I am now writing a presentation for the DJ, in addition to
the one for NDCA. The important thing is not to confuse the two. I don’t think
my colleagues at the DJ are the slightest bit interested in whether it’s MJP or MPJ,
shocking as that may sound.
I guess I can now report that I won’t be working at Yale
this year. As the VCA knows, my work for the big tournaments begins with
straightening out their tabroom setup, and then running the waitlists while
handling queries from disgruntlesphere. This begins about two months before a
tournament starts, and it’s a daily business. Then, of course, there’s running
the events. All of us in tab know a couple of things, that our days are longer
than anyone else’s at the tournament, and that a lot of times it’s no big deal and
other times it draws on the oddest combination possible of insight, drudgery
and experience that few people seem to possess. Most people, i.e., coaches,
would rather pluck their eyeballs out with a runcible spoon than work a tab
room (although I have noticed that some of these same coaches blame the lure of
tabbing for depleting the back of the room of adult judges, yet if this were
true I’d be up to my plucked eyeballs in people wanting to tab, and trust me,
it isn’t so). For me, it is one of my highest priorities that when I finally
retire from tabbing (if ever), I leave behind good people in my stead. Somebody's got to run these damned things.
Anyhow, humble as I am (and yes, I ooze humility from every
pore), I don’t ask for much in return for my services. I mean, hell, I actually
enjoy doing it. And mostly I do it pretty well, if you’ll allow for the
occasional bollix. I can do it by hand, on TRPC, on tabroom, big field or small
field. Any high school that wants me to tab them,
all I ask is that they get me a hotel room, if it’s not near enough to the chez
to commute. Dangle the odd Best Western in front of me and I’m yours.
Colleges are different, though. For one thing, they may be running
a high school tournament but the money they make doesn’t go to the high school
community, with the exception of Penn. And the colleges I work make boatloads
of money, make no mistake about that. Still, I do not ask them to pay me for
the simple reason that they couldn’t afford me. I value my services too highly to
even consider selling them. On the other hand, I expect a measure of
hospitality in proportion to the value the tournament itself puts on my
services. In addition to paying my hotel bill, that translates as footing the
bill for a dinner or two with the other tab staff. We’ve been on-site since 7
a.m., and by 10 p.m. we’re looking to relax (before getting back on-site
tomorrow at 7 a.m. again).
I do not ask for nor expect this from high school
tournaments. Their profits, if any, should go to sending their students to
other tournaments. But colleges grossing in the 6 figures? Well, it may be
greedy of me, and a demonstration of my humility refusing to ooze all of a
sudden, but that’s just the way it is. I make this clear to them, and they can take
it or leave it. Yale has decided to leave it.
Well, I would have had to move on anyhow, sooner or later. I
hold no animus against them; it’s their tournament and they can do what they
want with it, and I’m sure they’ll find a perfectly good replacement for me. I’ve
always enjoyed it, but I’ve already come to realize that this will now free up
September on my personal calendar, the single best month of the year for
vacations since everyone else is back in school and the weather everywhere in
the northern hemisphere is at its peak. So, adios, young Pups. Have a nice
tournament.
____
/
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