On March 1, 2010, the Second Life Surfing Association (SLSA) will be electing two new candidates to fill two Director seats who have just completed their six month terms. The four candidates have already stated their intent to run, their SL surfing affiliations, and their vision for the SLSA at http://www.surfslsa.com/. SurfWatch conducts more in-depth interviews of the SLSA Director nominees to help voters get a clear picture of the candidates that are running for the Board and gives candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves and their views to the voters. SurfWatch will not begin posting the interviews until all of the candidates that are participating have turned them in. This is a voluntary process for the benefit of the candidates as well as the voters. If a candidate declines to participate, SurfWatch will note as such when the other interviews are posted.
Candidate Name: Colleen Brennan
SurfWatch: You are currently ranked 4th for last season's SLSA surf rankings and you've been SL surfing for almost 4 years. We understand you have announced your intent to run for SLSA Director this term. What qualifications, skills, competencies, traits, etc. would you bring as a director and why are you running?
Colleen Brennan: I ended last season ranked 4th in the SLSA. I surfed in every competition the SLSA has sponsored since its inception. My main motivation in running is that I care about the SLSA and want to do my part to give back to the surfing community which has been very good to me along the way. What I value most is the friendships that have been established through my association with surfing in SL. I want to make sure this league thrives so that many others will benefit from the same great experiences I have had. I previously served one partial term as a director and one full one. I believe we accomplished a lot during those terms, and I enjoyed helping introduce innovations to meet league growing pains such as the split format we use now in competitions. I fought hard to make sure that the solutions we adopted would ensure that SLSA competitions are always open to all members with a desire to particpate and that anyone registering has a chance to win. We also significantly boosted league sponsorship during that time and again through innovation such as full season sponsorships and partnership deals with non-traditional sponsors, we succeeded in putting the league on a more substantial economic foundtion. I know what this job entails. I look forward to working as a team with fellow Board members , league advisors, the team captains group, and all SLSA members. We will innovate when needed while always protecting what makes the SLSA special. That is that the SLSA is a league by surfers and for surfers. The mission of the SLSA is a simple one and that is to promote surfing in SL. We all share that mission and with a properly focused Board leading the charge, we can all work together and have fun while achieving our goals. Most of my qualifications, skills, competencies, etc., have been demonstrated through these prior expriences. However, anyone can become "qualified". What is more important to me in your question is the part about traits. I think the best candidate has to like people at heart. It is imperative that a Board member serve showing respect for all and ill will toward none. If you like people, this is easier to do. I love seeing people happy and interactively participating on any level they choose and working toward and accomplishing their goals. The SLSA priovides an opportunity for people to do that and have fun along the way. The role of the Board is to preserve and protect that opportunity. It is up to the members to take advantae of it ,and I hope that they will.
SW: What areas of improvement do you currently see related to SL surfing?
CB: I have seen some really great waves and boards either recently released or on the drawing board. That is always exciting. I also have been blown away by some of the new set ups I have seen at various surf sims. I love a good challenge and some people seem to have a talent for making them. Also, just tonight, I received a notecard regarding a rule change where season rankings will be based on a surfers 4 top events. This made me happy to see as I have long been in favor of doing this. I originally suggested we implement this rule at the time we adopted the split format. It recognizes that our member desire to participate in helping run events through roles such as judge or marshall . Now they will be able to do so without threatening their season standings. Additionally and as importantly, the new rule recognizes that Real Life (RL) comes first sometimes and a surfer will no longer have to sacrifice their season standings in order to attend their sister's wedding or some other unavoidable RL concern. I also love the fact that surfing continues to spread. I love seeing waves where before there was a shopping mall, and I love that new leagues are growing and spreading . I personally have had the honor of surfing in Surfjams, the ABSSL league (Brazilian), and the new ASA League (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!). May all the good things continue!
SW: What do you see as the top issues facing SL surfing and what would be your first priority?
CB: Focusing in on the SLSA rather than SL surfing in general, I believe the top issue is one of group morale. My first priority will be to do what I can to improve communication from and to the Board. I am always just an IM away from any member who has a good idea or a pressing concern. More formally, I would like to see the Board have a designated primary communications officer who responds to forum posts on an official proffessional level. This person could also publish the official minutes of Board meetings. I also would implement a more active advisory council with regular meetings, and I would be available to meet with teams and members who would invite me to do so. People need to know that the Board is not "in charge" - it works for them. I believe people want more involvement in the SLSA and want to know that their opinions matter.
SW: All the candidates are qualified - why should voters elect you over any other candidates?
CB: I whole-heartedly agree that all the candidates are good candidates. In addition, they are my good friends. I have complete faith that any two of them would do a good job. The main reason to vote for me, I guess, would be that you believe I also would do a good job and perhaps might just be able to do it a slight bit better. I know that whoever wins , the SLSA wins. The other candidates share my passion for surfing in SL and the well-being of our SLSA group.
SW: What were you most satisfied with as an SLSA member last season? What were you most dissatisfied with?
CB: As always, I was most satisfied in getting to see and surf with my old friends a well as to make quite a few new ones. I did like that the SLSA experimented with the multi wave comp and had some interesting sims to surf in. The main thing I was dissatisfied with was the drama. We come to surf. The formula is simple....show up...surf...have fun...win, that is nice...lose, it is not end of the world....got a high score? great , maybe I was lucky today.... got a low score, oh well, that is just some judge's opinion.... life goes on. SLSA should be a drama free zone. The Board needs to lead the way and at all costs avoid being party to any drama that does exist.
SW: Anything else you would like voters to know about you?
CB: I am in possession of Grandma Barnside's secret cupcake recipie...and I'm not sharing!
SW: Give us a brief statement or opinion on some of the major issues the SLSA faced in 2009 and possible issues moving into Season 1 of 2010:
Removal of scripted HUDs and attachments for competitions:
Not a bad idea but should have been communicated in a better way. I believe that script removal benefited everyone and should be encouraged. Most of us old timers have always removed our scripts. Having the policy in place reinforces the importance of doing everything we can to keep lag down. Unfortunately, removing some basic scripts built into the avatar of a furry is a stress and a hardship for someone like Socks (Clawtooth) who rides as a furry. Really, the stress was not from the policy but rather only finding out about it when he showed up that day. Better communication would have simply stated, "We are experimenting today to see if having zero scripts will help with lag and hope you will try your best to remove what you have". The situation with Socks actually represented an opportunity and did not have to be a showdown. The opportunity was to discover a possible issue before adopting the experimental policy as a hard and fast rule. The SLSA would then know that furries could have an issue and could then explain that they may be required to make an extra effort to have an avatar for surfing in comps that does not have blinking eyes and a tail that wags. Overall, the policy seems like a common sense one to have but the issue that day and reason this is being brought up here is because there was miscommunication between the league and some surfers. Also, we can not have a policy that discrimintes against the furry surfer or anyone else. More eveluation has to be done and decide whether a script has any significant impact before there is a ruling it can not be atached. The rule was good but its roll out cost us one of our best surfers.
The disciplinary committee structure and penalties:
This is another controversial subject and has been the focus of recent attention. Unfortunately, the disciplinary committee and its penalties to many members sound a lot like the Star Chamber. This is more than a little unfair as I know from previous experience on the Board that the last thing you ever want to do is to have to form a discipline committe. In fact, considerable amounts of time and energy were consumed practically begging people to not push things to that level. The unfortunate fact, however, is that when they are used, there is negative fallout for everyone. There is usually the accompanying perception by the members who may not be privy to all the facts that the league has gone overboard with formal proceedings and any ruling on penalties. The most recent penalty of a one year suspension seemed extremely harsh. It is unfair for me to comment on the facts in dispute as I was neither a witness to the infraction or a member of the committee. I will comment on what I do know, however. One: no one ever wanted things to come to this, not the Board, not the people involved in the dispute, and not our members. It is never a good thing. Two: if such a penalty is issued, I would prefer it be accompanied by a way for a person to redeem themselves with honor. By that I mean simply that there should be a path back to the community. All too often, these situations are just the tip of the iceberg and are usually a case of being the straw that finally broke the camel's back. My observation is that the clearest path to such an escalation is when each party backs the other into a corner. Every effort should be proactively sought to avoid this. Whether I am elected or not, I would like to see healing within the community. I would like to see greater effort on the part of all members as well as the Board to find a way to release some steam before things have to get so drastic. The whole community has to be engaged in stopping bad behavior from the start. Peer pressure can be good pressure. Most things start from someone having a lack of respect at some point. It is my hope that if we all have self respect and respect others and treat them as we would like to be treated, that so much time will pass before we need to have another disciplinary committee that we will have to blow the dust off the structure and penalties section of the rule book just to see how to have one.
The SLSA sim and funding:
I am in favor of the SLSA sim for as long as the members are willing to fund and support it. Support can be in the traditional form of direct financial contributions. Also, all members who desire to run an event there that would raise money and promote surfing should be encouraged to do so. The one thing that must never happen is that the sim become a drain on the SLSA general budget. If it comes up short and has no support, I would pull the plug on it. However, that should not happen if the members value it. In the recent poll, an overwhelming amount of members support the idea of the SLSA having a sim. It is up to us now to put our money and or work where our sentiments lay. The key to this sim being a success seems to be that we need to get to the point where members start to think of it as "our" sim and not "the SLSA's" sim. It belongs to the members, not the Board. I hope people will make great use of it as a place to meet, a place to surf, a place to train, a place to have fun. I would love to see members organize events for new people, perhaps on the sim. If I am elected, I will be open to any ideas and support any efforts to use this sim to promote the SLSA and surfing in second life.
The SL surfing Hall of Fame (HoF):
I read with interest many of the comments about the SLSA HOF. I personally was very honored to surf my way in during the first SLSA season. The HoF is not the property of the SLSA, but it does honor us. There is a special relationship, and I believe there should be one. I know some contend that admission could or should be changed. Some even suggested it should be as hard to get in as the baseball Hall of Fame. To those people, I would suggest not getting caught up in the name. Maybe it is better to think about it as the Hall of SL surfing history. Many of my closest friends when I started surfing for various reasons are no longer participants. For me, it is comforting to go in the Hall and relive some of the memories. I am happy we have it. I just do not see how it is a bad thing.
Anything from the SLSA survey results that surprised you?
Yes, I was surprised how popular the mixed wave format was in competition. I personally enjoyed it a lot. I am happy others did as well.
Competition board/script restrictions:
In a nutshell, the 'controversy' over mod boards is founded in a fallacy. The fallacy states that if we were all the same size and weight and all ride the same exact board, the playing field would be level, and we would all have the same exact experience. In actuality, nothing could be farther from the truth. The playing field would then be anything but level. The best computing power and connection speed would have a distinct advantage. Having the ability to choose the best board for yourself or modify one on your own makes a huge difference. If I surf in a comp, I want all surfers to have the best ride they can get. Severe restrictions on modifications or standardized boards does not accomplish the intended result. I am in favor of looking at all advancements in boards. I do not believe in the "magic board" that is modded and takes a person who can barely ride to the podium. It just does not exist. I would like to see simple requirements such as that the invisible prim must be identical in dimension to the visible so that we all have an idea of what you are riding. Other than that, I see no threat from people with modifications. Really all they are doing is finding what is best balanced for themselves. We all have different computers. I happen to have a slow one. There is no benefit to me to ride the same modification that someone with a new computer may love. Rather, I would prefer a "slower" board so my modifictions would be focused on how to make the most controllable board in lag. When seen in that light, modified boards are actually equalizers more than anything. Having said this, I do not believe you will find me riding a mod board in a comp. I am very happy with the off-the-shelf ones available now. I do reserve the right to change my mind, though, if I happen to come up with something that feels a little better.
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