year so you won't have to worry.)

[mirth]

I wouldn't sweat it, Michael. Sometimes people forget that Juniors is like Women or Masters.... Only certain people, usually a small part of the community, are able to play in those divisions.

[Bruce Brakel]

With your rating you are just added cash in Men's Rec, but then again, so is Kelsey.  Kelsey would welcome your decision to move up because she has not been able to count your name while you are playing juniors.  She is 3-2 against you, but you are not in the book.

[maa4208]

With your rating you are just added cash in Men's Rec, but then again, so is Kelsey.  Kelsey would welcome your decision to move up because she has not been able to count your name while you are playing juniors.  She is 3-2 against you, but you are not in the book.

Wouldn't it be 3-2-1 because at Homies we both shot 145.

(I know. It's probably a thread drift violation.)

[Bruce Brakel]

I saw that but was too busy to edit.  Kelsey is almost always in the running for last prizes, so you should be too.