What does #8 mean?

This post is not what I was planning it to be. This was to be a detailed summary of keeping track of my steps for 42 days and comparing it to the 100+ coworkers in my company. The 690,000+ steps I walked put me 8th overall which would have won me a t-shirt that won't fit my 3X body. It would have been 2nd in my building out of about 40 people only less than someone who has ran a marathon but did not win any "team" prizes since two of his randomly assigned "teammates" ended up in the bottom 10.

I was going to compare steps on days at work and not working, mention that during the 5 days of Gencon, I took fewer steps than if I was working, wonder how many more steps I would have taken had I played in the 3 disc golf tournaments I didn't play, and most of all, I was going to wonder how an old, fat, broken down, arthritic man who takes medicine used in chemotherapy to manage his 24/7 pain could finish 8th.

Last Sunday, day 38, I walked about 4,000 steps to a place that has a wings special before 4PM. After placing my order, I emptied my pockets of my phone, Ipod, earpiece, and pedometer to make it more comfortable to eat. The pedometer fell to the floor and the display became illegible. I decided to get a FitBit because the idea of other people seeing the number of steps I am taking does inspire me to take more at home and no doubt that has helped me lose 7lb during the step challenge. Since it was cheaper and that I don't like the idea of one on my arm, I got the one that attaches to my pants just like the one I had.

Once I synced my device to my tablet and got FitBit friends, I noticed something. Their daily step goals are less than 1/3 or 2/3 of my average and comparing my steps to theirs is futile. I then realized why. Those people have a job or life that doesn't require them to walk anywhere near what I take just like most everyone at my company. Those people also know that if they spend an hour sitting at a computer typing, they won't be doubled over in pain after getting up.

The phrase "5 decades of excuses" then applies as I try to justify everything that is wrong. Even though I lost the weight I demanded of myself to play in a tournament, a practice round played yesterday shows that my right arm/elbow is still not healed enough to compete so I can't play on Sep 13th liked I hoped.

Disc golf tournaments as well as conventions are the things that give me reason to drag myself off the couch at 5:15 to get to work. When those things are not able to provide the relief from life that I need, it leaves me empty especially when they disappear. As I hustled at work today trying to get things done as someone needed a day off to see a doctor, ugly thoughts rampaged through my brain. The concept of "accidentally" falling on the tracks as a commuter (or freight train) approaches always makes itself known when I walk across tracks even if there is no train in the area. The thought of making a public statement in November about making sure there won't be "6 decades of excuses" then ending things suddenly also appeared.

I have stated for years that if I did everything I wanted to do in life, I would have died in a JV home in the 70s. I know I lack the courage to attempt to make any those thoughts real. If I did not have courage while alone and friendless in 1996, I won't have it now. Life is special because it is finite and during many days, I am reminded about that including while typing this entry. More than likely my arm/elbow will heal and I will play in a tournament again even if it means next year in which I am qualified to play in the 2016 amateur worlds in Madison, WI July 9-16 2016. I am already registered for Windycon in November as well as Marscon and FuMPFeST in 2016 and to be honest, things are looking real good for the Dolphins this season.

What is a home game?

As Super Bowl XIX wound down to the 38-16 49ers win over Miami, I was not happy. I told my father it was a home game for the 49ers who claimed that since the 49ers did not play home games in Sanford Stadium in Palo Alto, CA it was a neutral site game. I stated that if Candlestick Park was ever unusable due to an earthquake, the 49ers would play in Stanford and reminded my father of that statement when in November 1989 the 49ers had to play a home game there after the same earthquake which disrupted the 1989 World Series.

That conversation came up again as the 49ers moved to Levi's Stadium in San Jose which as the map shows is farther away from San Francisco than Stanford Stadium and today after hearing ad rates, looked up Super Bowl 50 on Wikipedia where it states: The San Francisco Bay Area last hosted in 1985 (Super Bowl XIX), held at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California, won by the home team 49ers. (49ers head coach Bill Walsh is quoted as saying if felt like a home game)

So what do I have to gain by presenting this information for someone who died almost three years ago? One of the reasons I post to this site or to a private Google doc is to get it out of my head. Hopefully this post will do that.

13 years in downtown Indy

Yesterday finished my 13th year at Gencon. Unlike most of the previous ones, I got to Indy about 6PM on Wednesday and left about 3:15 on Sunday. In the past I have arrived later and left earlier and in the first couple of years was there only one or two days.

Originally I would go only to help Luke sell and move merch but now to me it is a gaming convention where Luke and others perform and I along with others I know go for various reasons. There are 17 different tracks at Gencon and the chart explains who have participated in which category over the years in the event and not just in a dealer's room demo.

Breakdown per category with examples:
Anime:
Board Games: Redneck Life, Shootin' Ladders, Puerto Rico, Empire Builder.
Non tradable card games: Zombie Ninja Pirates, Dominion, Cards Against Humanity
Electronic gaming: Video games, Battletech pod simulators
Entertainment: Music concerts
Film:
Historical miniatures: Battle games played on created landscapes using representations of former soldiers
Kids events
Live Action Role Playing (LARP)
Miniature hobby events: creating and painting miniatures
Non historical miniatures: Warhammer, Battletech game
Role Playing Games
Seminars: Most are on Wednesday where people talk about being inside gaming
Spouse events: For those dragged to Gencon who don't care about anything with gaming.
Tradable card games: Mostly Magic, in one large section of a hall.
Workshop: Teaching how to create games or miniatures.
Misfits: Anything else.

I wish I was in Kalamazoo

Never thought I would say that but that is where the Professional Disc Golf Association world amateur championship is held this week. Though I am qualified to play in the Grandmaster division (for those born in 1965 or earlier), I was unable to get the time off work to allow me to fully participate in the event. 752 people did and here is the breakdown by division as well as a couple of pics from a temp course created specifically for the event as 9 different courses are used with players playing up to 6 different ones in four days with the top half of many divisions playing more on Saturday.

Seeing the pics from the event as well as those from the player meeting and swag from the event was ok. However, the same person who took the pics (the one from my division whose performance caused me to change divisions as listed two posts ago) posted a video of his foursome being introduced. That broke me. Even before I started playing in events this year, I knew that I would be another face near the bottom of the leader board in the Amateur World Championship which was a reason I gave up the vacation time for someone worse than me in bowling who is participating in a similar event and due to handicap technically has a chance to win significant money.

Playing in the event is something I want to experience at least once. I was assured that if my weight is at 250 next May when I have to register having already qualified that I will get the vacation time. For me next year is not guaranteed. In my last year of league bowling and tournament ball golf, I was thinking next year and injury prevented me from participating. I have a year to try to stay healthy while still being able to afford to go to Madison, WI next summer.

Note: In all the men's divisions under 70, players went six rounds on six different courses. The top third plus ties played a round and the top four a nine hole final. The person whose play made me decide to switch divisions finished tied for sixth.

Walk like a madman

The title caused two different annoying songs to earworm into my head. My apologies if the same happens to you.

For the company healthy living week, my company had a 42 day walking challenge and they supplied pedometers for anyone interested in joining it. Since I was told that I would have to be put on a randomly drawn team to participate, I declined the offer since I did not want to blame other people if they underperformed causing the team I was on to lose since I know that the nature of my job along with playing tournament disc golf causes me to take a whole lot of steps.

Now that the challenge is over, one of the people in it was kind enough to let me have his pedometer so I will be monitoring my steps for 42 days starting on July 17 finishing on August 27. I only have one scheduled tournament in that time and due to elbow tendinitis, my participation in that is currently questionable. However, due to the kindness of my two best friends (a statement I would have never thought I would make in the 20th century), I will probably be going to Gencon Indy at the end of the month for the 13th and probably last time since future years should be at the disc golf world amateur championships which is also held about the same time.

Here is the list of the top 25 walkers out of the 106 entries. I removed names and replaced a couple spots with either what I would have won or significant goals to potentially better.

There are multiple buildings in my company as well as people who work at the customers' locations so that is why only one of the top 12 work in the building which I do. My goal is to finish with the second most steps of those in my facility which should be doable.

 

To be honest, I am not interested in wining a water bottle since I already have one gathering dust in my locker and the t-shirt that I could win are not made in 3X so it would not fit me. I will after the 42 days are over provide the total steps I take in a future post.

recalibration

I was eagerly waiting for the 2015 disc golf season since ages for divisions are based on year of birth  making me the young one in the 50+ age group thinking I would have a chance to win.

Before my first tournament, I looked at the entry list in my division and my expectations dropped. Every tournament round played is rated based on what propagators (players who have played in many rounds over the past 12 months) score in that round as well as everyone's score and the ratings of the others in my division are significantly better than me (anywhere from 5-8 shots per round)

In spite of that, I played against them and was pleased with the people I met and they were the people I was hoping to face in that division. Though I could compete for a 6-12 hole stretch, over a two round tournament, I was no match. Even though I was fourth out of 12 after one round in a tournament, I was still 9 shots out of first and after my second worst tournament round over the last two years, finished 12th 31 shots back. My overall rating after the three events I played in 2015 dropped the equivalent of 2 shots per round.

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I played in a club event which had one amateur division and after my best ever tournament round, was 7th out of 29. The second round was difficult for me and I ended up 16th. That event allowed me to gain enough player points to qualify for the 2016 world amateur championship next summer. I am eligible for this year's event but due to work/vacation issues, I can not go.

I decided to look at the play of the top amateur in the 50+ division. He has played 17 tournament rounds over the past 10 weeks. His worst rating of those rounds is better than my best one on July 4th weekend. Noticing that, I decided to for now play in the lowest rated open age division with players whose ratings are close to mine giving me a chance to compete.

Since the Illinois Open Series disc golf tournaments show hole by hole results on their website, I was able to create this showing the individual rounds both the top player in IL (and as far as player points #1 in the US) and me. (This was created a week after the original post after a tournament played on Sunday where I finished 16 shots out of first but one from cashing.)

 

(Click on it to read)

 

MG1 refers to Men's Grandmaster Amateur which is the name of the 50+ age division

MA4 is Men's Amateur Novice which is the lowest open amateur division

Spolied by perfection?

I have posted before about wanting teams that are the best in the regular season to win titles and unless there is a personal reason, I do that. This year's Stanley Cup finals is one of the personal reasons as the third place Chicago Blackhawks is playing the Tampa Bay Lightning who had the same number of wins as the division winning Montreal Canadians.

Thinking about the previous times the team I most wanted to win won a title, there is a pattern.

Note: Since the 2010 Blackhawks had more wins than the #1 seed San Jose Sharks, I consider them having the best conference record.