John Hayes, Author at North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Association

NAHBPC 2016 Format and Groups

Posted on September 19, 2016September 14, 2020 by John Hayes

Format

This year the NAHBPC will be using an updated format, which may be familiar to those of you who played SWQ, and other tournaments this year.

Group Stage: Friday & Saturday

The 36 teams have been split into 4 groups of 9, who will play a full round robin over the first two days.

Each group will play 4 games in a 3 hour window on both Friday, and Saturday:

Friday 9am-12pm: Group A
Friday 12pm-3pm: Group B
Friday 3pm-6pm: Group C
Friday 6pm-9pm: Group D

For Saturday, A & B will swap, and C & D will swap, so that each group plays one session in the heat of the day, and one early/late:

Saturday 9am-12pm: Group B
Saturday 12pm-3pm: Group A
Saturday 3pm-6pm: Group D
Saturday 6pm-9pm: Group C

All games will be 12 minutes, unlimited goals, with games scheduled every 20 mins.

The top 5 teams in each group qualify for Sunday (total 20 teams).

Elimination: Sunday

The 20 teams will be reseeded into 4 new groups:

Group AA:
- A1 – Prospectors
- D2 – Oak
- C3 – Ghostship
- B4 – Wendigo
- A5 – Malort Politics
Group BB:
- B1 – Albatross
- A2 – Woodrats
- D3 – Battlestar Goalactica
- C4 – Hannya
- B5 – Alright Enough
Group CC:
- C1 – Awkward Love Triangle
- B2 – Los Kreuzburgs
- A3 – Hot Dam
- D4 – Rat Queen
- C5 – Da Hunt
Group DD:
- D1 – Control
- C2 – Mosquito
- B3 – ODD
- A4 – Les Beehive Boys
- D5 – Wait Wait Wait

These groups will play a full round robin, after which the top 2 teams from each group (total 8 teams) will advance to the finals.

Group AA, and BB will play from 9am-12:20pm
Group CC and DD will play from 12:20pm to 3:40pm

All finals games will be 15 minutes unlimited goals.

Quarter finals – 4pm, 4:25pm
Semi finals – 4:50pm, 5:15pm
3rd place game – 5:40pm
Final – 6:10pm

Schedule

Any instant mix games shown in Podium will be ignored, recorded as a 0-1 loss

All games are also listed on Podium at https://www.podiumbikepolo.com/nahbpc2016

Group A

Prospectors (CS)
Wood Rats (HL)
Malort Politics (GL)
Hot Dam (CS)
Les Beehive Boys (SW)
Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW)
Pagans (SE)
Wabbit (ES)
Locomotives (SC)

Friday 09:00 AM
- Court A: Malort Politics (GL) vs Wabbit (ES)
- Court B: Wood Rats (HL) vs Locomotives (SC)
Friday 09:20 AM
- Court A: Les Beehive Boys (SW) vs Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW)
- Court B: Hot Dam (CS) vs Pagans (SE)
Friday 09:40 AM
- Court A: Wabbit (ES) vs Locomotives (SC)
- Court B: Malort Politics (GL) vs Prospectors (CS)
Friday 10:00 AM
- Court A: Pagans (SE) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)
- Court B: Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW) vs Wood Rats (HL)
Friday 10:20 AM
- Court A: Locomotives (SC) vs Prospectors (CS)
- Court B: Wabbit (ES) vs Hot Dam (CS)
Friday 10:40 AM
- Court A: Wood Rats (HL) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)
- Court B: Malort Politics (GL) vs Pagans (SE)
Friday 11:00 AM
- Court A: Hot Dam (CS) vs Locomotives (SC)
- Court B: Prospectors (CS) vs Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW)
Friday 11:20 AM
- Court A: Malort Politics (GL) vs Wood Rats (HL)
- Court B: Les Beehive Boys (SW) vs Wabbit (ES)
Friday 11:40 AM
- Court A: Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW) vs Hot Dam (CS)
- Court B: Pagans (SE) vs Prospectors (CS)

Saturday 12:00 PM
- Court A: Wabbit (ES) vs Wood Rats (HL)
- Court B: Locomotives (SC) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)
Saturday 12:20 PM
- Court A: Pagans (SE) vs Wood Rats (HL)
- Court B: Hot Dam (CS) vs Prospectors (CS)
Saturday 12:40 PM
- Court A: Wabbit (ES) vs Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW)
- Court B: Malort Politics (GL) vs Locomotives (SC)
Saturday 01:00 PM
- Court A: Wood Rats (HL) vs Prospectors (CS)
- Court B: Les Beehive Boys (SW) vs Hot Dam (CS)
Saturday 01:20 PM
- Court A: Locomotives (SC) vs Pagans (SE)
- Court B: Malort Politics (GL) vs Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW)
Saturday 01:40 PM
- Court A: Prospectors (CS) vs Wabbit (ES)
- Court B: Hot Dam (CS) vs Wood Rats (HL)
Saturday 02:00 PM
- Court A: Malort Politics (GL) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)
- Court B: Pagans (SE) vs Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW)
Saturday 02:20 PM
- Court A: Pew Pew Mew Mew (SW) vs Locomotives (SC)
- Court B: Pagans (SE) vs Wabbit (ES)
Saturday 02:40 PM
- Court A: Malort Politics (GL) vs Hot Dam (CS)
- Court B: Prospectors (CS) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)

Group B

Albatross (CS)
Los Kreuzbergs (CS)
Wendigo (GP)
Sugar Gliders (GL)
Alright Enough (ES)
ODD (SW)
Celeste-ial (GL)
Portland Shmortland (CS)
The Defaulters (SW)

Friday 12:00 PM
- Court A: Wendigo (GP) vs Portland Shmortland (CS)
- Court B: Los Kreuzbergs (CS) vs The Defaulters (SW)
Friday 12:20 PM
- Court A: Alright Enough (ES) vs ODD (SW)
- Court B: Sugar Gliders (GL) vs Celeste-ial (GL)
Friday 12:40 PM
- Court A: Portland Shmortland (CS) vs The Defaulters (SW)
- Court B: Wendigo (GP) vs Albatross (CS)
Friday 01:00 PM
- Court A: Celeste-ial (GL) vs Alright Enough (ES)
- Court B: ODD (SW) vs Los Kreuzbergs (CS)
Friday 01:20 PM
- Court A: The Defaulters (SW) vs Albatross (CS)
- Court B: Portland Shmortland (CS) vs Sugar Gliders (GL)
Friday 01:40 PM
- Court A: Los Kreuzbergs (CS) vs Alright Enough (ES)
- Court B: Wendigo (GP) vs Celeste-ial (GL)
Friday 02:00 PM
- Court A: Sugar Gliders (GL) vs The Defaulters (SW)
- Court B: Albatross (CS) vs ODD (SW)
Friday 02:20 PM
- Court A: Wendigo (GP) vs Los Kreuzbergs (CS)
- Court B: Alright Enough (ES) vs Portland Shmortland (CS)
Friday 02:40 PM
- Court A: ODD (SW) vs Sugar Gliders (GL)
- Court B: Celeste-ial (GL) vs Albatross (CS)

Saturday 09:00 AM
- Court A: Portland Shmortland (CS) vs Los Kreuzbergs (CS)
- Court B: The Defaulters (SW) vs Alright Enough (ES)
Saturday 09:20 AM
- Court A: Celeste-ial (GL) vs Los Kreuzbergs (CS)
- Court B: Sugar Gliders (GL) vs Albatross (CS)
Saturday 09:40 AM
- Court A: Portland Shmortland (CS) vs ODD (SW)
- Court B: Wendigo (GP) vs The Defaulters (SW)
Saturday 10:00 AM
- Court A: Los Kreuzbergs (CS) vs Albatross (CS)
- Court B: Alright Enough (ES) vs Sugar Gliders (GL)
Saturday 10:20 AM
- Court A: The Defaulters (SW) vs Celeste-ial (GL)
- Court B: Wendigo (GP) vs ODD (SW)
Saturday 10:40 AM
- Court A: Albatross (CS) vs Portland Shmortland (CS)
- Court B: Sugar Gliders (GL) vs Los Kreuzbergs (CS)
Saturday 11:00 AM
- Court A: Wendigo (GP) vs Alright Enough (ES)
- Court B: Celeste-ial (GL) vs ODD (SW)
Saturday 11:20 AM
- Court A: ODD (SW) vs The Defaulters (SW)
- Court B: Celeste-ial (GL) vs Portland Shmortland (CS)
Saturday 11:40 AM
- Court A: Wendigo (GP) vs Sugar Gliders (GL)
- Court B: Albatross (CS) vs Alright Enough (ES)

Group C

Awkward Love Triangle (CS)
GhostShip (HL)
Mosquito (GP)
Hannya (SW)
Da Hunt (GL)
Lazer Dreamz (CS)
TrashFire (SW)
ABQ Defiance (SW)
Trash Ville (SE)

Friday 03:00 PM
- Court A: Mosquito (GP) vs ABQ Defiance (SW)
- Court B: GhostShip (HL) vs Trash Ville (SE)
Friday 03:20 PM
- Court A: Da Hunt (GL) vs Lazer Dreamz (CS)
- Court B: Hannya (SW) vs TrashFire (SW)
Friday 03:40 PM
- Court A: ABQ Defiance (SW) vs Trash Ville (SE)
- Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs Awkward Love Triangle (CS)
Friday 04:00 PM
- Court A: TrashFire (SW) vs Da Hunt (GL)
- Court B: Lazer Dreamz (CS) vs GhostShip (HL)
Friday 04:20 PM
- Court A: Trash Ville (SE) vs Awkward Love Triangle (CS)
- Court B: ABQ Defiance (SW) vs Hannya (SW)
Friday 04:40 PM
- Court A: GhostShip (HL) vs Da Hunt (GL)
- Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs TrashFire (SW)
Friday 05:00 PM
- Court A: Hannya (SW) vs Trash Ville (SE)
- Court B: Awkward Love Triangle (CS) vs Lazer Dreamz (CS)
Friday 05:20 PM
- Court A: Mosquito (GP) vs GhostShip (HL)
- Court B: Da Hunt (GL) vs ABQ Defiance (SW)
Friday 05:40 PM
- Court A: Lazer Dreamz (CS) vs Hannya (SW)
- Court B: TrashFire (SW) vs Awkward Love Triangle (CS)

Saturday 06:00 PM
- Court A: ABQ Defiance (SW) vs GhostShip (HL)
- Court B: Trash Ville (SE) vs Da Hunt (GL)
Saturday 06:20 PM
- Court A: TrashFire (SW) vs GhostShip (HL)
- Court B: Hannya (SW) vs Awkward Love Triangle (CS)
Saturday 06:40 PM
- Court A: ABQ Defiance (SW) vs Lazer Dreamz (CS)
- Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs Trash Ville (SE)
Saturday 07:00 PM
- Court A: GhostShip (HL) vs Awkward Love Triangle (CS)
- Court B: Da Hunt (GL) vs Hannya (SW)
Saturday 07:20 PM
- Court A: Trash Ville (SE) vs TrashFire (SW)
- Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs Lazer Dreamz (CS)
Saturday 07:40 PM
- Court A: Awkward Love Triangle (CS) vs ABQ Defiance (SW)
- Court B: Hannya (SW) vs GhostShip (HL)
Saturday 08:00 PM
- Court A: Mosquito (GP) vs Da Hunt (GL)
- Court B: TrashFire (SW) vs Lazer Dreamz (CS)
Saturday 08:20 PM
- Court A: Lazer Dreamz (CS) vs Trash Ville (SE)
- Court B: TrashFire (SW) vs ABQ Defiance (SW)
Saturday 08:40 PM
- Court A: Mosquito (GP) vs Hannya (SW)
- Court B: Awkward Love Triangle (CS) vs Da Hunt (GL)

Group D

Control (SW)
Ratking (ES)
Oak (SW)
Battlestar Goalactica (CS)
Wait Wait Wait (SC)
The Squirtles (GL)
The Bandidos (SC)
The Mease (CS)
Slayed Out To Dry (SW)

Friday 06:00 PM
- Court A: Oak (SW) vs The Mease (CS)
- Court B: Ratking (ES) vs Slayed Out To Dry (SW)
Friday 06:20 PM
- Court A: Wait Wait Wait (SC) vs The Squirtles (GL)
- Court B: Battlestar Goalactica (CS) vs The Bandidos (SC)
Friday 06:40 PM
- Court A: The Mease (CS) vs Slayed Out To Dry (SW)
- Court B: Oak (SW) vs Control (SW)
Friday 07:00 PM
- Court A: The Bandidos (SC) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
- Court B: The Squirtles (GL) vs Ratking (ES)
Friday 07:20 PM
- Court A: Slayed Out To Dry (SW) vs Control (SW)
- Court B: The Mease (CS) vs Battlestar Goalactica (CS)
Friday 07:40 PM
- Court A: Ratking (ES) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
- Court B: Oak (SW) vs The Bandidos (SC)
Friday 08:00 PM
- Court A: Battlestar Goalactica (CS) vs Slayed Out To Dry (SW)
- Court B: Control (SW) vs The Squirtles (GL)
Friday 08:20 PM
- Court A: Oak (SW) vs Ratking (ES)
- Court B: Wait Wait Wait (SC) vs The Mease (CS)
Friday 08:40 PM
- Court A: The Squirtles (GL) vs Battlestar Goalactica (CS)
- Court B: The Bandidos (SC) vs Control (SW)

Saturday 03:00 PM
- Court A: The Mease (CS) vs Ratking (ES)
- Court B: Slayed Out To Dry (SW) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
Saturday 03:20 PM
- Court A: The Bandidos (SC) vs Ratking (ES)
- Court B: Battlestar Goalactica (CS) vs Control (SW)
Saturday 03:40 PM
- Court A: The Mease (CS) vs The Squirtles (GL)
- Court B: Oak (SW) vs Slayed Out To Dry (SW)
Saturday 04:00 PM
- Court A: Ratking (ES) vs Control (SW)
- Court B: Wait Wait Wait (SC) vs Battlestar Goalactica (CS)
Saturday 04:20 PM
- Court A: Slayed Out To Dry (SW) vs The Bandidos (SC)
- Court B: Oak (SW) vs The Squirtles (GL)
Saturday 04:40 PM
- Court A: Control (SW) vs The Mease (CS)
- Court B: Battlestar Goalactica (CS) vs Ratking (ES)
Saturday 05:00 PM
- Court A: Oak (SW) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
- Court B: The Bandidos (SC) vs The Squirtles (GL)
Saturday 05:20 PM
- Court A: The Squirtles (GL) vs Slayed Out To Dry (SW)
- Court B: The Bandidos (SC) vs The Mease (CS)
Saturday 05:40 PM
- Court A: Oak (SW) vs Battlestar Goalactica (CS)
- Court B: Control (SW) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)

Sunday Schedule

Group AA

Sunday 09:00 AM – Court A: Oak (SE) vs Malort Politics (GL)
Sunday 09:20 AM – Court A: GhostShip (HL) vs Wendigo (GP)
Sunday 09:40 AM – Court A: Prospectors (CS) vs Malort Politics (GL)
Sunday 10:00 AM – Court A: Oak (SE) vs Wendigo (GP)
Sunday 10:20 AM – Court A: Prospectors (CS) vs GhostShip (HL)
Sunday 10:40 AM – Court A: Wendigo (GP) vs Malort Politics (GL)
Sunday 11:00 AM – Court A: Oak (SE) vs Prospectors (CS)
Sunday 11:20 AM – Court A: GhostShip (HL) vs Malort Politics (GL)
Sunday 11:40 AM – Court A: Prospectors (CS) vs Wendigo (GP)
Sunday 12:00 PM – Court A: Oak (SE) vs GhostShip (HL)

Group BB

Sunday 09:00 AM – Court B: Wood Rats (HL) vs Alright Enough (ES)
Sunday 09:20 AM – Court B: Battlestar Goalactica (CS) vs Hannya (SW)
Sunday 09:40 AM – Court B: Albatross (CS) vs Alright Enough (ES)
Sunday 10:00 AM – Court B: Wood Rats (HL) vs Hannya (SW)
Sunday 10:20 AM – Court B: Albatross (CS) vs Battlestar Goalactica (CS)
Sunday 10:40 AM – Court B: Hannya (SW) vs Alright Enough (ES)
Sunday 11:00 AM – Court B: Wood Rats (HL) vs Albatross (CS)
Sunday 11:20 AM – Court B: Battlestar Goalactica (CS) vs Alright Enough (ES)
Sunday 11:40 AM – Court B: Albatross (CS) vs Hannya (SW)
Sunday 12:00 PM – Court B: Wood Rats (HL) vs Battlestar Goalactica (CS)

Group CC

Sunday 12:30 PM – Court A: Los Kreuzburgs (CS) vs Da Hunt (GL)
Sunday 12:50 PM – Court A: Hot Dam (CS) vs Rat Queen (ES)
Sunday 01:10 PM – Court A: Awkward Love Triangle (CS) vs Da Hunt (GL)
Sunday 01:30 PM – Court A: Los Kreuzburgs (CS) vs Rat Queen (ES)
Sunday 01:50 PM – Court A: Awkward Love Triangle (CS) vs Hot Dam (CS)
Sunday 02:10 PM – Court A: Rat Queen (ES) vs Da Hunt (GL)
Sunday 02:30 PM – Court A: Los Kreuzburgs (CS) vs Awkward Love Triangle (CS)
Sunday 02:50 PM – Court A: Hot Dam (CS) vs Da Hunt (GL)
Sunday 03:10 PM – Court A: Awkward Love Triangle (CS) vs Rat Queen (ES)
Sunday 03:30 PM – Court A: Los Kreuzburgs (CS) vs Hot Dam (CS)

Group DD

Sunday 12:30 PM – Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
Sunday 12:50 PM – Court B: ODD (SW) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)
Sunday 01:10 PM – Court B: Control (SW) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
Sunday 01:30 PM – Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)
Sunday 01:50 PM – Court B: Control (SW) vs ODD (SW)
Sunday 02:10 PM – Court B: Les Beehive Boys (SW) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
Sunday 02:30 PM – Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs Control (SW)
Sunday 02:50 PM – Court B: ODD (SW) vs Wait Wait Wait (SC)
Sunday 03:10 PM – Court B: Control (SW) vs Les Beehive Boys (SW)
Sunday 03:30 PM – Court B: Mosquito (GP) vs ODD (SW)

NAHBPC 2016 Qualified Teams

Posted on August 2, 2016September 14, 2020 by John Hayes

NAHBPC Registration

NAHBPC registration is now open. Fees are $40 per player. The fees may be charged any time after the team registers.

Only teams on this list may register. Teams should consist of 2/3 of the qualified team, unless regions decide otherwise. This list will be updated, and teams added/updated/removed.

Player qualified in multiple regions

Team registered

Team declined

Cascadia 7/8

Nick, Sterling, Jess SEA
Jake, JT, Sean SEA
Chris Lex, Greg, Will SKN
Cody, Justin, Dustin SEA
Arlyn, Aaron, Fletcher PDX
Elliot, Danielle, Snake SEA
Shannon, Mark VAN, Tyler OAK
Tony SEA, Howl, Addison BOS
Gavin, Jordan, Mick PDX
Eric, Jackie PDX, Dasha VAN
Branden, Spencer, Liam ANC

South West 6/6

Andrew, Forrest, Eric SF
Donnie, Olson LA, Josh SDG
Tate, Jimmy, David SLC
Paul, Eli, Bobby LA
Able DAV, Tony MAD, Ben NYC
Josh, Theo SF, Tyler OAK

Heartland 2/2

Chris CIN, Charlie, Davier STL
David, Peter, Kaleb CBUS
Chris LEX Koyo, Stiven SEA
Johnathon COMO, Chu MEM, Kalei DEC

1 spot declined

Great Lakes 4/5

David, Peter, Kaleb CBUS
Nick, Bruce MPLS, Andrea MPLS
Rob, Mark, Jon CHI
Chris, Megan CHI, Tina SLC
Matt, Hunter MKE, James ARB
Ebbin, Jerry, Mike MPLS
Joe, Ramon, Kado MPLS Y
Tomohiko, Ryan CHI, Thanh MKE Y

Eastside 3/3

Zach, Nate NYC, Erica SEA
Rob, Nick PHL, Sergio LEX
David, Peter CBUS, Ben
Mark, Brian, Brendan
Bird, Bruce LEX, Chris CIN Y
Matthew LAN, Drew, Tucker PHL
Shelley, Arnold NYC
Alias DC, Max GNV, Chris SF

Great Plains 2/2

Nick MPLS, Greg, Andrea SKN
Will, Daren, Duane SKN

1 spot declined

Mexico 0

All spots declined

South Central 4/4

Miguel, Andrew ATX, Diego HOU
Jenny DAV, Matthias, Nico SF Y
Adam ATX, David, Alvin SAT
Robin, Dave, Juan ABQ

Northside 0/0

James ARB, Shane, Aaron TO
Oskar, Justin TO, Charlie BUF
John, Nick, Niko TO

All NS spots declined

Southeast 2/3

Graham MEM, Jimmy, Bob TLH Y
Chris, Sergio LEX Bruce GR
Andy, Chu, Cara MEM Y
Joel, Stu AVL, Reid ATL

Other Teams 2/3

Mikaela & Local
Defaulters
Locomotives

2016 Season Update: NAHBPC in Folsom, California

Posted on May 8, 2016September 14, 2020 by John Hayes

NAHBPC 2016

NAHPBC will take place this year, but it will not be on three courts. For a number of reasons, none of the three court locations we have used in the past will be able to host this year. As such we are now focussed on making a smaller two court NAHBPC happen. We’d like to confirm Folsom, California as the host for the 2016 NAHBPC.

Folsom has two great mini-hockey courts (similar to those used in Weston, Florida for Worlds), situated in a park thirty minutes drive, or one hour light rail from Sacramento (the nearest major airport). It’s also less than two hours drive from San Francisco.

Jennifer Kutzleb will be the local organizer for the tournament, with help from the South West region. Thank you very much to Jennifer for stepping up, we are very excited to take NAHBPC to California for the first time.

Due to only having two courts, NAHPBC will be capped at thirty six teams, with no wildcard tournament. We are aware this will exclude many of the teams who were able to play last year, but the lack of available hosts has made this unavoidable.

Based on thirty six teams, the regional allocations will also need to change. We will give each region two spots, with one extra spot for each team in the top sixteen last year. The top sixteen consisted of five teams from Cascadia, three from South West, two from Heartland, two from Great Lakes, and one each from Great Plains, Mexico, South Central and Eastside. This would give total allocations of:

Cascadia: 7
South West: 5
Heartland: 4
Great Lakes: 4
Eastside: 3
Great Plains: 3
Mexico: 3
South Central: 3
Northside: 2
South East: 2

If any regional spots aren’t claimed, they will be allocated as a 3rd spot to the regions with the smallest allocations, ordered by highest finishing position last year. That would be South East (17th) and Northside (J47th). If there are still unclaimed regional spots after that, they will go as a 4th spot to the regions with 3 teams, ordered by the team with the next highest finishing position last year. That would be Eastside (17th), South Central (17th), Great Plains (J33rd), South East (J35th), Northside (J49th).

Updates will be provided as soon as we have more information, including the date (likely to be in September), and where to stay (no local housing, but there is a campsite two minutes away, and motels nearby).

All regions should organize qualifiers, and qualified teams should be confirmed to NAH before the end of July.

2017 Season

We are already working on the 2017 season, to make sure we have venue that can support three courts, and host an NAHBPC which is similar to the last few years. In addition we are working on bids for Worlds. Lexington are expecting to bid, and there may be other host clubs too.

2016 Season: Survey Results, NAHBPC & Worlds Hosts

Posted on March 31, 2016September 14, 2020 by John Hayes

Thank you to everyone who filled in our survey. We had over 350 responses, and it’s provided us with some great info. I’m going to discuss what these results mean for NAH tournaments going forward, and what needs to happen to achieve those aims.

Demographics

We received responses from a wide range of players, both skill and experience wise, which makes us comfortable that these responses cover a large cross section of the community.

The majority were from North America, though 14% were from other parts of the world.

We had a wide range of experience in the responses, though there is a trend towards those in the 3-7 bracket.

Almost everyone responding played a tournament last year, with three quarters have played at at least 3.

Two thirds of those responding have played at least 10 tournaments since they started.

Two thirds have played in an top level tournament.

We had a very wide range of responses in terms of tournament placing, with roughly equal numbers for most of the categories, except for DFL and finalists.

More players players rated themselves as a 3 out of 5 in skill than the other categories, with roughly equal distributions on both sides of the curve.

Format

These responses will shape how future NAH tournaments will be structured.

It’s clear from these results that 3vs3 and 5vs5 squad are the most popular formats at the moment. Most players would be happy to play either format. There was some interest in other formats, but not enough to justify the NAH hosting anything at this point. This means the NAH Bench will not return in 2016.

Specifically for the NAHBPC, there was a stronger preference for 3vs3 compared to squad. With PHBP pushing forward the squad format in 2015, and many other tournaments around North America starting to host squad tournaments, at least for this year we will stick with 3vs3 as the primary championship format.

More people prefer to play Swiss Rounds than Round Robin groups, though there significant interest in both formats, so it’s possible Round Robin may be included at some level. With the size of NAHPBC, we will stick with Swiss Rounds, at least for the first day.

Double Elimination is the preference for many players for the final day, though the “Worlds” format of round robin leading to single elimination also had a reasonable amount of interest. There was little interest in pure single elimination, or a best-of series. We may experiment with some element of round robin on the final day this year.

Two thirds of players wanted as many teams as possible, though there were many comments around increasing the wildcard, with a smaller main event.

2016 Tournaments

We wanted to find out if we should hold an NAHBPC this year, and what other tournaments players wanted us to host.

Three quarters of players do want an NAHPBC championship this year, and almost everyone wants us to continue organizing tournaments. As such we will try and make an NAHPBC 2016 happen, if a club is able to host it.

There was also considerable interest in experimental formats. Given the lack of interest in formats other than 3vs3 or squad, we would consider hosting a continental squad tournament, if the right host club can help us make it happen.

Qualifiers

We asked if qualifiers should be open or closed, and if players should be able to play in more than one.

In both cases, player voted for no change to the 2015 format. As such, we ask that regions prepare to host qualifiers, or tournaments that could be qualifiers, so that if an NAHBPC takes place, we have the process to select teams to play in it. If the NAHBPC does not take place, the same players would be eligible to play those tournaments in either case.

Other Comments

There are too many to list them all, and many repeated options in the survey (such as requests for certain formats), but some comments that came from multiple players, and weren’t covered in the questions, include:

Make all NAH tournaments co-ed
Unlimited Goals
Points/Ranking system, instead of qualifiers

We’ll consider these subjects too, though there may be no changes for 2016.

Hosting NAHBPC 2016, NAH Squad 2016 and Worlds 2017

For NAHBPC to take place in 2016, we require a host. Many players have requested we return to Lexington, but they are already hosting Bench Minor this year, and would consider bidding for Worlds 2017. Too many tournaments will burn out any host, so this means we require a new location for 2016.

Ideally this means a club with access with three permanent courts, though building some temporary courts is an option too. We have a budget of $6000 from player registrations, hopefully extra sponsorship money is available, though nothing is guaranteed. Any money beyond that would need to be raised by the host, through their own sponsorship connections.

If we cannot find such a court, we would also consider a two court bid, though this would require a smaller NAHBPC, with less teams. If your club would like to bid to NAHBPC 2016, please email tournaments@nahardcourt.com, by the end of April.

Given the interest in squad format, we would like to host a squad tournament. This would likely be small, for this year, a 12-16 team tournament on two courts, over 2-3 days. If your club would like to bid for such a tournament, please email tournaments@nahardcourt.com, by the end of April.

Summer/Fall 2017 is likely to be when the next Worlds takes place. After France and New Zealand, the NAH would like to see this take place in North American again. As such, please email any bids or questions to tournaments@nahardcourt.com by the end of June.

2016 Tournament Survey

Posted on March 8, 2016September 14, 2020 by John Hayes

With the Worlds in Timaru fresh in the memory, and preparations starting for the 2016 season, we would like players in North America, and throughout the world, to provide us with feedback on what they think NAH tournaments should look like.

We have gathered plenty of feedback since NAHBPC 2015 regarding what individuals want, but we would like to get a bigger picture of what the community at large thinks. To do this, we have written this survey, and would request that you respond to it.

Any results of this survey will used only as an indication of the views of players who play in NAH tournaments, but may not be binding, when making decisions. We will publish the results after the community has had plenty of time to respond.

Please share this with as many people as possible, the more data we get, the more accurate it will be.

There is no cutoff date for answers, but we are likely to make decisions on the format for this year (or the lack of it), within the next few weeks.

John – Tournament Director

Click here to complete the survey