Despite the overwhelmingly positive note there are always the two topics of grumbling; that of its length and typical holiday proximity. It was suggested that the NBL explain in an editorial format why these two controversial aspects are scheduled the way they are. Part 1 of this discussion will deal with the length of the Super Grands. Next issue will contain Part 2 - end of the year scheduling.

I will use a bullet (•) format for each point for easy reference. While personally I would like nothing better than to shorten the length of the SG by a day or so, the logistics of a shortened event would spell disaster in regards to the production that the NBL followers have come to know and expect.

• The Ambiance of Winning a True World Title - I’ve participated in other leagues and there is nothing more disappointing than the year long financial, physical and mental exertion only to win the leagues title with only you and a couple friends being the only ones to know that you’ve won the title when it actually transpires. NBL’s goal has always been to highlight its world champions on stage in front of an audience in head to head competition for the world title. I will guarantee the overwhelming majority of NBL participants want a stage performance for their title contention. Hardly a day goes by but what I don’t hear that its a league participants’ goal to “make the Grand Finale stage”. With that an obvious conclusion and with 105 world title divisions that demand a minimum of 15 total hours stage time, four Grand Finales are a minimum requirement at the SG. That’s four days minimum no matter how you slice it. Taking into consideration that the first world titles to be held on stage almost surely need a prior day for Finale scheduling (player bio info, announcer-book scheduling) and preparation by exhausted players that may end the first day with a late running division, then five days are a minimum. The other half day of evening competition that the Super Grands now utilizes is inconsequential as nearly everyone will have already arrived the prior evening for the first morning of competition anyhow.

• Amount of Rings/Judges and Players Limitations - If you’ve ever attended a Super Grands I’ll bet you’ve noticed generally prompt starting times by suit clad referees and better than average judging with rings hailing no more than one judge per state for fairness. Well all that doesn’t happen by chance. It’s a culmination of years of planning. We generally schedule only 10 rings at SG for several reasons. First, in order to insure all rings are operating we must have the referees for them in attendance. The SG doesn’t operate rings with “on the spot referees”. Nearly all the referees are preselected and compensated better than any tournament on earth to insure attendance and the most professional results. There are limitations as the number of referees available for such a long event and a limit as to how many can be afforded. Furthermore, with the large amount of players competing in multiple divisions, more rings would increase the amount of divisions a player may have to compete in a single day thus increasing player exhaustion, injury, holding up of rings and missed divisions. Somehow I find it hard to believe that players and parents spending hundreds of hours and hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per season would want to chance any of the above and jeopardize their ability at winning a world title. Toss in the extra physical exertion of double eliminations in sparring and the idea of increasing the amount of divisions to be run in a single day is not feasible. If the player is going to afford all the expenses of attending, they want to enter in all the divisions they can.

• Space For Rings - As will be discussed in part 2, finding a SG venue is no a easy task. Furthermore, non hotel venues (i.e., convention centers, colleges, etc.) are expense prohibitive and generally have poor proximity in relation to guest rooms for attendees. In dealing with hotels the larger the function space - generally the larger the hotel in regards to guest rooms. If you use a larger hotel with more function space for more rings the hotel expects you, in turn, to use more guest rooms. As guest rooms are the hotels main income they are not libel to give you more space without more revenue for themselves.

Thus 10 to 12 rings work as a nice fit for the majority of hotels that the SG considers.

• Staff Processing - If you’ve ever attended the SG I hope you’ve taken time to acknowledge the staff. They are second to none, the worlds hand-picked best available. They work relentlessly to be a part of producing legitimate sport karate world champions and take pride that they are part of the success. Many of the staff have been there for years and believe me they work tirelessly. While compensated better than any tournament staff on earth, many of them are still giving up their vacations, pay from their regular jobs and family time to give unselfishly for this sport. They simply can’t produce what they have to do in less time than the 5 1/2 days the SG now affords them.

Hopefully this explains the necessity of the time element. Part 2 in the next issue will deal with the time of year controversy. Good luck to all players as we enjoy our 15th anniversary year and please enjoy all the prestige that NBL competition is known for.

The Super Grands Scheduling - Part 2 of 3