This started 2 weeks ago when I checked for changes and I noticed that Mike Bowling was added to the 196-225 LBS. (-102 kg) and later he was moved to the 166-195 LBS. (-88.5 kg) in MEN’S – RIGHT HAND QUALIFIERS. See ► 2014 WAL QUALIFIERS – World Armwrestling League.
This is interesting because the World Armwrestling League explained 2 weeks ago why they will not fill any open bracket spots with 9th place finishers or beyond, by saying: “there is no good, objectively fair way to determine which of those guys should get to go to the finals” (read all below).
Now Bob Brown explained on northeastboard that WAL will do what they want with their business, and it is actually written in fine print on WAL website: “Finish in the top 8 at one of the qualifiers, attend all qualifiers or receive an at-large invitation and you’ll be eligible to compete in the “BIG MONEY – BadA$$ Championship.”
We also have to consider that Wild cards are used in much bigger (popular) sports than armwrestling, in big international sporting events such as the Olympic Games and Wimbledon. Nevertheless, I believe this still feels strange / not fair, for some armwrestlers who tried and failed to qualify for the New Orleans Championship.
Read some comments on northeastboard.com: This Better Be A Joke!!!!
I have to admit, my comparison with Animal Farm by George Orwell is a big stretch, but It’s Kind of a Funny Story. 🙂
World Armwrestling League – facebook (10 November 2014):
::: MENS NEW ORLEANS FINALS UPDATES :::
There have been a couple of big questions that have come up recently about the New Orleans event — let’s take a second to circulate some answers around the WAL community.
On filling open slots in the men’s New Orleans brackets: One big question we’ve had is: since some guys qualified multiple times for New Orleans, will we fill any open bracket spots with 9th place finishers or beyond?
Answer: Unfortunately, no, we will not fill in those open bracket positions for a couple of reasons. Nor will we exercise our option to invite any non-qualified arm-wrestlers. First, because we have 9th and 10th place finishers from four different events (most of whom haven’t pulled each other), there is no good, objectively fair way to determine which of those guys should get to go to the finals. In most cases, that leaves us with a 25-28-man bracket for New Orleans, which is still pretty deep and will make a great tournament.
But second, we said since the beginning that it would be Top 8’s (and guys who competed in all four qualifiers) would get to go, and we think it’s important that we stick to our word. Top 8’s and four-timers it is – and rest assured our 2015 plans will allow large numbers of guys to advance in our early rounds. More events are coming, stay tuned!
World Armwrestling League – facebook (10 November 2014):
::: WOMENS NEW ORLEANS FINALS UPDATES :::
Our addition of a women’s finals in Louisiana has sparked conversation about its structure and reasoning. Let’s walk through it.
First and most importantly, we want to say that the WAL celebrates women’s arm-wrestling and seeks to build women’s competition right alongside with the men’s. That being said, we want to create and implement the right strategy to get women back into the sport in large numbers. To that end, WAL made the decision to use the 2014 season to understand how to get women more involved and drive female participation – which is why we started with the Las Vegas female team member requirement and experimented with weight classes throughout.
To be clear, there was never a qualifying series for women to compete at the New Orleans finals. That was set early on so we had the latitude for variation in the women’s weight classes and structure – but the consequence was that there would be no even playing field to determine female qualifiers for a Finals competition.
However, after Atlantic City, we decided to reconsider the men-only final and open up a limited women’s competition in a way that seemed fair given the variation in our ‘regular season’ – and in a way we could support in New Orleans. It’s small, yes, but includes many of the top female WAL participants, and we’ve heard your voices on the inclusion of left-handed competition. AS OF TODAY, WE WILL ALSO INVITE THE TOP 3 FINISHERS IN EACH WEIGHT CLASS FROM ANY WAL WOMEN’S LEFT-HANDED COMPETITION. Weight classes and payouts will be the same as right-handed, and we will post the list of eligible finishers soon. Please write to us with questions: info@walunderground.com
Going forward, we need to build women’s arm wrestling to be an even stronger presence in the WAL, but it takes more than a few events — it takes investment and focus over a long period of time. Along that path, the best thing women arm-wrestlers can do to help propel the women’s classes forward is to recruit and train new women at the local level. Build clubs, build teams, bring more women to events. The WAL will support you, and work as partners in that effort.
George Orwell – Animal Farm (ENGLISH Part 8/8)
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Source: Arron Allan
