Seth wrote, in much more civil tones: "I may well not have a handle on the situation, but from my perspective what you have suggested does not apply. Or have I failed to grasp your point?" To which I say: sadly, you have, but the point was admittedly one which could be overlooked. The key part of the paragraph which everyone is overlooking is what was written in parentheses. Let me reprint it on its own: (for many of my teammates -- as said before, I'll play damn near anything) At the 2000 ACF Nationals, we were pummeled. We were 3-10. My teammates regretted ever going. They thought the whole expedition had been a complete waste of their time. I was the only one who had anything positive to say about it. That said, they admittedly would attend if it were at Maryland -- but only because they could get out of Dodge that night and not stay longer than they had to. "But in the view of the heads of old-ACF, if only the "top teams" at a tournament liked the questions and everyone else was dissatisfied, they percieved that to be problematic, as much as if only the "bottom teams" liked the questions and everyone else complained." Very much so -- and this is something we discussed in detail many a summer ago, a correspondence I would be thrilled to resume. But it is the fear of my teammates that they could not "change the system". Even today at practice, the team cringes when they hear the letters "A", "C", and "F" strung together. Generally, questions do not get answered, except by Julie or Darren if they bother to show up, or by people who have great specialties -- for example, an art history student gets the art, while the rest just scratch their head. Perhaps I'm reading the wrong stuff -- I know there's more than simply Regionals and Nationals that falls under the umbrella of ACF. If there are tournaments that would be recommended as excellent introductions to the ACF style without being the alleged "ACF difficulty", please let me know. And before you say anything, Charlie, Moon Pie is during our reading period, so I can't promise anything. :) Anyway, I hope this enlightens you and enables you to see the statements in the context they were meant. Andy
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