FOCAL going forwards

Discussion and announcements relating to unofficial Countdown competitions, held online or in real life. Observation, discussion, reflection, and other stuff ending in -ion.
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Zarte Siempre
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FOCAL going forwards

Post by Zarte Siempre »

Hi everyone.

Apologies in advance if this looks a little self-important – the intention isn’t to be so, but I felt that it was necessary to state the following, publicly.

After the Birmingham finals this year, I will be relinquishing my role as the chair of FOCAL.

There are two primary reasons for this. One, as several of you will be aware, I have some health issues at present. These issues could be sorted quickly, or they could go on for a while, but either way, these could impact on my ability to be as present at events as I have been. Indeed, in its current venue, I wouldn’t even be able to run MK next year if nothing were to change. They’re also impacting on my enthusiasm (through no fault of the community), and my ability to concentrate and focus, with the medication I’m taking at present. Whilst I need to give myself things to focus on, I think it’s unfair to all of you to make one of those things something that is of relevance to so many of you, when I can’t be sure how good a job I’ll be able to do.

Secondly, I worry that whilst much of it is my own doing, I have positioned myself as being too much of a centrepoint for FOCAL. Now it’s fully established as part of the community, I want to make sure that it can carry on going with another person/people at the steering wheel. Even without health issues, I couldn’t commit to just doing this forever (Countdown is a hobby is something that can peak and trough, as many of us know) – whilst I still have a love for the game and the community seems a good time to see whether something else I have a great love for can flourish without the need for me to be a control freak :)

I don’t post this publicly to receive any kind of “Oh no, feel better soon!” or any kind of reassurance of the job I’ve been doing – but instead because this might be a good time to get some fresh faces interested. People who perhaps don’t want to run an event of which they are the face, but might like to get involved in the bigger picture. If this is the case, please say so – let’s put some stuff together.

Now, I just have to try and find the focus to go out on a high at Birmingham.

Thanks everyone – s’been a blast :)

Z x
Possibly the first contestant to accelerate with a mic clipped...
Mark Murray
Series 70 Champion
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Re: FOCAL going forwards

Post by Mark Murray »

Thank you to everyone who has given feedback and voted on the FOCAL poll today. There is a clear appetite for FOCAL to continue next year. By this point last year, Code of conduct had been agreed by organisers, and 2017 was well underway with the seeds sown .

What with this, and Zarte's announcement 2 weeks ago, I have agreed to put myself forward as chair at the end of the year to ensure that we can actually have a FOCAL 2018. Unless anyone else has a burning desire to put themselves forward to chair (please please let me know if you do, but needs to be very soon),

Failing that, Z has done an amazing job this year with FOCAL and the top priority is to keep FOCAL continuing in the good natured spirit and manner that brings this community together.

Thanks for listening!
Marc Meakin
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Re: FOCAL going forwards

Post by Marc Meakin »

Sorry to put this in this thread, due to technical issues.
Having just witnessed the first tablet Scrabble tournament, I wondered if Apterous could be used in the same way, albeit a laptop version.
I just wondered if a face to face event would work.
Feel free to put this in the correct thread
GR MSL GNDT MSS NGVWL SRND NNLYC NNCT
Gavin Chipper
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Re: FOCAL going forwards

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Marc Meakin wrote: Mon Oct 30, 2017 7:53 am Sorry to put this in this thread, due to technical issues.
Having just witnessed the first tablet Scrabble tournament, I wondered if Apterous could be used in the same way, albeit a laptop version.
I just wondered if a face to face event would work.
Feel free to put this in the correct thread
You mean everyone travels to the same place and then get to ignore each other anyway, apart from the odd gg wp? Sounds awesome.
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Ian Volante
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Re: FOCAL going forwards

Post by Ian Volante »

Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon Oct 30, 2017 7:48 pm
Marc Meakin wrote: Mon Oct 30, 2017 7:53 am Sorry to put this in this thread, due to technical issues.
Having just witnessed the first tablet Scrabble tournament, I wondered if Apterous could be used in the same way, albeit a laptop version.
I just wondered if a face to face event would work.
Feel free to put this in the correct thread
You mean everyone travels to the same place and then get to ignore each other anyway, apart from the odd gg wp? Sounds awesome.
Seems a lot of effort to avoid losing the second blank under the table until halfway through game 2.
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
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