I love the ASA. I am truly and deeply in love with it. Maybe that's why I feel so frustrated right now with the ASA as a whole. The more you care about someone or something, the more it hurts when you it annoys, disturbs, aggravates, or discourages you. Perhaps its just little things that have built up since joining the ASA in 1994 that have me so disjointed right now. Perhaps it's the constant bickering, arguing, whining, and general melodramatic malarkey that comes and goes within the ASA. I don't know. I just know that right now is the most disheartened I've personally been with the ASA in my near 13 year membership.
However, this entry isn't going to focus on the negatives. I want to reinvigorate my passion for this game and the ASA. So instead of dwelling on a few sour occurrences, I'd rather look back at some of my fond memories of my time in the ASA and what I have to look forward to the rest of this season.
- I remember traveling all through high school from Seattle to Boise to play in subbuteo tournaments. There were some great games, but creating friendships with people like Jonathan Smith, Chris Siegenthaler, Scot Boyd, Mark Elias, and David and Garin Fuhriman was the best part. This group of guys would become a very important support and social group through my college career when I moved to Idaho and to a large extent still today.
- While this isn't such a good memory for Jon, he has a knack for making subbuteo purchases without his wife's consent. This isn't limited to a simple bottle of Swiss T (which he ordered without his wife's permission and she was none to happy to find out she had to think of a new father's day gift), but also plane tickets. The best, or should I say worst?, time was when I came buy to play some games at Jon's house and I asked him if he had the check for the plane ticket to St. Louis for the National in 2004? His wife overheard and she "politely" asked Jon, "What check for what plane ticket?" I asked Jon if I should leave and he begged me to stay, fearing for his safety.
- Getting my butt handed to me at the 2003 FISTF GP/IO in Washington, DC wasn't too much fun. But that weekend supplied me with enough funny stories to create a stand-up comedy act. It also introduced me to the fishbowls of beer at Generous George's, a theme that would reoccur at the National in 2005.
- I still don't know how I got a $30 bar tab in St. Louis in 2004. It was dollar draft night for crying out loud.
- While it only lasted for one school year, CHSL was amazing to run. It was great introducing the game to the next generation.
- Having clubs sprout up around the Northwest has been awesome. It's always great to go down to Utah to see those guys and catch a Real Salt Lake game to go along with the subbuteo. And Todd in Eastern Washington definitely knows how to host a tournament, even if it's only been one so far. Everybody out here really makes playing the game more enjoyable.
- I'm really looking forward to rest of this season. My plane ticket to St. Louis has already been booked. That weekend will rock, as usual. Plus there's a few more tournaments in the Northwest this season, which is always good. Then there's the upcoming Presidential election, which is an important time in the ASA.
Sorry to get a bit sentimental on here. Sometimes it just helps to write (and in turn to read) positive things (thanks Oprah), something that can go missing at times on discussion boards and forums.
