06 May 2018:
Great Schedule Travis! Now I just need to figure out which day I'm judging...
I'd like to point out that I was only partially quoted and was not showing my "like" or "support" for the chosen schedule. I was giving my friend John a hard time for something he'd just said to me.
The Nationals schedule is up to the host, although I found that it's a good idea to make sure you coordinate with the MC (Chris) and your support team. Making sure events are run in a way that they end around the same time is challenging and takes a lot of thought when putting together the schedule. Unless you've hosted Nationals before I imagine you probably don't understand the impact that has.
I love having Nationals in TX! I love what Travis, Roy and the rest of the hosting team are doing for the game! They have my full support and blessing for all their efforts! But I can't say that I like any schedule that 1) runs T1-2P and T2-2P on the same day or 2) runs top cut in any form other than best 2 out of 3. But unless I'm the one hosting my opinion on those things really doesn't matter and I'm not going to pretend like it should. The point being, whether or not I like the schedule is far outweighed by my gratefulness and understanding of all that is demanded of the hosting team both leading up to the tournament and during the tournament.
Tyler, thank you for the tact and gentleness with which you shared your concerns. From the perspective of a veteran player I see how it does appear that the schedule might be made in such a way that TLG moves the most product and veteran player's desires are being overlooked. Having worked closely with Travis for a number of years I believe I have a very good feel for his heart. I've seen him be generous and sacrifice personal gain so many times that I'm certain person gain is not his driving force. It's more likely that his love for Redemption and desire to see it grow and become better has created great excitement for the prospect of 2P-Booster, leading him to believe that should be the primary focal point of the tournament. Also, IIRC booster is usually one of the larger events and will require more time when run as 2 player.
All of the concerns brought up about this year's schedule should be strongly considered for future Nationals. But it would be a mistake to change the schedule for this year. Since it's been out for several weeks it's possible that people who can only attend 1-2 days have already made vacation requests, travel plans and/or purchased tickets based on the announced schedule. We have no way of knowing for certain. For many of us that plan to attend all 3 days that's something we can overlook.
Sadly I will not be able to attend Nationals this year. I made plans to be there but God has directed my steps otherwise. I will try to have peace with his plans and miss my first Nationals since I started playing.**EDIT** Through God's generosity I will be able to attend Nationals this year! All praise and glory be to Him!
