School Tourney

[FiveGramz]

I'm planning on putting on a tournament through the disc golf club at my university. I'm thinking random doubles with discs going to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams (6 discs) and a Fade Lite bag for CTP. I have only ever played one local tournament about three years ago and didn't really pay attention to how it was managed. Any tips on what to do? Or is it really as easy as I'm thinking it's going to be?

 

[cblack129]

I'm planning on putting on a tournament through the disc golf club at my university. I'm thinking random doubles with discs going to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams (6 discs) and a Fade Lite bag for CTP. I have only ever played one local tournament about three years ago and didn't really pay attention to how it was managed. Any tips on what to do? Or is it really as easy as I'm thinking it's going to be?

I've never played or directed a tournament, but i doubt it's as easy you think it's going to be.

 

[FiveGramz]

I think you're right. I'm pretty positive everything will be really laid back, though. My university is really small (less than 1000 undergrad) and there is only one other guy that I know who has ever played a tournament before. There are maybe 4 or 5 guys tops who seriously play and a number of other guys who have dabbled, if that makes sense.

 

[ERicJ]

Here's a link to a tourney I ran for a work function with a bunch of people who'd never played disc golf before. There some good intro stuff in there.

http://home.comcast.net/~ejubin/disc_golf/disc_golf_outing_080411.html

 

[smyith]

just remember K.I.S.S. stick to that and you should be fine. the only compliant i have consistently with how tournaments are run is the time it takes to enter scores and determine the victors. the more people helping equals better tournaments.

 

[FiveGramz]

Nice, I really like how all of that was laid out. The explanation of the rules for the ring of fire is good, too. I didn't realize if everyone missed during a round that everybody was back in the game, that's cool. Thanks ERicJ, I'll take some ideas from that if that's cool.

 

[FiveGramz]

just remember K.I.S.S. stick to that and you should be fine. the only compliant i have consistently with how tournaments are run is the time it takes to enter scores and determine the victors. the more people helping equals better tournaments.

Does K.I.S.S. stand for Keep It Super Simple?

 

[mashnut]

Transparency is always good. Most people won't complain about the organizer taking home a little bit for their work, but when it seems like a large percentage of the entries doesn't come back in the payouts and it's not clear why, people tend to get upset. I've seen lots of TDs post how much came in and how much was being paid out and was used for things like shelter rental or insurance, and it cuts down on complaints about payouts.

 

[mashnut]

Does K.I.S.S. stand for Keep It Super Simple?

Keep it simple, stupid.

 

[FiveGramz]

Oh ok. I'll keep it as simple as possible. I can determine scores and winners when the ring of fire is taking place I guess, maybe that would cut down on the waiting time? Nobody is going to have to pay to play in the tournament, either. It's really just a chance for guys to come out and play, maybe win a disc or a bag. I'm receiving money from the student executive office to buy the prizes and stuff, so I'm not looking for a profit on anything.

 

[mashnut]

If you're getting that donation, will the tourney entry be free? If not, what are you doing with the entries?

 

[FiveGramz]

Yeah tournament entry is free, no cost whatsoever.

 

[mashnut]

Very cool, never mind on worrying about entries and payouts, you're not allowed to complain about the payout at a free tournament. Nice work getting them to pony up for that, that's excellent and will likely get more people interested in competitive play in a no-pressure situation where they aren't risking their own money yet.

 

[tallpaul]

This is awesome; and what disc was originally all about.

 

[harr0140]

That is a really cool concept . . . I wish my college had that sort of thing I would have learned about the sport so much earlier in life!

 

[FiveGramz]

Very cool, never mind on worrying about entries and payouts, you're not allowed to complain about the payout at a free tournament. Nice work getting them to pony up for that, that's excellent and will likely get more people interested in competitive play in a no-pressure situation where they aren't risking their own money yet.

Thanks, that's kinda what I had in mind, a no-pressure situation feel. With that said, should I stress tournament rules with these guys? Like should I take 10 or 15 minutes before we start to go over them?

 

[DannyM]

Yes....talk over rules with them. Just the basics mostly...mini's, out of bounds <if any>. That way if they do want to get competitive in regular tournies, they have a better understanding of rules.

 

[mashnut]

Thanks, that's kinda what I had in mind, a no-pressure situation feel. With that said, should I stress tournament rules with these guys? Like should I take 10 or 15 minutes before we start to go over them?

Definitely, go over the rules and etiquette before you start, and encourage people to really follow them. Many people who have never played competitively will do things like bring their lie out of brush, throw at the same time as someone else, talk while others are throwing etc.

 

[ERicJ]

Nice, I really like how all of that was laid out. The explanation of the rules for the ring of fire is good, too. I didn't realize if everyone missed during a round that everybody was back in the game, that's cool. Thanks ERicJ, I'll take some ideas from that if that's cool.

Take all you want. It sounds like our events were very similar. I had a lot of people that had never thrown discs before. So we created teams that consisted of three semi-experienced or better players each playing their own disc, and then a fourth "team member" that was composed of five total-noobs that were playing best disc between all of them. The team score was then the sum total of the four team "members". Good luck.

 

[FiveGramz]

Ok, so I'll make sure to go over the basic rules then for sure. One more thing. I can't decide on how to do the prizes. I keep going back and forth between two possibilities. Keep in mind that I'm planning on doing random doubles, with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams getting discs.

My first question is whether or not I should buy six different discs. My next question is whether it'd be easier to assign which places get which disc or have them choose which one they want. Any ideas?