TIDBITS (Timbits + Tedbits)

21 September - Part 2, from across the pond

After several days of almost total web-radio silence from OmniSurfers, I awoke this morning to a small pile of email from mostly long-time visitors. I might paraphrase them as follows:

Great show as usual guys, but it just isn't the same without the team photos and maybe names to go with them. We know T1 is busy judging and Ken is running DZTV, but isn't there someone out there who can take some team photos?

The point is well taken; if we had it within our abilities we would have an extra body or two on site taking pictures and gathering more bits. But the timing of the WPC just prior to the US Nationals, combined with the arrival of the latest Waggie, means that I got to sit here squirming in my chair while I watch all the action from afar. And it's driving me nuts.

But while I'm here, I have to say that I'm very disappointed to see the zipper/star busts happen in round 5 of 4-way FS. You would have thought that the competitors and judges would have had the issue worked out by now. I reiterate what I submitted to the IPC several years ago: change the block so that the pieces rotate in opposite directions, or replace the block with a non-controversial maneuver. Better yet: let the winning team decide what to replace it with. My new suggestion would be star > 540 > star solo pieces. Or anything that gets rid of zipper > star as it is now.

UPDATE: A reader points out:' Wouldn’t star > 540 > star end up with everyone outfacing?  That would be a horror to judge." Yes indeed it would! I was actually thinking of the donut > 540 > donut but the stars came out.

But as T1 has said, it looks like another great competition there, and that's all that counts in the end. Wish I were there, but as you can see, I got much else to be grateful for. Blues skies! Go compete! Wait, that's Kurt's byline...

T2

UPDATE: Kurt has some team photos and other great coverage at his site - be sure to check it out.

Ted Wagner, Chief Engineer | Tim Wagner, Webmaster