8-man Eligible has been asking for an Ocean City tournament of their own for years, and it's finally within my means
to create one. Coming October 3-4th, 2009, this tournament will host 8-man Eligible, 7-man screen, 4-man and 5-man.
The 8-man Eligible and 7-man Screen styles will be pool play with single elimination on Sunday. The 4-man and 5-man
styles will be pool play as well, but one style will play on Saturday and the other will play on Sunday (TBD). If we
have enough participation, we will offer Pro and Competitive brackets in all 4 styles of play.
We have also set up the Holiday Inn Express as our host hotel for this tournament. It is literally right in front
of the fields, and you can see the fields from the second floor. Everything in OC is close, including the options for
host bars, restaurants, and more.
I know there are alot of questions, so I'll do my best to answer them here first....
Q: Why are you doing a tournament in October?
A: First of all, I am trying to avoid head-to-head competition with any tournaments that are established on the
schedule. Most leagues give byes to teams that want to travel (as long as they request it early enough), and the only
other tournament in October is in Chicago, and with this much advance notice, I'd hope teams that want to go to Chi-Town will
be prepared to do both.
There's another reason. The weather is still nice (average 66 high, 49 low), but Ocean City changes to winter rates
for their hotels on October 1st. The same rooms at the Holiday Inn Express that we are booking for $90/$105/$120 for
October 2nd and 3rd are available for $175/$190/$225 the week before. I want to save you money, and make it more affordable
for more people to come to OC.
Q: Why are you doing pool play?
A: Pool play has proven to encourage more teams to participate, which grows the sport. It also allows the
second tier teams to test themselves against the top teams, without worrying about an early elimination.
Pool play also creates a schedule that allows players to plan their Saturday around their games, since they will know
when they play and when they're finished. Flag football is intense recreation, but it's still a weekend vacation.
If you're stuck at the fields all day, you can't enjoy what OC has to offer.
Pool play also gives me leeway to avoid having teams from the same league play each other on Saturday, allowing the schedule
to create a matchup against a team you don't see weekly.
Q: You're a 9-man guy. What do you know about 8-man Eligible?
A: I know that 8-man Eligible is begging for a highly organized tournament, a new location and different competition.
This I can supply. For rules questions, I will be leaning on my officials, led by Mark Robinson, who are experienced
in 8-man competition. They know the rules.
Q: Are there different rules for this tournament?
A: We are using the USFTL rules with a few exceptions. There will be a strict mercy rule throughout the tournament
(30 points at any point in 4th quarter, 17 at the 2 minute warning). There will be no Overtime during pool play.
There will also be no tolerance for fighting during the games. An ejection from the game will lead to either a
suspension from the next game or for the rest of the tournament. If there is a larger issue, an entire team can be forfeited
out of the tournament. The Tournament Director (ME) will have the final say on all issues of that nature.
Q: How strict are the deadlines?
A: Very. I will not accept a team who has not paid by September 26. By having your fees in early, everyone
knows who has paid and is participating, and allows the schedule to be released the day after the deadline. Payment
can be made in cash, money order or through PayPal. (PayPal fees will be added to your total.)
Q: Which organizations are you working with?
A: This is an independent tournament. While I would love for there to be points given for this tournament,
I believe that the teams should have the right to use their prizes for whatever purposes they decide. Therefore, I will
not be supplying a bid to either the USFTL or the MCFFU. And even though I have the blessing of both George Coleman
and Craig Mimms, I've decided to run this tournament independently of both, to avoid showing favoritism to either. Both
have said that teams that request a bye in their league schedule will be accomodated in order to participate in the tourney.
So ask for your byes EARLY!
Q: What will the prizes be?
A: It depends on the number of teams. With 10 teams, the Pro winner will receive $1000. With 14 teams,
there are prizes for 2nd and 3rd. With fewer teams, the total prizes drop, and with more, the total prizes go up.
There are no cash prizes for the Competitive winners.
Q: Why no cash for the Competitive bracket?
A: One of the problems with flag football are the teams that stay at the competitive level instead of challenging
themselves and moving up. I believe greed is a great motivating factor, and that playing in the lower level should not
be rewarded monetarily. In short, Pro plays for money, and Competitive plays for a trophy.
I'm sure there will be more questions, and I will be here to answer them. I look forward to another great tournament
in Ocean City, and I hope to see you there.
Andy
