theOldDuffer wrote:
About an eleven hour trip to Indiana took me to what I believe was the best tournament of my life. I didn't play my best, but the whole experience was superb.
The tournament was so good that I feel sorry for myself for not attending Dan Seemiller's Columbus tournament last Thanksgiving.
Some things that made the tournament great:
Great wooden flooring with just the right mix of traction qualities
Nice size courts
Free Food for those of us playing late on Saturday PM
10 Ties played over Two Days
Superb officiating, it is nice to have officials who are not officious
Tournament Directors regularly walking through the venue and talking to and not down to the participants.
Very Nice players, only a few stinkers, with no excessive cho-ing or profanity and a minimum of complaining
A great family feeling to the whole event
Bathrooms kept clean, fresh and stocked through the whole of the tournament.
Some teams/families did a little tailgating and likely would have been more if not for the rains.
The sense of camaraderie among those who had been competitors on the table
The whole tenor of the event was extremely possible
Some stuff that was good but could have been better:
There were some led light out, but all tables were still well lighted
The temp was somewhat variable through the venue
(Some complained of it being too windy, but it was fine for me)
Extras:
Seeing Dan again and having time to talk over old times
Meeting Mark for the first time
Seeing some exciting matches
Plenty of Very Good Accommodations at reasonable prices close-by
A Plethora of Superb places to eat close by and again with reasonable prices
Things I would like to see next year:
(Yep, Lord willing I plan to be there next time)
Enough teams to make the tournament a three day event
All the lights working
Thanks to all who made the event possible.
tOD
Make your plans now to attend Thanks for sharing your experience.. I am trying to prepare for these tournaments next year so please provide some tips to be successful