Re: how to select Mixed Team for Wroclaw 2016 -- Both online and a trials final?

[BPol...@aol.com]

Perhaps the best of both worlds is to qualify, let's say, 12 to16 pairs online (proctored, etc., as we've done before), then we only need 2 or 3 days face-to-face to pick a team, perhaps schedule at the end of the Women's trials.  That should provide the cost and convenience that folks are reasonably talking about, while the finals could weed out the online miscreants.  Certainly not perfect, but nothing seems to be....

 

bp

 

In a message dated 10/21/2015 12:41:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, ud...@bridgebase.com writes:

The cost of an online trial is negligible for both the organizers and the participants, and if it is not, BBO can make it so. 

As Greg H. points out, security can be dealt with. Security at an adequately proctored online trial can be far tighter than security at a physical event. Consider this in the light of recent events. 

One issue that gets inadequate airplay is accessibility of the Trials. Perhaps an online trial, by virtue of convenience, cost, vacation time, ease of entry would inject some fresh blood into the event. 

For a pro, for a sponsor, these events are opportunities. For amateurs, bridge is a pastime. A typical Trial involves  an open return ticket, hotel reservations of indeterminate length, vacation time, being away from home for extended periods.  None of these expenses are tax deductible for amateurs, and no one pays them to show up. 

Perhaps we should consider attempting to service our amateurs to some larger extent than we usually do, by having *one* Trial, in *one* year, for *one* mixed event be somewhat amateur-friendly.  Making the Trials easy and inexpensive would be a step in the right direction.

Not even I dispute that an online Trial would bring with it new some kinks and oddities, and lose some old ones. We're all bridge players, and we breathe both in with every breath at every NABC; surely we can handle the trauma of seriously considering an online venue this one time.  

If and when we do that, we can list any issues and attempt to address them individually. Of course, "I just don't like that online thing" is difficult to address. However, it is possible that cutting loose the players who are unwilling to adapt and embracing the open-minded will lead to a large net gain in attendance, and just perhaps, in quality. 

Uday Ivatury

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[Jan Martel]

I did think of this possibility, but I think the timing makes it impossible. The first stage of selection needs to be after at least the Open and Women’s Trials, and preferably after all 3 (in the questionnaire vote, 64% believed the Mixed Trials should be after the other 3). Surely you need a week or two there for teams to get organized. Then you need at least 3 weeks, maybe more, to allow the semi-finalists to organize going to a face to face Trials. But the Senior Trials ends June 23rd and the World Championship starts Sept. 2nd, with the NABC in between from July 21-31. Maybe it could be squeezed in, but I have serious doubts. And before someone suggests doing it before the NABC, remember that conflicts with the GNT.

  Jan Martel

mart...@gmail.com

[JoAnna Stansby]

ideal would be to have some sort of trials (possibly with proctored online preliminary stage).

If we can't do that,  how about lottery idea but you cannot buy extra tickets.

you get 1 extra ticket for each player per year of participation;  plus some number of additional tickets for each time a player has actually earned the right to represent via a trials.    

This will weight the lottery in favor of players who have been usa 1 or 2 in previous years.

and you can decide the number of extra tickets to determine the degree of weighting.

I don't like the idea of SportAccord type selection because people can buy votes either directly with money or indirectly via favors (you vote for my team,  and I get you work at some regionals).

cheers

JoAnna

[Danny]

How about the same time as the Senior Trials?  

[Jan Martel]

I think there are too many people who would want to play in both.

  Jan Martel

mart...@gmail.com