Friday, January 3, 2014

Millennium 15

Before commenting on the latest from Euroland I have a confession to make. Like you I too live vicariously through my favorite players' lives and desperately wanted (and waited) to make this post about the latest move from the Beast, Dave Bains--but sadly somebody is procrastinating--and for once it ain't me. Btw, I call dibs on Dave's life, it's mine. You need to choose somebody else. It would be perfect except I'm not a huge fan of curry.
The Mills kids are making a big deal of this being their 15th season, as well they might, it's as good a number as any other. Impressively they have not been sitting around drinking schnapps this holiday season, they've been planning to be bigger and better than ever. All their dates and venues are set with the first three mirroring last season's locations. Alas, "the greatest venue ever" at Chantilly will not host the final event this year, instead it will be somewhere in the metro Paris area closer to Charles de Gaulle than Orly.
Last season saw the first *real* World Cup fortuitously made up of national teams of players already present plus a truckload of other EPBF championships like the Women's, the Boy's and no doubt a couple of others. But that wasn't good enough. For this very special season 15 the Mills has added more. As a locked division the old D1 will be renamed SPL 2 while D2 & D3 will become Open D1 & D2. (Seems to me that sort of change tends to water down the meaning of making such distinctions--been stuck in D2 for years?--consider yourself D1 as of today--but then I'm a snobby old purest I guess.) Added to that will be a 5-man division plus a smattering of other formats like a 1-on-1 championship, Tactical Formula, Woodland, Pump and 3-man competitions. A little something for everyone the only thing missing is a competition for the non-player--perhaps best Old Skool gat collection? Despite my tongue-in-cheek treatment it's clear the MS are making a considerable effort to improve and expand their offering and from a player's point of view how can that be a bad thing?
I have only one question: Would the MS have made the same effort over the last two or three years without the looming threat of PSP Euroland? (I am not saying such a thing exists, in fact while we've all heard about the possibility of PSP Euroland in recent years it has mostly been characterized by its lack of actually happening. And any real possibility is way above my pay grade thankfully.) My point is, like it or not, and from every league's perspective it's not, competition improves the breed. Even imaginary competition and there's a certain amusing irony in there somewhere.

7 comments:

Ethan said...

they should go to 15 bps for their 15th year.

Yonin said...

Actually, there is a series made with cooperation with PSP and their rules. It's CPS.

Baca Loco said...

Not the same thing, Yonin. But I concede the MS doesn't like the CPS much either. :)

Fullbore said...

I'd hold your horses on the last event not being Chantilly, see what I did there?

Chantilly is closer to GCD than Orly, it's less than 30km (18 miles), at least what the MS has done this year is confirmed dates and geographic locations (if not exact the venue), one of the biggest gripes amongst participants in the past has been that late confirmations have denied many in getting the best travel deals. Turkey being a point in case, where the best available deals were a week-long flight/hotel package at a point in the year where many had already used most of their allocated vacation time for the year, hence the large number of no-shows!

Although, if you look at the facebook pages of some MS representatives, there are discussions criticising the MS for being to samey and not having 'exciting' new venues on offer (Copenhagen and Barcelona were amongst some rumoured to be in the pipeline). Mostly these comments stem from lower division players, sometimes more interested the travel and 'adventure' to the hardcore desire to compete!

From what I have garnered in conversation with some MS board members is that the Mayor of Chantilly is very much for the event being held there. It is important for the municipality to be in favour as it smooths the wheels, especially with the complex local bureaucracy found in France. So, certainly wouldn't rule out Chantilly yet!

Meanwhile, they seem to have reinvented the can, albeit in a gorgon style, complete with serpentine extensions and, combined with last years double-ended strap-on, providing the possibility of a second do-it-yourself M!

Happy new year Paul, and congratulations on the new role, I sincerely hope it gives you the chance to make the improvements you crave.

Baca Loco said...

Thanks, Pete. (Very clever.) I confess I assumed they chose to say "Paris" purposefully intended to convey the idea the venue wasn't set but it wouldn't be Chantilly. I may have read too much into it. ;)

Nick Brockdorff said...

People complaining about the lack of new venues, have very little to do with wanting to travel to new and exiting places, and everything to do with most the venues sucking.

Puget-Sur-Argens has 2 very good fields and 2 terrible (bordering on dangerous) fields, and accomodation that, at best, can be caracterised as questionable.

Bitburg works - if it doesn't rain... if it does, it's a terrible venue.

Basildon (I thought the farm was out for the future?) is in the middle of nowhere, with accomodation only being available for about half the participants in reasonable distance, and is also very prone to weather problems (wind and/or rain).

Chantilly is more or less like Basildon, except there is a castle in the background.

- and, common for all 4 venues, they do nothing to expand or promote the sport - something that the MS used to best in the world at..... but these days it seems the further out in the boonies we can get, the happier the MS board is.

They are as good at choosing venues, as they are at writing rulebooks.....

Nick Brockdorff said...

Oh, and the bunker upgrade kit this year is a good one.... the trees and elbows were always pretty pointless bunkers, and replacing them with real playable bunkers is a good move.

However, correct me if I am wrong, does the change not mean there are only 4 snake beams in the bunker kit?

It will be hard to build a "proper" snake side with that.... us hasbeens appreciate not having to be on our stomach as much, but for the Pros, it is going to take away something from the game....