MUST Comments continued...

Some comments to the MUST blog were too long to fit in the comments section, so we are posting here:


Comment from Bobbi Laval:
Memory and the passage of time always changes the way we see things. Add to that the frame of reference in which we see things, and the way we remember things can be quite colored. I don't remember the Triple Crown quite the same way Clarke does, but I don't have the same frame of reference he does, either. Here are my memories and thoughts about the Triple Crown event.

Clarke and the other Triple Crown organizers, Ashleigh and Smooth, had a great idea and vision. A short intense off season series, much like the real Triple Crown, open to all with different rules and scoring. Nobody can really deny that more surfing and more events isn't a good idea. And it was clear that Clarke wanted to present and test some ideas and showcase them to the surfing community. SLSA was really still in its infancy, still is in many respects, and things were changing fast. And like any community, not everyone shared the same ideas or had the same vision of how things should be. I'm not sure at the time that the founders and directors of SLSA paid much attention to a new surfer who arrived on the scene midseason to surf in the last few events.

So the Triple Crown became a reality. The effort the TC organizers put into it was evident. The logos, website, rashies, sponsorships - all very well done. Anyone who has ever been involved with putting on a surf competition understands the effort to achieve all this was tremendous. But just like the SLSA or any new organization or venture, it did not go off without its pains and glitches.

For me, this is what the Triple Crown was and was not.

"In a very heated, tho very close fight for the right to be crowned King or Queen of the Crown, between Pieda Allen, Timbo Flanagan, and myself in the final stage of the 3 event series. Pieda and Timbo had both won an event, the Swell Suicide, first event at Hedonism isle, went to Pieda. Timbo took the Pipe Thrasher at Majini (we asked for a special request of having the epics shut off for that event). I had just surfed very consistently with a 2nd and 3rd place finish. So the final had a lot of suspense and lots of pressure. I stayed consistent and finished second in the event to Ashleigh Dickins (who had no factor on the outcome but surfed great) and edged Timbo who finished 3rd."

I guess I wasn't there, tho I kinda remember being there. Seems like I remember coming in third overall and winning the Finale at Hedo. Maybe I'm wrong, but I got a couple of cool cars as prizes from it, a pocketful of lindens, and some jet skis which I'm not sure ever got delivered. The prize package I think has to be the most generous I have ever seen. I only wish that there would have been a trophy or simple plaque. Is kind of hard to hang the car on the wall. The way I think it went, Pieda Allen won the first event, Suicide Swell, and Ashleigh won the second event, Pipe Thrasher. The overall winners from first thru fifth were Clarke, Timbo, myself, Pieda, and Ashleigh.

"I had noticed many things that were very inconsistent and wanted to change them but felt the organization policies tho say all members have an equal say, they really don't."

I don't really think this was true back then or even today. I feel everyone in SLSA has an equal say, but that's all it is. Having an equal say doesn't mean that you always get your way. Having an equal say doesn't mean that what you say will override anyone else that has an equal say, also. I think any director past and present will listen to any one of us. But our community does not have a unified opinion on everything. We vote the Directors in to serve us and hopefully do the greatest good for the most of us they can. To this end, I think they have done a remarkable job - that's as true then in 2007 as it is today in 2009. Other than the organizers of the TC, I don't think anyone had a say in how the competition would work or run. I think it was pretty clear that it was Clarke's event, and he had the last and final say on everything. After the second event, when Pieda brought out some issues regarding fairness of the scoring system, those voices fell on deaf ears. Even tho I thought that among the competitors and one of the organizers, there was some consensus that the scoring system was not quite right.

"We did it between the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, so there was no room for error or not having things ready."

The scheduling for the Triple Crown worked out great for me. Tho because of the holidays, some that could not make all the events did not enter. It was my understanding that it was an all or nothing deal. The TC was one event spread out over three weeks. But it was during the SLSA off season and many of us were chomping at the bit for a chance to compete. Tho without error or having things ready, I am not so sure about. The first competition was a marathon and was plagued with major delays and lasted well into the middle of the night. The computer based scoring system was not working right, and Clarke furiously worked to fix it while Ashleigh worked to keep us all calm and informed. But there was no backup system for scoring and for some reason scoring the old fashioned way by notecard was not an acceptable alternative to keep the event moving along. The second event was not without its delays and glitches either. Most notable was a long delay while Robin Coche was caged on the beach. I remember feeling a bit embarrassed to be a member of a community where two people could not come to an agreement, compromise, or understanding to prevent this delay. I think this incident drew as many spectators as any of the surfing did.

"The TC also introduced the electronic scoreboard system as seen to this day at almost every SL surfing competition held."

It's true that the TC introduced the first electronic score system, tho it had its glitches as mentioned above. I don't believe it had any or much influence over the HUD based system Sally developed. Seems to me in a virtual world where everything is done on a computer anyway, that an electronic score system is a natural outcome. It would have happened anyway but Clarke was the first to do it.

"I also opened the doors for global surfing representation in one event, breaking language barriers at the same time. Another goal was to invite the best surfers from all parts of the globe, and we had a huge influx of Japanese speaking surfers thanks, in part, to the JSLSA and Analog Jun of Analog Surf."

It was cool to be able to surf with the Japanese surfers. But language still proved to cause difficulties. Babbler is not perfect. We could not understand them and they could not understand us, except for what could be translated thru Babbler. I don't remember a "huge influx", I only remember two or three of them being at the first event and less at the other events. I don't believe any of them were very competitive, tho.

"The scoring system was a best 3 of 5 wave total based on a 1-10 point scale in Round 1 and 2. The final round of each event, the points were doubled for the final 5 surfers at all 3 competitions, so it paid off to make the finals. This gave all surfers 3 total scores which were then added together for the series total. Highest 3 event total became King or Queen of the Crown."

It was great to have two throw-away waves. This takes a bit of the pressure off. In the early days of timed heats, sometimes even getting one throw-away wave didn't happen. This system also took care of concerns some had over the fairness with having a large winning bonus in points, tho this system raised fairness issues of it's own because judging and scoring doesn't remain consistent and constant from event to event. No system is perfect - each has its pros and cons. This system was just different. It did reward consistency, but it also rewarded performance higher in some events more than others. In the end, I don't know how much it mattered.

"I beat the world of SL's best surfers, not just the ones from SLSA or VSA or JSLSA or even the Brazilian Surfing Association, but the best from all of them at the time."

I would consider this a bit of a stretch myself. Certainly Clarke won the TC and finished with the highest point total. But I would note that none of the top 5 surfers from the 2007 SLSA season competed in the TC. I was the only top 10 surfer that competed in the TC (finished first season in 10th). And only 2 surfers who would go on to be top 10 surfers in the next 2008 season surfed in the TC (Desirae and myself). I don't think it would be fair to say Clarke beat the best at the time without including TK, Ritch, Craig, Pova, Colleen, Devinna or VW. But that's just me and my opinion of who was the best at that time.

"Most of the concepts, ideas, and a large part of the philosophy of the Triple Crown were later adopted by the SLSA in a key moment where they almost died as an organization by Ashleigh Dickins. She used the knowledge she learned from the TC to make a difference. Yet not to brag about her, but its massive impact in saving the SLSA has brought them the longest lasting surfing organization in SL, tho their refusal for enough change and adaptation limited her efforts and still limits them today!"

Most and massive maybe would not be the adjectives I would use. But certainly the TC did have an impact and influence on SLSA. How could it not? For the most part, the surfers that surfed in TC also are part of the SLSA community and the larger surf community. SLSA had just finished its first season and was still learning from its mistakes and making improvements. I think SLSA learned just as much from the failures of the TC as it did from the successes the TC had. Concepts, ideas and philosophy within SLSA are always changing just as members of the surf community come and go, just as its directors come and go. Many of the ideas and concepts used in the Triple Crown had been being discussed and kicked around within the SLSA membership already, maybe the TC was the first to incorporate some of them. I don't know if I could say which ideas, concepts and philosophy from the TC have been adopted, but I am sure a few have been. I fully agree that Ashleigh is a saint. She went thru hell during her time during the TC and during her term as director. She was always the voice of reason and an effective mediator and SLSA was lucky to have her. But SLSA has never come close to dying. Never! SLSA is a community for and by the surf community. Not everyone likes it, but that's the way communities are. Yeah, SLSA has had its ups and downs, but there always has been those willing to step up for the greater good of the community. I believe this will always be the case. The only way SLSA will ever die is if the surf community decides its time for it to die.

The Triple Crown happened at a great time in the history of Second Life surfing. And even tho many notable surfers were absent, it still has a lasting impact on the surf community. A lot of up and coming surfers of the time cut their teeth competing in the TC. I had my first breakthru there and it remains one of my most memorable events. The TC was a proving ground for the development of new boards like Radical Twang were working on. Likely, it was the spark for Pieda and the development of his shark boards. It is where Desirae started getting her competition experience and honing her skills which later led to her remarkable results in the first 2008 season. It was an intense competition during an intense highly emotionally charged time. Thor had just recently passed. Heather had just introduced sculptie boards. Passions were high, surfers were hungry to compete. Surf teams were recruiting members furiously. New surf sims seemed to be popping up by the dozen. And the Triple Crown was a colorful part of our surfing history.

Clarke has a grand vision with MUST. I sincerely wish him the best of luck with it. Certainly the idea of competing with surfers across different platforms is a great one. I hope it works. Only time will tell if the surf community will embrace it or not. I have my own opinions and they do not matter so much. But we need visionary dreamers like Clarke. Love them or hate them, they enrich our lives.

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