The MHL Grand Championships

O’C and I have worked quite a bit toward creating a bang-up final MHL, which we’re planning for April 10 at Bronx Science. The invitation is here. I should have a tabroom database up and running soon. You’re seeing the invite before I send it to anyone else. (Ah, the joys of membership in the VCA!)

First of all, it’s open to anybody, at $10 a head. In other words, it’s not free (we’ve got to buy food and trophies), but anyone can come, even if we haven’t ever seen their hide nor hair in this or any previous life. We want to have 5 rounds in both the novice and jv divisions, so it will be a longer day than usual. We’ll be running Jan-Feb in LD. And we’ll have varsity LD and Policy, with as many rounds as we can fit, in a challenge format after an opening random round. There are some team limits; we want people to consider this as a special event. And, with O’C in charge of Pomp (and me in charge of Osity), this shouldn’t be a problem. To make it so, we will have a whole boatload of awards. First, there’s the People’s Champion award, which I forget completely what it is but it was something O’C was going to figure out so I’m sure he didn’t forget, because he hasn’t forgotten an award since Mickey Rooney took the Golden Globe for “Andy Hardy Gets a Wedgie” in 1943. Then there’s going to be what we’re calling the Modest Novice awards, which we’ll explain to any coach that signs up but not to you, you spalpeen! (Ah, the pain of membership in the VCA!) There’s a special award that O’C and I agreed on immediately, and you will too when you hear about it that day. And finally, there’s the establishment of an MHL hall of fame, which was guess who’s idea, but it’s not a bad one. Apparently the league was founded by Mickey Rooney in 1943 after getting a wedgie. Honoring those who came before us makes sense to me.

There will certainly be more to say as we get closer. But meanwhile, sharpen up your skates and get ready! It will be a tournament you won’t want to miss, unless, of course, you want to miss it, in which case you’ll regret it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.