Why can't there be different division codes for the rating based divisions? Someone signs up in the "Red" division but when they look online it says "Recreational". What's up with that? On the Mid-Nats they had the divisions listed by color, why not for all rating events? :confused:

Ask Gentry. It was his choice to use the existing codes to simplify points and processing in 2008. The color divisions do have their own codes in the files just for Mid-Nats which isn't happening in 2008 but may return in 2009.

Ask Gentry. It was his choice to use the existing codes to simplify points and processing in 2008. The color divisions do have their own codes in the files just for Mid-Nats which isn't happening in 2008 but may return in 2009.



There's a simple solution to the online codes to make it work for the points number crunching....MA1 = BLU; MA2 = WHT....etc....or something similar to that.

Too bad about Mid-Nats not coming back. I thought it would do well in Saint Louis....and it WOULD have done much better if PDGA had not moved it to September.

Chap

Note: St. Louis preferred September. We would have preferred May or June when St. Louis could easily draw more players.

Note: St. Louis preferred September. We would have preferred May or June when St. Louis could easily draw more players.



I talked to Andy Klaasmeyer (the St. Louis club president) about this last February. I know they preferred the July date (where Mid-Nats had been in 2005 and 2006) to September. Plus May didn't work for them since their A-Tier is in May.

Separate from the likelihood of sweltering weather during July in St. Louis, the July 4 time period hasn't proven to be a good draw for anyone and they weren't willing to trade their May or June date and do the A-tier in Sept. It's over now but I think we'll see a revamped version in 2009 that also includes the gold level players. The other event that doesn't have a home yet in 2008 is Pro Worlds Doubles. St. Louis might be a good place for that if Houck isn't taking it back this year?

July 4 would have been a much better draw than September in St. Louis, and indeed St. Louis preferred that date, and there was a good slot in the schedule at the time....not many competing events in the area at the time Mid-Nats was scheduled. There was no reason for them to give up their May A-Tier date when the early July date already slotted for Mid-Nats suited them just fine for Mid-Nats. They'd have drawn at least 30-40 more people in July. I know Kansas City would have sent at least another 10-15.

We can get 100 degree heat down here anytime from late May to early September, although it's more likely in late July and early August (when we're having Worlds in 2009). I can't believe PDGA thought the weather was an issue, else they'd never schedule anything in the Midwest (or the South, for that matter) in July.

Chap, you weren't involved in the schedule discussions and there's no reason to get into the nitty gritty here, especially since it's over.

lets apply that philosophy to the divisional names topic also :)

It's apparent not everyone agrees on the names and the traditionalists had the majority this time. None of the options is clearly better than another. Kind of like the 2m penalty disgreement - some like it, some not. At least now they have a choice. Perhaps we just set the ratings breaks and TDs make up their own division names based on their customer sensibilities? At the end of the year, we could see what creative names TDs came up with that appeared to be the most popular and consider those for the future?

Chap, you weren't involved in the schedule discussions and there's no reason to get into the nitty gritty here, especially since it's over.



Well, perhaps at least the Missouri State Coordinator should have been consulted on it last year....he wasn't. He'd have told you the same thing, and we were both aghast when we saw the schedule last year. There have been multiple issues in the schedule the last 2 years, mainly caused by A/NT/Major events jumping around on the schedule. Some were B-Tiers elelvated to A-Tiers that moved 3 months and impacted a long standing B-Tier. Some were NTs in warm weather states moved from April/early May to mid-June. We've got an A-Tier in Davenport in March. There could realistically be snow on the ground. It could also be 75 degrees out.

I know the schedule is a big pain in the neck, and it's not going to get any easier as time goes on, more courses go in the ground, and more places want events. A-Tiers and NTs can't be schedule in a vacuum. You don't schedule Mid Nats in September. USDGC or Am Nationals makes much more sense in September-October, because those events are ones you need to qualify for. You need time to have the qualifiers, and those people who qualify are more likely to take time off to go to those events. Mid-Nats has relied more heavily on late entrants than those events. In September, anyone who's in school (high school or college) is less likely to be able to play in a Friday-Sunday event than in July. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

If I'm being a pain about this now, it's because we need to avoid these sorts of mistakes in the future. I told Gentry last fall when the schedule came out that if Mid-Nats stayed in September, it likely would kill it, and it appears I was right. If Mid-Nats were in its normal time frame in July, maybe it happens again this year. I hope it comes back, but it needs a mid-summer date in a populous area to really flourish.

I guess the point that needs to be made is, more thought needs to made in the scheduling. Scheduling needs to be done on a REGIONAL basis in some areas, where state-wise really only makes sense only in big and populous states like TX or CA. Long standing B-Tiers need to taken into account. State coordinators need to be consulted...even on scheduling A/NT/Major events.

Chap

I don't disagree.

[QUOTE]
. Long standing B-Tiers need to taken into account. State coordinators need to be consulted...even on scheduling A/NT/Major events.

Chap



I suggest consider the following: Have a teleconference each year just before finalizing the A/NT/Major events with the state coordinators. This final piece of the process may help to eliminate the scheduling vacuum. Iowa Western Community College would even volunteer to set up and host the conference call.

Wow, 6 days, and no response to that last post. I hope a reponse was done privately, because that's a heck of an offer for Mike to make--and it speaks volumes to see it go unresponded to. Scheduling is becoming a problem, and is making the PDGA look bad, IMO.

If catering to 40-60 traveling pros is going to be the foundation of scheduling events......well, nevermind.

Wow, 6 days, and no response to that last post. I hope a reponse was done privately, because that's a heck of an offer for Mike to make--and it speaks volumes to see it go unresponded to. Scheduling is becoming a problem, and is making the PDGA look bad, IMO.

If catering to 40-60 traveling pros is going to be the foundation of scheduling events......well, nevermind.



Jay,

Even some of the touring pros are complaining about the schedule...it's not real travel-friendly, either. I think we can probably get our midwest schedule together (maybe finalize it in late August) and present it to PDGA before they do their scheduling....that's our best answer for getting our schedule the way we want it.

Chap

Is anyone else having trouble using MA4 as a division code??

The upload registration pages do not recognize that as a valid division code. Plus to add insult to those players, it will call them a "Novice" even though they are just playing in the "Green" division at our ratings based event. I have heard alot of negative feedback from the players about this issue. The "colored" divisions need their own division codes desperately. Any word on the "MA4" issue??

Seeing the 2008 Electronic TD Report (excel spreadsheet) isn't up yet, I'm guessing the PDGA just isn't yet ready for 2008.

Seeing the 2008 Electronic TD Report (excel spreadsheet) isn't up yet, I'm guessing the PDGA just isn't yet ready for 2008.



1/4/08 and still no TD Report.

Wow, 6 days, and no response to that last post. I hope a reponse was done privately, because that's a heck of an offer for Mike to make--and it speaks volumes to see it go unresponded to. Scheduling is becoming a problem, and is making the PDGA look bad, IMO.

If catering to 40-60 traveling pros is going to be the foundation of scheduling events......well, nevermind.



Don't sweat it out too much yet folks...I spoke with Dave Gentry before the holidays and I know that he was planning on taking a little vacation time off over the holidays so I'm sure he'll catch up when he gets back.

Wow, 6 days, and no response to that last post. I hope a reponse was done privately, because that's a heck of an offer for Mike to make--and it speaks volumes to see it go unresponded to. Scheduling is becoming a problem, and is making the PDGA look bad, IMO.

If catering to 40-60 traveling pros is going to be the foundation of scheduling events......well, nevermind.




Obviously the PDGA wasn't catering to the Pros this year. Have you seen the schedule? If you want to tour you have to Zig-Zag across the country.