I’m going to use easy numbers here because math is hard…
If the Circuit needs $20k to continue to operate as it has in the past, split over 20 events that’s $1k per event in contributions.
That’s easy on the large events, and really tough on the small events. For Pinburgh that works out to $1.25 per player. For a smaller event (60 players), that works out to about $17 per player.
We felt that a per player structure for most events would be the easiest way to get there and doable for just about every tournament. The idea being that as new events are put on the circuit, and attendance improves, they begin to contribute more. Breaking it down to the smaller amount, per player, helps contribute to the overall goals.
There is an added bonus for larger events in that we will send out more prizes based the the projected size of the events.
For those not already on Facebook, the new voting rules were posted:
[quote=“PAPA Circuit Facebook”]2017-2018 PAPA Circuit voting changes.
Based on feedback we received last year, the following changes will be made to the open voting for the PAPA Circuit events to be added to the 2017-2018 schedule.
Voters will be required to use a Facebook login when voting to provide additional authentication.
Voters must provide their name and a working e-mail address.
Voters may optionally provide their IFPA player number. If there is a tie in voting, votes from registered IFPA players will act as the tiebreaker.
Voters must select 3 events from the poll. Each of those selections is worth 1 vote.
Replay Foundation/PAPA reserves the right to disqualify any votes we consider illegitimate.
If you have any additional feedback about the PAPA Tournament Circuit, please e-mail doug@papa.org[/quote]
I think legitimizing the voting system is a great idea and most of these efforts sound like a big step in the right direction. However, I’m interested in the thought behind this one…
I know one of the motivating factors for voting on events is to get the word out to non-tournament players who may attend that particular show or just play casually in that region and spread the word of the PAPA Circuit. Say I’m advocating for locals to vote for my local event, when they cast their vote, do they really have to select two others before submitting their entry? If so, it seems like this would create a situation where those people might just be picking their main interest, then two others at random to satisfy the “3 events” requirement, whether they be the top two on an alphabetical list, the two with the coolest names, or any other random factor.
So if this is in fact set up where you must select 3, why was that the decision rather than allowing the vote to have the option to select up to 3 instead?
Don’t think Facebook or any specific platform should be required to vote. Plenty of people don’t use and don’t need to use it and that shouldn’t affect voting.
Looks like PAPA is asking for a “working email” as well. It’s disappointing to require a facebook account for sure. It doesn’t do anything the email requirement won’t do, just blocks people who don’t want to sign up for facebook (many legit reasons not to do so)
Plenty of people also don’t use email, internet, or any other technology you can come up with. If you don’t have a CC, you can’t sign up for Pinburgh, unless someone who does will pay for you. People find a way to do it though.
This is the solution we’ve chosen to implement. It is not perfect and some folks will be unable to vote.
It is specifically set up so you must cast votes for 3 different events to spread out the votes. That was a big request we received last year, so we’ve implemented it for this year.
Would there be a way to create accounts linked to an IFPA profile? I know these are two different organizations, but anyone participating in PAPA is also IFPA ranked and votes could be cast through those accounts.
Are many juniors interested in the circuit? I understand your point, though, let’s be honest… If a kid wants an account it’s not hard to smudge their age.
