Why the IOS will not be making a stop in Lombard in 2009

[CEValkyrie]

This topic has been modified.

For reasons outside of the IOS Teams control there will be no Illinois Open Series event at Lombard. We are very disappointed but the show will go on somewhere else. We will miss Lombard. Wherever we end up we'll bring a great event to a place that appreciates us. IOS #1 venue will be released as soon as we get the details finalized.

Currently I cannot comment on the reasons for this decision due to the frustration and negativity that I would like to unleash. This however has motivated me after a long cold winter. I cannot wait until the 2009 season starts!

[Jon Brakel]

This topic has been modified.

For reasons outside of the IOS Teams control there will be no Illinois Open Series event at Lombard. We are very disappointed but the show will go on somewhere else. We will miss Lombard. Wherever we end up we'll bring a great event to a place that appreciates us. IOS #1 venue will be released as soon as we get the details finalized.

Currently I cannot comment on the reasons for this decision due to the frustration and negativity that I would like to unleash. This however has motivated me after a long cold winter. I cannot wait until the 2009 season starts!

I will when the time is right. I don't want to post about it when I'm this frustrated.

[pickax]

Ugh.

[Chainmeister]

Ugh.

Yeah, sugar overkill. I was listening to some sappy music on the train when I read the thread.  If I was listening to some punk. I might have posted, "@#% them! Let them all rot.  Your stupid tournament is #%& anyway."  If I was listening to John Cage I may have posted, "Disc       onance                           " or simply, "                                     

"  or something like that.  Had it been Barbara Streistand it may have been, "People. People who fight with people.  Are the CENSORED est people..."  If the music was off I might have just read it and left it alone.  I think I will leave the iPod at home next time.  Its safer that way.  But then again, I may have replied in haiku but I will leave that to others...

[Jon Brakel]

I want to take the high road here and present the facts as I know them. Unfortunately I can not do both. It is impossible to explain how you got stabbed in the back and be nice about it. Or at least none that I can figure out.

However, I would like to share this:

Brett makes no secrets about when he is starting to plan the next year's disc golf tournaments and he welcomes everyone who even thinks they may want to run a tournament to let him know what they are planning. At the same time the IOS was planning on dropping 2 events from the schedule for 2009. If we had been approached by someone during that planning time that they wanted to run a tournament in Lombard, I'm sure that we could have worked something out that would have worked for everyone involved.

In my opinion the wrong way to go about this was taken. As far as I can figure out the TD waited until 4 months after the planning for 2009 was well underway, did not contact the Illinois State Coordinator, and went to the park district and allegedly bad mouthed the IOS and its players in order to get an exclusive agreement to hold a tournament in Lombard. Plus this was after our tournament was approved by the Lombard Parks Dept. The park then inexplicably rescinded our approval to hold the IOS tournament in May.

Part of the reason that we run IOS events is to promote the sport in our area. More tournaments is good for the sport. Shutting out a really successful tournament is NOT good for the sport. I hope that for this reason IOS players will consider their choices when deciding what tournaments to play this year. I hope that IOS players will not support the back handed way in which the TD got exclusive use of Madison Meadows to hold a tournament.

I don't know how high that road went but it's as high as I could do it! 

[pickax]

Jon, you and Brett are showing great restraint in this really messy, lousy situation. Keep it up.

[skipache]

WTF?  i wanted to play one i wasn't worried about running there?!?

[Jon Brakel]

Brett, once we have a new venue, please make a new "IOS #1 @" thread and rename this one "IOS Lombard" or something like that. Then stickie the new one and un-stickie this one. Thanks!

[stpitner]

Yikes.

I'm getting myself too worked up or else I'd post more.  Is there a method that would be worthwhile to lodge a formal complaint with the Lombard Park District?  Mike - I remember you helping them installing the concrete on the 4 tees that used to be grass, is there someone you could possibly contact in regards to this?

Jon, Brett - I can cycle locations if necessary.

[Jon Brakel]

I think I would just like to see people complain by way of their attendance and please remember that not everyone reads this board...feel free to spread the word!

[Bruce Brakel]

Allow me to delete that and try again. 

[pickax]

Scott, while I may have been done some grunt work, this is beyond any meager influence I would have.

[Bruce Brakel]

I wanted to reflect on some things Jon said.

When we first got started running PDGA sanctioned tournaments in Illinois, Gary Lewis was very encouraging.  After we had run two or three tournaments he mentioned at an Il St Champs that he had heard good things about our tournaments and thought it was great that some other TDs were running good tournaments.  We have always taken the same approach with other new TDs in the Chicago area.  If they are running good tournaments we try to be encouraging and cooperative.  Pitner and I have done a lot of cooperating that players never see, and some that you do see, for example. 

So what has happened at Lombard is disappointing, but it is human nature.  Sometimes people suck.

You can take the attitude that Lombard is a good course and you'll play a tournament there no matter who runs it.  Or you can make a values based decision.  If you have a choice of where to play or whether to play on the weekend that Lombard has its non-IOS PDGA tournament, think about your choice.  You can make or break that tournament and the scheming behind it with your decision.

[Mike Clark]

I am very disappointed to hear about what has happened with the IOS and Madison Meadows. I personally will never go to or support any tournament that this TD runs ever! This type of action does nothing but hurt the growth of our sport. The IOS ran a very good event at that park for years without any issues that I am aware of. Maybe I am uninformed but I know of no reason that the IOS team should have been denied use of the course. Who says you can only run 1 tournament at a course per year? I go to tournaments in Illinois to play good tournaments. Not for the courses. There are no courses in Northern Illinois worth me making a road trip to play. Lombard and Madison Meadows have no idea what they are giving up by passing on an IOS event. These are some of the best run events in Illinois. I hope they learn a very hard lesson.

Support our sport and support the people who promote our sport. Not people who go around backstabbing other TD's.

[kcunning]

Should have read this thread before putting in my vote for Lombard on the other.  That sucks.

I don't get the whole exclusivity thing.  A course like that could have one tournament a month from May through October and get a decent turnout.  The park district should be embracing the possibility of multiple tournaments not closing their doors to it and especially not in the way that sounds like it was done.

This sport has enough hurdles to grow, it doesn't need that kind of crap.

[thedraphter]

I would like to know this TD's name please.  And a contact mailing address to the park dist that backed out.  I have two reasons:

1.  I would like to avoid anything this person runs.
2.  This person should have a chance to explain things from their end.
3.  I would like to get the information from the park district to either prove or disprove which ever side.

There are two ways to confront and do things....the right way, and the wrong way.  I would like to do the right way, and support the right way.

Having said that, I have only missed one IOS tourney since I started playing disc golf.  the reason, is not just because they put on a top notch tourney. (IMHO the best including several A tiers I've been to.) But because I trust and respect everyone that I've dealt with that runs these tourneys.  Have they always been perfect? no.  Have they always been right? I doubt it.  Have they always been fair?  As far as I have witnessed...yes.

[Jon Brakel]

The reason that I haven't mentioned his/her name is that the tournament has not gone official on the PDGA site. Once it does you will all know his/her name. I have heard all of this third hand through Brett, who handles most of the IOS park paper work, and from Carolyn at the PDGA office. Until the tournament becomes final I don't feel that it is appropriate to out the TD. I actually don't know for sure who the official TD will be. I know who has been in contact with the PDGA.

By the way, this TD still has NOT contacted Brett to secure the date. I know of at least 3 other TDs that have requested this date for Chicago area tournaments from Brett. I am hoping that the PDGA doesn't weasel out and give the date to the TD who got their doc into the PDGA since that TD has not met the PDGA requirement of getting the date secured by the State Coordinator (Brett).

[dana]

Interesting.  I wonder what exactly was said to the PD to have them disallow the IOS event..?

[Jon Brakel]

Interesting.  I wonder what exactly was said to the PD to have them disallow the IOS event..?

From what I understand the IOS is not banned from the park district just from holding the 2009 IOS #1 event in Lombard in May. The PD guy talked of allowing us to run an event in the Fall. The TD allegedly stressed that he/she represents THE local club and that past IOS events players have vandalized the course and the TDs camped at the course. Both allegations are false. I doubt the PD guy really believes that stuff since he is not banning us from holding tournaments there.

[Sr.]

A good question to be asked is, why didn't the Local Club bring up the vandalism right away? Why wait so long and make someone's work of trying to get good tournaments be wasted? Seems strange to me. Vandalism should be nipped in the bud right away.