Keep the NC Open, It Draws Big!  Have a Separate Closed Event!

By Patrick McCartney

I finally got around to reading post #466. My reaction is mixed. I had no problems with the State Champion being determined by the NC Open, as many, but not all, other states have it as open (i.e. SC, GA, FL, WV, but VA is closed).

 

However, what they have done to smear the format is ludicrous.  Now the NC Open works as a “Qualifier” to the invitational, where the invitational determines the champion.  If the only “automatic” were last year’s winner, I would have no objection, but NO, you take last year’s champion, then you fetch TWO PEOPLE from the NC Open, and the rest get in “automatically” by rating, and in that order.  So if say, Mabe wins it in 2013, then 2014 would be Chris Mabe, then the top 2 from NC Open.  If Schroer is one of them, he gets in that way, but if he decides to stink it up, and scored 0.5/2, and withdraws, he figures, so be it, I’ll get in due to rating, so people like myself have to win twice, but he gets 2 chances.

 

In addition, because of the change in format, the 2010 NC Open determined TWO YEARS – the 2010 champion itself, and the qualifiers for the 2011 Invitational.  Of course, my luck, I finish THIRD of NC residents in the NC Open in 2010.  So therefore, you walk into 2011 with ZERO CHANCE, you mess up in 2010, you wait until 2012.  Also, the fact that 2013 champion is based on a qualifier in 2012, and 2014 is based on a qualifier that takes place in 2013, etc, is also ludicrous.

 

Therefore, my take is this.  Keep the NC Open.  It draws big.  Have a separate closed event.  That closed event determines the state champion.  LOTS is January, Enchilada is April, Statesville is June, LPO is July, OPEN is September.  It’s not like you MUST do Labor Day weekend.  While FL and WV do it Labor Day weekend, GA’s is in May, SC’s in October, etc, NC can do theirs in the fall, either October or November (avoiding TG weekend and whichever weekend SC has theirs of course).  We have a big gaping hole in that time period.

 

Let the Invitational be its own thing again.  Who wants to determine the state champion at an officer’s house anyway?  Really?

Patrick McCartney