by Bryan Arnold
This past February 4th and 5th, I played in Australian GP. I was extremely fortunate to be there. I competed in the individual event, and also the team tournament with the venerable Northern Phoenix TFC. I was very honored to keep up the American tradition of players participating in overseas events. Many such players past and present made us proud; they represented our country so well around the world.
‘A bit of my experience’ concerned–like it did for my Rome experience this past September– my travel and personal experiences along with tournament content.
It turned out that things tended to be more difficult in my travels than I ever anticipated. When I tried to get my tickets at Reagan DCA, problems ensued. I didn’t realize that I needed a visa to enter New Zealand even though I was only a transit visitor. Luckily my visa application was ultimately approved. I was able to progress through the legs of my travel flights. But, I was on pins and needles for much of journey wondering if my visa application would be approved in time.
After about 26 hours in the air (!!!), I landed in Melbourne. A few things about Melbourne from the start: I got acquainted with a polar cold front that same day, and on two other days during my stay. It was cold and rainy for half of my time there. I thought it would be hot during the summer time. I didn’t anticipate cold weather, and so I didn’t bring warm clothes. I problem solved by purchasing cold weather items from a thrift store in town. Going on the cheap:)
Another observation of the environment that hit me pretty quick was that supports/resources were reliable. The information that I gathered in my research before traveling to Australia was shown to be very accurate and true. Things were where the resources said they’d be such as kiosks to buy public transportation passes, Uber/taxi stands, etc. I didn’t have to deal with confusion from gaps or alterations in the information given to me from resources within Australia.
My whole experience from landing in Melbourne to making it to my airbnb was so smooth and easy. Just imagine that you’ve deboarded in Melbourne, and 15 minutes later you’re in an Uber on your way to your Airbnb. It happened, Amazing!!
Another observation that may be of help to future travelers to Australia was that public transportation there was fantastic, not intimidating at all. It was very well organized, timely, and easy to use. And it was inexpensive too:) You can get just about anywhere within walking distance. The signage was very clear, and the staff were helpful it seemed to me throughout the system. I used public transportation almost every day of my time there in Melbourne.
A few additional notes from my participation in the Australian GP: the experience of that Friday of the tournament in Melbourne was different from my experiences in both the 2017 GP in Maryland, and also the 2018 GP in Glasgow.
In Melbourne, most of the players met for an event Friday night at a cafe attached to the venue. There was plenty of time to socialize and make friends there. The cafe served finger foods for dinner throughout.
The draw was the main event for the evening. It was really fun to hear the ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ as the players were drawn to their groups. There were some funny comments as well. I could see the comradery inspired in the group from this in-person draw. It was a new experience for me to doing this on the Friday of a big event; and it was a very enjoyable draw!!
This multifunctional event really helped to lift the overall GP experience. It helped to make the 3 days of the event very special. Burgeoning friendships smoothed the sometimes rigid and rough edges of competition. Eating together, talking, and having a laugh were made to feel hand-and-glove with Subbuteo. What a strong combination!!
Regarding the management of the matches themselves, I noticed that refereeing was markedly less stressful in the Australian environment: another positive quality, of course:) Shenigans by competitors can be on view at any tournament, but there was in general enough cooperation amongst players at the GP to make the competition functional. The only hiccup was the loud dance music at the venue that sometimes drowned-out calls made by the referee. But, less overall stress was such a big plus!!! Who needs any strife in this sport?!
Another plus: the tournament seemed to move along in a very swift manner. The Friday night event helped to make it clear to the players that the schedule needed to be kept. Amazingly, the group phase, knockout rounds, the companion events (WASPA on the 4th, Travelers’ Cup on the 5th), and the finals were completed as schedule by the end of each day; it was to the minute it seemed. All the while, their amazing streaming of matches went on without any major difficulty.
As I reflected on my observations of travel; personal experience; and tournament content, my significant gratitude to my hosts became very clear. I had such a good time in large measure to them. Christos Garagounis, Adrian Connelly, Steve Dettre, and Benji Batten were very responsive to my questions in the build up, and offered invaluable advice on travel methods, places to visit, etc.
Big thank yous and props to them, and everyone with the Australian Table Football Association.
If you get the opportunity, go for a visit: you’ll enjoy it!!
