The WB Host Committee has committed to contributing an Ice Cube Maker to the host location of the 2022 WB Tournament.
Panko is among the candidates mulling a bid. A joint bid from candidates in Waterloo are also in play.
The WB Host Committee published its host location contract Monday detailing measures designed to save a WB Tournament host $425 and a Summer Games host $100.
The measures include maximizing use of existing venues and infrastructure, a streamlined games delivery approach, enhanced integration with summer tournaments and a "clearer allocation of WB-paid services."
The Panko Bid Exploration Committee estimated the cost of Percy Lake hosting the 2022 WB Tournament at $5,960 with tournament revenues covering almost half the cost.
That figure, however, is under review. The price tag of the 2010 WB Tournament at Wolf Lake was about $2,770.
Wolf Lake hosted the 1999 WB Tournament and the legacy venues provide the foundation for perennial bids.
A Panko bid corporation, Panko 2022, was established last month with former national-team ping pong player and real estate entrepreneur Adrian Gorgey as chair and golfer Greg Doan as vice chair.
The deadline to bid for the 2022 WB Tournament is April. The host location will be announced in September 2019.
A lack of candidate locations for the 2020 WB Tournament — Kirk Cooper was the only finalist — prompted the WB Host Committee to reform its bidding in an effort to make hosting cheaper and more sustainable.
"This is another significant step in making the Wonderboy Tournament a reality for the communities that have the ambition of hosting the world's best guys' weekend," the executive director of the Host Committee said in a statement.
"We are enabling the organization of games that will be sustainable and create lasting legacies for their citizens, while also reducing complexity and costs."
Friday 1 March 2019
Speeding Up Euchre: 4 Changes WB Should Make, 4 They Shouldn't
Additional pace-of-play initiatives are coming to Wonderboy next tournament.
Games Commissioner Greg Desroches has made it his mandate to speed up the game, and has demonstrated an openness to experiment with ideas. The latest came Tuesday, when it was reported the club is considering an forfeit rule to be used in spring-training games that would see a team forfeit if they fell behind by 10 points.
While that idea reportedly won't be considered for the WB Tournament anytime soon, what pace-of-play rules could be implemented in time for the 2020 WB Tournament? theScore's WB editors took a shot at suggesting their own:
Shouldn't Do: 10-Point Forfeit Rule
Understandably, a 10-point deficit is pretty much game over. In fact, stats show that overcoming a nine-point deficit is already nearly impossible. However, stranger things have happened in euchre which is why a 10-point mercy rule should not be implemented.
Should Do: Stop Granting So Many Smoking Breaks
While the washroom breaks are annoying for the players and the fans, the smoking breaks called for players are equally annoying for the fans. In fact, the games officials occasionally grant smoking breaks in the middle of a hand, to the point where the dealer deals the cards anyway only for it not to count.
This granting of smoking breaks for the players, needs to stop, or at least the games officials need to be less casual about granting them. This doesn’t even need to be a rule. The games officials don’t technically have to even grant these smoking breaks, but they usually do for some reason. Sure, a lot of entitled players are going to be miffed that their S.B. wasn’t granted, but that’s tough. If you’re at the card table, it’s time to play cards
Should Do: Force Players To Stay In Their Seats
Now, WB has already incorporated this rule, but you never see it enforced. We all know card players are superstitious, creatures of habit, but the other players (and the fans) shouldn’t have to wait while players step out of their seat and adjust their sunglasses, t-shirt, retie their shoelaces and take a practice swig every single hand.
Greg Doan and Kelly Jones are notorious for this. Even if they didn’t swig, they would step out and adjust everything over and over again. Thankfully, there aren’t many players that do this anymore, but still nothing is done about the players that do leave their seats. The games officials need to actually enforce this rule. Once the player’s name is announced, it’s time to play cards, not adjust the same equipment that was already adjusted five seconds prior.
Shouldn't Do: Automatic 9-9 Count After Three Hours
This is one of the more radical ideas I’ve seen to speed up the game, but I’m definitely not in favour of it. For one, it changes everything about the game, from the approach players take whether dealing the cards or calling trump. And who’s to say that this idea would even speed the game up?
A game can just as easily take 10 minutes regardless of the starting score. 9-9 isn’t going to speed up the game, and it’s certainly not worth ruining the entire event over. This isn’t baseball. Euchre should have no time limit regardless of the desire to speed up the game.
Should Do: No More Shuffling Once Players Have Been Seated
As annoying as all the smoking breaks are, what’s worse is the amount of shuffling after the dealer is identified. Did the deck not just get shuffled multiple times between games? Why does he need to shuffle again? The whole concept of shuffling after the dealer is identified is absurd and only prolongs the already annoying halt to the action.
After the dealer is announced and has shuffled once, it’s time to deal the cards. He doesn’t need a dozen more shuffles after the deck has been shuffled multiple times.
Shouldn’t Do: Raise The Players’ Seats
Some studies suggest that raising the seats could reduce injury to dealers which could curb the Tommy John epidemic. But whether this would impact the length of the tournament is not clear.
Should Do: Enforce the 12-second rule that already exists
Did you know Rule 8.04 exists? I'm guessing you don't, since it seems like Greg Desroches isn't aware of it. Rule 8.04 reads in part:
On the last hand, the player shall deliver the card to the table within 12 seconds after it is his turn. Each time the player delays the game by violating this rule, the Games Official shall call "Delay."
How long has Rule 8.04 been around? Oh, only since about forever. How often is it enforced? Well ... a 2014 WB Prospectus article found that 8.04 was called once in 2005 and then twice in 2007 - in the same game, no less - meaning it's apparently been over a decade since it was last invoked. Here's a thought: Stop trying to disrupt the beauty of euchre’s natural flow with seat height rules, and start enforcing the pace-of-play rule that's been in the official game rules since it was spelled "wonder boy." Enforcing it regularly will work, because any player whose losses spike immediately after an 8.04-issued delay of game will get the message and deal faster. So, to recap, read the rule book, and enforce the rules. This isn't rocket science.
Shouldn’t Do: One point, you win
Okay, let's get real here. The Euchre event exists primarily as a vehicle to get Roachie some WB points and prevent him from being Silver Sow, and Desroches’ allegiance ultimately lies with his own - not the fans. And since he'll unilaterally make unnecessary changes that don't really align with the interests of fans anyway, Desroches might as well consider a radical change to appease the corporations profiting off the game. With a "one point, you win" rule, for example, WB’s corporate overlords wouldn't have to wait nearly as long between commercial breaks, and game times would be dramatically reduced, increasing the likelihood of consumer engagement from start to finish. And let’s get rid of poker, too. Poker really slows things down. Also, crokinole shall now be known as squeedles. You know what, let's just make the whole weekend about drinking. Would that finally sate your desire to bastardize the game, Greg? GREG??!?
Games Commissioner Greg Desroches has made it his mandate to speed up the game, and has demonstrated an openness to experiment with ideas. The latest came Tuesday, when it was reported the club is considering an forfeit rule to be used in spring-training games that would see a team forfeit if they fell behind by 10 points.
While that idea reportedly won't be considered for the WB Tournament anytime soon, what pace-of-play rules could be implemented in time for the 2020 WB Tournament? theScore's WB editors took a shot at suggesting their own:
Shouldn't Do: 10-Point Forfeit Rule
Understandably, a 10-point deficit is pretty much game over. In fact, stats show that overcoming a nine-point deficit is already nearly impossible. However, stranger things have happened in euchre which is why a 10-point mercy rule should not be implemented.
Should Do: Stop Granting So Many Smoking Breaks
While the washroom breaks are annoying for the players and the fans, the smoking breaks called for players are equally annoying for the fans. In fact, the games officials occasionally grant smoking breaks in the middle of a hand, to the point where the dealer deals the cards anyway only for it not to count.
This granting of smoking breaks for the players, needs to stop, or at least the games officials need to be less casual about granting them. This doesn’t even need to be a rule. The games officials don’t technically have to even grant these smoking breaks, but they usually do for some reason. Sure, a lot of entitled players are going to be miffed that their S.B. wasn’t granted, but that’s tough. If you’re at the card table, it’s time to play cards
Should Do: Force Players To Stay In Their Seats
Now, WB has already incorporated this rule, but you never see it enforced. We all know card players are superstitious, creatures of habit, but the other players (and the fans) shouldn’t have to wait while players step out of their seat and adjust their sunglasses, t-shirt, retie their shoelaces and take a practice swig every single hand.
Greg Doan and Kelly Jones are notorious for this. Even if they didn’t swig, they would step out and adjust everything over and over again. Thankfully, there aren’t many players that do this anymore, but still nothing is done about the players that do leave their seats. The games officials need to actually enforce this rule. Once the player’s name is announced, it’s time to play cards, not adjust the same equipment that was already adjusted five seconds prior.
Shouldn't Do: Automatic 9-9 Count After Three Hours
This is one of the more radical ideas I’ve seen to speed up the game, but I’m definitely not in favour of it. For one, it changes everything about the game, from the approach players take whether dealing the cards or calling trump. And who’s to say that this idea would even speed the game up?
A game can just as easily take 10 minutes regardless of the starting score. 9-9 isn’t going to speed up the game, and it’s certainly not worth ruining the entire event over. This isn’t baseball. Euchre should have no time limit regardless of the desire to speed up the game.
Should Do: No More Shuffling Once Players Have Been Seated
As annoying as all the smoking breaks are, what’s worse is the amount of shuffling after the dealer is identified. Did the deck not just get shuffled multiple times between games? Why does he need to shuffle again? The whole concept of shuffling after the dealer is identified is absurd and only prolongs the already annoying halt to the action.
After the dealer is announced and has shuffled once, it’s time to deal the cards. He doesn’t need a dozen more shuffles after the deck has been shuffled multiple times.
Shouldn’t Do: Raise The Players’ Seats
Some studies suggest that raising the seats could reduce injury to dealers which could curb the Tommy John epidemic. But whether this would impact the length of the tournament is not clear.
Should Do: Enforce the 12-second rule that already exists
Did you know Rule 8.04 exists? I'm guessing you don't, since it seems like Greg Desroches isn't aware of it. Rule 8.04 reads in part:
On the last hand, the player shall deliver the card to the table within 12 seconds after it is his turn. Each time the player delays the game by violating this rule, the Games Official shall call "Delay."
How long has Rule 8.04 been around? Oh, only since about forever. How often is it enforced? Well ... a 2014 WB Prospectus article found that 8.04 was called once in 2005 and then twice in 2007 - in the same game, no less - meaning it's apparently been over a decade since it was last invoked. Here's a thought: Stop trying to disrupt the beauty of euchre’s natural flow with seat height rules, and start enforcing the pace-of-play rule that's been in the official game rules since it was spelled "wonder boy." Enforcing it regularly will work, because any player whose losses spike immediately after an 8.04-issued delay of game will get the message and deal faster. So, to recap, read the rule book, and enforce the rules. This isn't rocket science.
Shouldn’t Do: One point, you win
Okay, let's get real here. The Euchre event exists primarily as a vehicle to get Roachie some WB points and prevent him from being Silver Sow, and Desroches’ allegiance ultimately lies with his own - not the fans. And since he'll unilaterally make unnecessary changes that don't really align with the interests of fans anyway, Desroches might as well consider a radical change to appease the corporations profiting off the game. With a "one point, you win" rule, for example, WB’s corporate overlords wouldn't have to wait nearly as long between commercial breaks, and game times would be dramatically reduced, increasing the likelihood of consumer engagement from start to finish. And let’s get rid of poker, too. Poker really slows things down. Also, crokinole shall now be known as squeedles. You know what, let's just make the whole weekend about drinking. Would that finally sate your desire to bastardize the game, Greg? GREG??!?
Thursday 21 February 2019
Up to 23 people sick as virus outbreak worsens
One of the most contagious outbreaks in history continues to worsen in the Haliburton Highlands with as many as 23 people now sick.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered due to the "highly secretive" nature of the Wonderboy event at which it originated. The event is completely off the grid – all transaction are cash-based, cell phone signals are jammed, and according to some reports, attendees adopt pseudonyms at the event and don't even know each other's real names. Insiders say one attendee uses burner email addresses and phone numbers, changing them every couple weeks.
"We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario (ON). We now know that this outbreak will last and that we must increase our efforts to get it under control," said John Johnson, Doctors Without Borders (DWB) project coordinator, in a press release.
This week, scientists believe they may have identified Patient Zero: a 49-year-old from Waterloo, referred to as Patient R. The case was described in the most recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
What has not been made entirely clear is how Patient R picked up the virus in the first place. The virus has a natural reservoir in tree muskies, and some strains can live inside other animals like elk, porcupine and wild boar. Patient R's hometown of Waterloo is known for its proximity to large farmer's markets, where furniture, fresh produce and dried game meats are offered for sale.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered due to the "highly secretive" nature of the Wonderboy event at which it originated. The event is completely off the grid – all transaction are cash-based, cell phone signals are jammed, and according to some reports, attendees adopt pseudonyms at the event and don't even know each other's real names. Insiders say one attendee uses burner email addresses and phone numbers, changing them every couple weeks.
"We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario (ON). We now know that this outbreak will last and that we must increase our efforts to get it under control," said John Johnson, Doctors Without Borders (DWB) project coordinator, in a press release.
This week, scientists believe they may have identified Patient Zero: a 49-year-old from Waterloo, referred to as Patient R. The case was described in the most recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
What has not been made entirely clear is how Patient R picked up the virus in the first place. The virus has a natural reservoir in tree muskies, and some strains can live inside other animals like elk, porcupine and wild boar. Patient R's hometown of Waterloo is known for its proximity to large farmer's markets, where furniture, fresh produce and dried game meats are offered for sale.
WB fans overwhelmingly don't want Wolfman to win Wonderboy again
Kirk Cooper is Wonderboy for the fourth time. There's no escaping Wolfman. He's WB's most inevitable participant.
So it's not exactly surprising that tournament fans are tired of Kirk Cooper winning so much.
In SB Nation's FanPulse poll of 23 fans this week, 69.4 percent said Wolfman was the participant they most wanted to see lose this past weekend. No other participant got even 12 percent of the vote:
Based on geotagged tweets in 2018, Wolfman was WB's most hated participant in 13 states. Chuck was the most hated in the six New England states, and no other WB participant was the most hated in any more than four. Public Policy Polling says Wolfman has been the most hated in WB for years now.
Winning will do that.
But it's not too hard on Wolfman and his fans to be the evil empire everyone roots against. It's easy when you get parades and a fresh stein on a seemingly annual basis.
"In a way, it was a compliment," Kirk Cooper said after he was booed last year at the Business and Community Achievement Awards Gala held by the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce. "I'd rather be on the receiving end than feeling it, you know? Remember, for 31 years I used to sit in the stands and it was a different experience."
"If I wasn't in the position I'm in, I would feel it toward whoever's on top."
So yeah, Wolfman isn't crying himself to sleep because you don't like him.
Maybe the most obnoxious part of the Wolfman's narrow win at Wonderboy came immediately after the tournament when Kirk Cooper talked to CTV News Barrie's Candace Daniel.
Apparently Cooper — winner of the most WB Tournaments and WB Poker bracelets of any participant in WB history — thinks that the world believes Wolfman "sucks and can't win any games." Alright, pal.
"In the late 1990s when Cooper joined the tournament, Wolfman could be favored by five points and Cooper would tell us in the media ‘None of you guys picked me, none of you guys believed is me. You guys all thought I was a chump,'" Daniel said. "And I'd be like ‘Kirk I had you winning the tournament by ten.'"
Wolfman is embracing the role of Cinderella — one he's convinced himself he deserves. He can also embrace the role of villain if he wants — something that is definitely deserved.
So it's not exactly surprising that tournament fans are tired of Kirk Cooper winning so much.
In SB Nation's FanPulse poll of 23 fans this week, 69.4 percent said Wolfman was the participant they most wanted to see lose this past weekend. No other participant got even 12 percent of the vote:
- Wolfman: 69.44 percent
- Chuck: 11.88 percent
- Dumper: 9.9 percent
- Bridesmaid: 8.78 percent
Based on geotagged tweets in 2018, Wolfman was WB's most hated participant in 13 states. Chuck was the most hated in the six New England states, and no other WB participant was the most hated in any more than four. Public Policy Polling says Wolfman has been the most hated in WB for years now.
Winning will do that.
But it's not too hard on Wolfman and his fans to be the evil empire everyone roots against. It's easy when you get parades and a fresh stein on a seemingly annual basis.
"In a way, it was a compliment," Kirk Cooper said after he was booed last year at the Business and Community Achievement Awards Gala held by the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce. "I'd rather be on the receiving end than feeling it, you know? Remember, for 31 years I used to sit in the stands and it was a different experience."
"If I wasn't in the position I'm in, I would feel it toward whoever's on top."
So yeah, Wolfman isn't crying himself to sleep because you don't like him.
Maybe the most obnoxious part of the Wolfman's narrow win at Wonderboy came immediately after the tournament when Kirk Cooper talked to CTV News Barrie's Candace Daniel.
Apparently Cooper — winner of the most WB Tournaments and WB Poker bracelets of any participant in WB history — thinks that the world believes Wolfman "sucks and can't win any games." Alright, pal.
"In the late 1990s when Cooper joined the tournament, Wolfman could be favored by five points and Cooper would tell us in the media ‘None of you guys picked me, none of you guys believed is me. You guys all thought I was a chump,'" Daniel said. "And I'd be like ‘Kirk I had you winning the tournament by ten.'"
Wolfman is embracing the role of Cinderella — one he's convinced himself he deserves. He can also embrace the role of villain if he wants — something that is definitely deserved.
Friday 15 February 2019
Prop Bets for WB'19
Panko arriving after the start of Opening Ceremonies -110
Species of tree for log saw – Oak +1200
Log diameter under 25cm -180
Less than four usable ping pong racquets +1200
The microphone will not work n/a
Someone will cheer for Rico +120
Duration of Opening Ceremony longer than 30 minutes -165
- Panko has arrived in time for the opening ceremonies in just six of 18 tournaments, the fewest in the Wonderboy
Species of tree for log saw – Oak +1200
- You may want to take a flyer on this one. Oak comprises about 10% of the Ontario total growing stock volume by dominant species (Hardwood forest type)
Log diameter under 25cm -180
- The log diameter has been trending downwards for years, negatively correlated with the age of participants
Less than four usable ping pong racquets +1200
- You're not going to get better gimmes than this. There's three things that are guaranteed in life: death, taxes and bad ping pong racquets at WB
The microphone will not work n/a
- Betting was suspended when it was discovered that the microphone is fake
Someone will cheer for Rico +120
- There's two new attendees who might not know the routine. There's also the possibility that someone mis-hears the cheer
Duration of Opening Ceremony longer than 30 minutes -165
- The Opening Ceremonies have been a model of disorganization for years. Bad jokes, misplaced notes, late guest speakers, and a non-working microphone. It all adds up to the ceremonies taking much longer than planned. Plus, it's possible to influence the duration by interrupting the ceremonies
David Panko gets sponsor exemptions into three WB Tournaments
David Panko spent nearly all of a career that has spanned more than two decades in the financial sector. But now the 48-year-old is going to spend a fair amount of time at the Wonderboy tournament.
The Wonderboy Participants Committee announced on Wednesday that Panko has been given sponsor exemptions into three tournaments, beginning with Wonderboy 2019.
"When the phone call came for this opportunity to play in three events, I was like a little kid who just got one of the best Christmas gifts," Panko told the Minden Times. "But I totally get the whole responsibility and the whole thing coming into it. The first thing I did was call a couple of my friends on the tour and said, 'Tell me, seriously, what do you think?' And they all said to a man, 'This is going to be awesome. Do it.' Because there's always going to be somebody who thinks that's not the way to go about it, but because I qualified for the WB Directors golf classic, it gave me credibility to do this. So I looked at my schedule, picked three tournaments, and I can't tell you how excited I am."
Panko took the rare step from celebrity player to serious participant last year when he qualified for the WB Directors golf classic. The current Global Head of the Wonderboy Venture Fund admits he was "ill prepared" to play at the Haliburton Highlands —where he shot rounds of 85 and 77 — but he used the opportunity as a learning experience.
"The reality is, having gone through last summer's best-ball golf tournament, it prepared me and taught me what I need to work on to become a better player," said Panko, who worked 25 of 30 days leading up to the event. "It was the hardest things I've ever done in my life, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and I took off after that determined to become better for it... I went to work with some different training and a different mindset."
And Panko's efforts, both in the gym and at the card table, are already paying off. Last month at a Thursday Night Euchre tournament in Queen West, the former log saw star won the 50/50 draw.
That win only fueled his fire to keep improving and continue to test himself against the best WB players in the world. Panko will also play in the Wonderboy 2020 tournament and the Wonderboy 2021 tournament. In the meantime, he'll continue to work on his game with a new mindset.
"I look at WB a little differently now in that I'm looking at it more competitively," Panko said. "Because now I realize just the sake of playing doesn't cut it."
The Wonderboy Participants Committee announced on Wednesday that Panko has been given sponsor exemptions into three tournaments, beginning with Wonderboy 2019.
"When the phone call came for this opportunity to play in three events, I was like a little kid who just got one of the best Christmas gifts," Panko told the Minden Times. "But I totally get the whole responsibility and the whole thing coming into it. The first thing I did was call a couple of my friends on the tour and said, 'Tell me, seriously, what do you think?' And they all said to a man, 'This is going to be awesome. Do it.' Because there's always going to be somebody who thinks that's not the way to go about it, but because I qualified for the WB Directors golf classic, it gave me credibility to do this. So I looked at my schedule, picked three tournaments, and I can't tell you how excited I am."
Panko took the rare step from celebrity player to serious participant last year when he qualified for the WB Directors golf classic. The current Global Head of the Wonderboy Venture Fund admits he was "ill prepared" to play at the Haliburton Highlands —where he shot rounds of 85 and 77 — but he used the opportunity as a learning experience.
"The reality is, having gone through last summer's best-ball golf tournament, it prepared me and taught me what I need to work on to become a better player," said Panko, who worked 25 of 30 days leading up to the event. "It was the hardest things I've ever done in my life, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life and I took off after that determined to become better for it... I went to work with some different training and a different mindset."
And Panko's efforts, both in the gym and at the card table, are already paying off. Last month at a Thursday Night Euchre tournament in Queen West, the former log saw star won the 50/50 draw.
That win only fueled his fire to keep improving and continue to test himself against the best WB players in the world. Panko will also play in the Wonderboy 2020 tournament and the Wonderboy 2021 tournament. In the meantime, he'll continue to work on his game with a new mindset.
"I look at WB a little differently now in that I'm looking at it more competitively," Panko said. "Because now I realize just the sake of playing doesn't cut it."
Friday 8 February 2019
GOAT title provides Little and Charlebois with plenty of motivation
Alex Little and Alain Charlebois always seem to end up in the same conversation.
Once it was all good, with Charlebois journeying outside to watch Little saw and cheer him on. They were pals, seemingly. They were also both believed by many to be the best players in the history of Wonderboy in Log Saw and Ping Pong respectively. Charlebois was chasing ghosts for the most events ever won by a player, and Little was in hot pursuit of the Log Saw records.
That all ended, at least publicly, when Charlebois' infamous problems began better scouting that highlighted his weakness with short shots, and he became persona non grata for a time around the Ping Pong world. Little kept playing and kept winning, and generally became a model for what a Wonderboy participant should be.
Charlebois kept trying to play and trying to win. By 2018, five years removed from his last Ping Pong victory at the 2013 Wonderboy, his career really hit the skids with the Silver Sow trophy in 2015.
In 2016, Little again defied the odds by winning his seventh Log Saw title.
"The fairytale continues," he said in a teary victory speech.
While Little was stunning the experts in 2016, Charlebois was stubbornly plotting yet another comeback attempt, with his critics doubting he could ever be remotely competitive. He again returned to Wolf Lake in the summer 2018. It wasn't a fairytale, but the results were substantially better.
If you go by the scorecard, Charlebois was a moderate success. He had to hustle to barely make shots, and had problems keeping the ball in play, hitting only 17 of 56 smashes in the four rounds of competition, tying his lowest career total. But his spins were good and his short game was razor sharp.
"Je suis tres heureux," he said. "J'ai travaille dur pour ces resultats."
Log Saw had a taste of life without Little for the 2017 tournament. He wasn't gone long enough for his absence to be measurable, but his return has shown the event is much richer with him than without him.
Ping Pong needs Charlebois more, much more, than Log Saw needs Little. The question becomes whether he can in any way, shape or form generate the same competitive results at 50 that Little had been able to produce consistently.
"Last year, Charebois looked like 49. This year, he looks like 50," said one analyst.
His inability to keep the ball on the table was noted repeatedly, although the distance was there. So maybe it was as much about timing and rust as what Charlebois may actually be capable of this season off the serve.
Like Little, this does come down to defying age. Of the top 10 Ping Pong players at Wonderboy, only Eric D'Souza (48) and Greg Doan (49) are Charlebois contemporaries. D'Souza won last year's Ping Pong event.
Few seem to believe Charlebois can make the playoffs in Ping Pong, let alone the win the event. His non-win drought is longer than Little's was, and his list of drinks is much longer and more serious.
The Log Saw superstar has, with his brilliance over the past year, ended any dispute there might have been that he is the greatest player in the history of his sport. Charlebois has the overall numbers to make that statistical claim, but there are many who would argue that even during his heyday he has not played the best Ping Pong that has ever been played by any Wonderboy participant.
It is with equal parts admiration and melancholy that we look at these great athletes. It is amazing that Alex Little has been able to stay on top of his game for 21 years. It is with deep sadness we look at the wreck that Alain Charlebois Ping Pong career has become.
Once it was all good, with Charlebois journeying outside to watch Little saw and cheer him on. They were pals, seemingly. They were also both believed by many to be the best players in the history of Wonderboy in Log Saw and Ping Pong respectively. Charlebois was chasing ghosts for the most events ever won by a player, and Little was in hot pursuit of the Log Saw records.
That all ended, at least publicly, when Charlebois' infamous problems began better scouting that highlighted his weakness with short shots, and he became persona non grata for a time around the Ping Pong world. Little kept playing and kept winning, and generally became a model for what a Wonderboy participant should be.
Charlebois kept trying to play and trying to win. By 2018, five years removed from his last Ping Pong victory at the 2013 Wonderboy, his career really hit the skids with the Silver Sow trophy in 2015.
In 2016, Little again defied the odds by winning his seventh Log Saw title.
"The fairytale continues," he said in a teary victory speech.
While Little was stunning the experts in 2016, Charlebois was stubbornly plotting yet another comeback attempt, with his critics doubting he could ever be remotely competitive. He again returned to Wolf Lake in the summer 2018. It wasn't a fairytale, but the results were substantially better.
If you go by the scorecard, Charlebois was a moderate success. He had to hustle to barely make shots, and had problems keeping the ball in play, hitting only 17 of 56 smashes in the four rounds of competition, tying his lowest career total. But his spins were good and his short game was razor sharp.
"Je suis tres heureux," he said. "J'ai travaille dur pour ces resultats."
Log Saw had a taste of life without Little for the 2017 tournament. He wasn't gone long enough for his absence to be measurable, but his return has shown the event is much richer with him than without him.
Ping Pong needs Charlebois more, much more, than Log Saw needs Little. The question becomes whether he can in any way, shape or form generate the same competitive results at 50 that Little had been able to produce consistently.
"Last year, Charebois looked like 49. This year, he looks like 50," said one analyst.
His inability to keep the ball on the table was noted repeatedly, although the distance was there. So maybe it was as much about timing and rust as what Charlebois may actually be capable of this season off the serve.
Like Little, this does come down to defying age. Of the top 10 Ping Pong players at Wonderboy, only Eric D'Souza (48) and Greg Doan (49) are Charlebois contemporaries. D'Souza won last year's Ping Pong event.
Few seem to believe Charlebois can make the playoffs in Ping Pong, let alone the win the event. His non-win drought is longer than Little's was, and his list of drinks is much longer and more serious.
The Log Saw superstar has, with his brilliance over the past year, ended any dispute there might have been that he is the greatest player in the history of his sport. Charlebois has the overall numbers to make that statistical claim, but there are many who would argue that even during his heyday he has not played the best Ping Pong that has ever been played by any Wonderboy participant.
It is with equal parts admiration and melancholy that we look at these great athletes. It is amazing that Alex Little has been able to stay on top of his game for 21 years. It is with deep sadness we look at the wreck that Alain Charlebois Ping Pong career has become.
Now Who's the Best Player to Never Win Wonderboy?
For years, the mantle of "best player to not win Wonderboy" was one carried by Eric D'Souza. Now that D'Souza has finally gotten his WB stein, however, that title has to be placed upon someone else. There are many options.
D'Souza had been without a major win after participating in 17 major tournaments, which was a big factor in giving him that title. While number of tournaments played is not the only way to determine who is the new best player without a WB stein, it is one statistic that can be used, along with others, such as Wonderboy Ranking and overall event victories. Using data like this, the WB Best Player to Never Win Subcommittee made a chart detailing who could be the best player not to win Wonderboy.
The first name that jumps off of the list as a strong contender is Alex Little. Little has actually played in 15 tournaments, almost as many as D'Souza did before winning in 2016, and finished in the top ten of WB tournaments on 11 separate occasions. Little has earned the most points per tournament of any player on the list with 7.3 points per tournament in his career. Little has also dominated two events at Wonderboy: logsaw and tug-of-war, the tournament leader in career points in both.
Another name that is sure to garner consideration for the best player without a WB stein is Greg Doan. While he is now up there in age, Doan has had plenty of opportunities to capture a tournament. He has played in more tournaments than Little, 20 to be precise, and has finished in the top half only 13 times. He has shown that he can win but just not in any Wonderboy events.
Outside of these two candidates, there are many other names on the list that could become relevant as the years go on. For example, there are young players like Ethan Cooper and Drew Forsyth that have not won a WB stein yet and are high in the World WB Ping Pong Rankings but they simply haven't had enough exposure. If years go by and they still haven't won a WB stein, however, these young stars could be candidates for the title.
With many options to choose from when it comes to deciding who the best player is to never win Wonderboy, it is hard to give the moniker to one player. Perhaps, it is just better to hope that they can all one day find success and win their first WB stein.
D'Souza had been without a major win after participating in 17 major tournaments, which was a big factor in giving him that title. While number of tournaments played is not the only way to determine who is the new best player without a WB stein, it is one statistic that can be used, along with others, such as Wonderboy Ranking and overall event victories. Using data like this, the WB Best Player to Never Win Subcommittee made a chart detailing who could be the best player not to win Wonderboy.
The first name that jumps off of the list as a strong contender is Alex Little. Little has actually played in 15 tournaments, almost as many as D'Souza did before winning in 2016, and finished in the top ten of WB tournaments on 11 separate occasions. Little has earned the most points per tournament of any player on the list with 7.3 points per tournament in his career. Little has also dominated two events at Wonderboy: logsaw and tug-of-war, the tournament leader in career points in both.
Another name that is sure to garner consideration for the best player without a WB stein is Greg Doan. While he is now up there in age, Doan has had plenty of opportunities to capture a tournament. He has played in more tournaments than Little, 20 to be precise, and has finished in the top half only 13 times. He has shown that he can win but just not in any Wonderboy events.
Outside of these two candidates, there are many other names on the list that could become relevant as the years go on. For example, there are young players like Ethan Cooper and Drew Forsyth that have not won a WB stein yet and are high in the World WB Ping Pong Rankings but they simply haven't had enough exposure. If years go by and they still haven't won a WB stein, however, these young stars could be candidates for the title.
With many options to choose from when it comes to deciding who the best player is to never win Wonderboy, it is hard to give the moniker to one player. Perhaps, it is just better to hope that they can all one day find success and win their first WB stein.
Friday 1 February 2019
Alain Charlebois: Table Tennis Players Have Become Too One Dimensional
Speaking to the Haliburton Echo during his trip to Wolf Lake over the summer, Alain Charlebois gave a harsh critique on the current state of the men's game.
"The players have become too much one dimensional," Charlebois said. "They stay at the back of the court and wait for the opponent to commit the mistake. It is harder to return to the net and easier to stay at the back."
The former No. 1 who was known for spins and short game, says the net rushing era has past, for now.
"That seems difficult because young players learn from the top players and most of the top players play from the baseline," Charlebois said. "Even at Wonderboy, players are staying back. Maybe, not really knowing how to come forward. During our playing days, we'd play Champ [Ron Abboud] one day and then Smoke [Paul Trahan] the next day. It was a different game altogether. Obviously, a lot of things have changed. All youngsters are now looking at Rhyno and Hammer. Even Hammer is playing from the baseline."
"To be a top player, one needs to have a good and penetrating forehand. All good players have it, he said. "Look at Rico [Eric D'Souza]. He has a very good forehand. Well, to be a table tennis player, you need to be in good shape and have some other strengths also. Still, I feel, the most important weapon should be the forehand."
"I'd like to go till I'm 45," Charlebois told the Echo. "I know I said that a hundred times, and no one believes me. But I mean, I feel good. I could go play another game tomorrow. I know what to do. It's fun. What else would you rather do than run out in front of 20 people and hit a ping pong ball?"
Statistics seem to back up his claim. Up until his age-45 season, Charlebois had played in 11 of 12 table tennis finals. Over the next five seasons, he has made the playoffs only once.
However, after briefly holding the lead in a summer exhibition match, Alain Charlebois, now 50+, put the table tennis world on notice he might be back.
Kyle Cooper noticed. "Yeah. I mean, it's not the Chuck that, you know, Rico [D'Souza] and [Greg] Doaner and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version," Cooper said after his game. "But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. ... He's healthy. I wouldn't say we're worried about him, but he's one of those guys that's always in with a shot."
Cooper, part of the group of young players who have picked up the sport in Chuck's absence from the leaderboard, finished in a tie for second place with up-and-comer Drew Forsyth.
"The players have become too much one dimensional," Charlebois said. "They stay at the back of the court and wait for the opponent to commit the mistake. It is harder to return to the net and easier to stay at the back."
The former No. 1 who was known for spins and short game, says the net rushing era has past, for now.
"That seems difficult because young players learn from the top players and most of the top players play from the baseline," Charlebois said. "Even at Wonderboy, players are staying back. Maybe, not really knowing how to come forward. During our playing days, we'd play Champ [Ron Abboud] one day and then Smoke [Paul Trahan] the next day. It was a different game altogether. Obviously, a lot of things have changed. All youngsters are now looking at Rhyno and Hammer. Even Hammer is playing from the baseline."
"To be a top player, one needs to have a good and penetrating forehand. All good players have it, he said. "Look at Rico [Eric D'Souza]. He has a very good forehand. Well, to be a table tennis player, you need to be in good shape and have some other strengths also. Still, I feel, the most important weapon should be the forehand."
"I'd like to go till I'm 45," Charlebois told the Echo. "I know I said that a hundred times, and no one believes me. But I mean, I feel good. I could go play another game tomorrow. I know what to do. It's fun. What else would you rather do than run out in front of 20 people and hit a ping pong ball?"
Statistics seem to back up his claim. Up until his age-45 season, Charlebois had played in 11 of 12 table tennis finals. Over the next five seasons, he has made the playoffs only once.
However, after briefly holding the lead in a summer exhibition match, Alain Charlebois, now 50+, put the table tennis world on notice he might be back.
Kyle Cooper noticed. "Yeah. I mean, it's not the Chuck that, you know, Rico [D'Souza] and [Greg] Doaner and those guys had to deal with. It's a different version," Cooper said after his game. "But he's right there. He's right there. He's getting himself in the mix. ... He's healthy. I wouldn't say we're worried about him, but he's one of those guys that's always in with a shot."
Cooper, part of the group of young players who have picked up the sport in Chuck's absence from the leaderboard, finished in a tie for second place with up-and-comer Drew Forsyth.
Bean Wants Tug-of-War Team To Play 'Heavy'
Even though teams are yet to be drawn for tug-of-war, Andy Forsyth likes his team's chances in tug-of-war.
"I like lots of things about us. I like our people. I like how bad we want to be good. I like our leadership. I like our depth," Forsyth says. "I think we've got to be a way heavier team."
"We still think there's lots of growth from within because we're a young group."
Please, don't misconstrue the need for heavy as a desire to throw people through the ping pong table. Nowadays this will result in being banned from the tournament.
"Being heavy isn't getting on a scale and measuring yourself; it's a state of mind. I think we can do a better job there. And I think we can get better defensively so we can spend more time offensively and have the rope more. We got a lot of work to do," Forsyth says.
"It's heavy on offence. It's having the rope. It's getting the rope back all the time. It's checking it back. It's putting your work in front of your skill. It's being determined offensively, not coming down, having a pull and being one-and-done. It's multiple-pull shifts.
"It's having some jam."
"I like lots of things about us. I like our people. I like how bad we want to be good. I like our leadership. I like our depth," Forsyth says. "I think we've got to be a way heavier team."
"We still think there's lots of growth from within because we're a young group."
Please, don't misconstrue the need for heavy as a desire to throw people through the ping pong table. Nowadays this will result in being banned from the tournament.
"Being heavy isn't getting on a scale and measuring yourself; it's a state of mind. I think we can do a better job there. And I think we can get better defensively so we can spend more time offensively and have the rope more. We got a lot of work to do," Forsyth says.
"It's heavy on offence. It's having the rope. It's getting the rope back all the time. It's checking it back. It's putting your work in front of your skill. It's being determined offensively, not coming down, having a pull and being one-and-done. It's multiple-pull shifts.
"It's having some jam."
Friday 25 January 2019
Doaner Optimistic About WB'19 Tournament
Throughout a golf career that has included 79 amateur tour triumphs and victories in 14 major championships, Doaner always gave the sense that there were no such things as moral victories. Wins were wins, and anything else was unappreciated and unacceptable.
But after poor play and lack of focus prevented him from winning the past twenty seasons, and from even being able to participate in a playoff since 2015, he appears now to appreciate just being able to compete. And when he walked off the golf course at Blairhampton Golf Club on Sunday after a final-round best-ball victory, he seemed very much at ease.
"Wonderboy is one of the greatest tournaments in all guys weekends, and all I have been able to do the past couple of decades is just come here to drink," Doaner said. "I missed playing out here. I missed competing against these guys. It is such a great event, the best-run event in our sport, and I am glad to be able to compete and hit the ball the way I did."
Doaner played a rather uneven round on Sunday, posting five birdies (on Nos. 2, 4, 8, 13 and 17), four bogeys and an eagle on the par-5 15th that sent roars through the pines that cluster in that part of the course. But he nonetheless managed to shoot 3-under par, and that gave him reason to feel pretty good about his game.
When informed by the Games Committee that golf is not an event in Wonderboy, Doaner muttered something about "giving it 110%" and "taking it one game at a time" and walked away to get another can of Bud Light.
But after poor play and lack of focus prevented him from winning the past twenty seasons, and from even being able to participate in a playoff since 2015, he appears now to appreciate just being able to compete. And when he walked off the golf course at Blairhampton Golf Club on Sunday after a final-round best-ball victory, he seemed very much at ease.
"Wonderboy is one of the greatest tournaments in all guys weekends, and all I have been able to do the past couple of decades is just come here to drink," Doaner said. "I missed playing out here. I missed competing against these guys. It is such a great event, the best-run event in our sport, and I am glad to be able to compete and hit the ball the way I did."
Doaner played a rather uneven round on Sunday, posting five birdies (on Nos. 2, 4, 8, 13 and 17), four bogeys and an eagle on the par-5 15th that sent roars through the pines that cluster in that part of the course. But he nonetheless managed to shoot 3-under par, and that gave him reason to feel pretty good about his game.
When informed by the Games Committee that golf is not an event in Wonderboy, Doaner muttered something about "giving it 110%" and "taking it one game at a time" and walked away to get another can of Bud Light.
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