In which we go all kinds of public

One minute it’s the middle of summer and you’re lazing in the porch swing watching the fireflies as the sun sets, and the next minute you’re sending out nonstop messages to the debate world about, well, everything.

First, Big Bronx. Kirby and Robert, who used to run the circus, have been brought back until new management is acquired, and working with the administration, they have put together their invitation. I worked with them on that, and when the time came to announce it officially to the world, I performed the honors, since I already had the right access to NDCA’s listserv and last year’s BB registrants. There won’t be a terrible lot of changes from the past, although this time registration will be waitlisted and we’ll sorta use the Sorta MFN system we have at Yale. Kirby is concerned that people from far away will need to secure their slots quickly, but that shouldn’t be a problem. The point is to move away from the first come, first served midnight madness, as I’ve always felt this was the least fair way to run a registration. Frankly, I feel we’re still learning the most fair ways, but we’re getting there. JV, as he does at Pups and Tiggers and the Gem, will be handling the Speecho-American side of it, while I do the honors for debate.

Speaking of JV, I sent out an official announcement via tabroom that

1) you won’t have Jim Menick to kick around anymore;

2) But I’m really not going all that far away so it’s really a good news, bad news thing;

3) Scarsdale has officially moved to Bump weekend.

Scarsdale will be running its usual tournament, with improved TOC biddage (which makes sense to me; Newark has also gotten kicked upstairs for net stasis in the region). I really don’t know if Bump will ever happen again. I think I did a pretty good job of it over my tenure, but whether a new coach would want that burden is hard to guess. As is even the question of whether Sailorville will have a new coach as such. If they want it, they can continue with the Traveling (Fruit) Cup, which today has pride of place in my office, as Mr. T, who won it last year (not that Mr. T, fool) declined to travel with it, he being so much of a fruit eater, apparently, that the sight of all that forbidden f. cocktail was too much to ponder.

So of course, you send out these things, and everybody starts asking you questions. My guess is that if I sent out a message that simply said, “If you have any questions, go ask someone else,” everyone would immediately reply by asking me questions about it. The VCA, however—true as you are, dear reader—is always in possession of all the facts and therefore can sit on its hands and polish its weapons. Thank you for being there when I needed you, or not, as the case may be.