My Yahoo is going bonkers

Every time I take an action with my mail, I have to reload. And it doesn't matter which browser I use. Hopefully it's just an office thing; I don't have the patience to Apple-R all night as well as all day.

Which brings us to Muppets: A Cautionary Tale.

I think of this every year at Districts time. Once, many long umpty-umps ago, when Districts were back at Lakeland and I was a fresh young coach full of hair -- okay, I was never coaching with any actual hair, but that is not the point of this story, so don't be distracted by that. Anyhow, at this Districts tournament there was a girl running an LD case about the Muppets. For the life of me I can't remember what the resolution was, but her case was intended entirely as a joke. And it was very funny, no doubt about it. And it was also one of the most unethical and nasty things I have ever seen. The reason was simple. It was her last tournament (although her rationale doesn't matter) and she just wanted to have fun. But for everyone else at the tournament, well, it was a qualifier to Nats. It was a big deal. It meant something important. By her running something stupid, she theoretically became a walking bye, except that she actually managed to pick up a round or two, which meant that she lasted way past her expiration date. And here's the thing. The last person she hit, who picked up over her, never would have picked up in that late a qualification round under normal circumstances. WIthout going into all the gory details, as a result of this girl and her Muppets case, I can state with all honesty that the end result of the tournament was skewed. The people who did qualify were certainly capable enough, but if it hadn't been for the Muppets, someone else entirely would have qualified. On face, Muppets Girl probably just thought she was having a good time, but she was seriously hurting the chances of other people to qualify. I judged Muppets Girl in a crucial round, and I dropped her to a debater who simply could not have won under any other circumstances. I was pissed as hell, then further pissed later when I realized that the effects were deeper than I had originally thought, and still pissed today, about a million years and a lot of hair later, because I do not believe that this sort of thing has gone away.

Moral: If you are not going to be serious, don't come. If you go to a tournament, you must do your best. If you throw a round, or all your rounds, for any reason, you are probably hurting someone. It is an unethical action, and if you do it, you are doing something wrong. Debate is very much a game, sure, but it is a game with rules. If you do not wish to play by the rules, you are not really playing the game. If you think it's a joke, why bother? Stay home instead. Watch the Muppets on TV. They're on DVD. You'll love 'em. And that way, you'll be letting the people who care get the results they deserve.

Needless to say, last night at the Chez I told my novices to keep their mouths shut in Congress if they weren't serious, and that they should seriously attempt to do some Pffft, to get a feel for that interesting new activity. I repeat the caution here, for them and anyone else who might think that Muppets is a path worth traveling.