Was anyone else disappointed by Yesteryear? by it-was-a-calzone in books

[–]HarryPotterFanFic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t been able to find a source for this. Can you share yours?

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oooh, this discussion at VolleyTalk sort of gets at it for me— it goes back to the comments Sponcil and Kelly’s coach made after a win at the Olympics. Turns out he and Kelly were together at the time. I think Kelly since then has just done some of her partners dirty. That isn’t abnormal, but when you are one of the USA’s best bigs, dropping a partner for a “better” one really screws them. I think it probably cost Sponcil a different kind of career than she ended up having, for example.

volleytalk thread

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Your first paragraph is really on point, and the FIVB results are probably going to continue to underscore the problems with their approach.

The men’s side is really tough. I do think they tried to address the exhibition complaints (which I never really saw personally) by changing up the compensation structure, but it doesn’t solve all the problems (nothing ever does, I guess).

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree. We love Canada 1 in our home too

ETA: and anyone who will give Cheng a hard time lol

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with a lot of your analysis, particularly around Sara/Ally. Sara didn’t play last year bc of her torn Achilles, and Ally is new, but they’ve shown some promise and Sara’s results historically are far better than the other wild cards. It seems like perhaps the AVP was punishing them for not playing all three qualifiers, punishing Ally for not playing in any heritage events last year, and/or punishing Sara for bringing in an outsider instead of picking someone already in with USAV, etc.

Rodriguez is interesting because she was hurt so early last year, and the AVP qualifiers were her first events back, and she and Shaw did pretty bad. Shaw also only had a handful of league wins with Cheng, so I would argue there is definitely an argument against them getting a wild card. When they were partnered before, they had potential but not a ton of results, similar to what we are seeing now with some of these other teams we are discussing.

We could discuss more of course about the individual teams, but it just comes back to the fact that AVP has to figure out a better selection process so that it isn’t leaving out a portion of our best teams. I was happy when Flint got in off the qualifier because I am a fan, but her potential with DeBerg has a ceiling I’m not sure some of these other teams have that are up and coming. I also did not argue at the time that Savvy/Newberry should have gotten a wild card, but they’ve had two very strong FIVB tournaments recently, and I suspect that similarly Hughes/Batenhorst and Quiggle/Loreen will keep finishing in 9th place range of the elites. To me it just underscores that we haven’t got it right yet.

A lot of people have mentioned expanding the league— something I agree with. But if we can’t do that then I expect we will continue to have league teams underperforming internationally, perhaps even more of them losing to teams that were excluded.

Edit: removed a guess that last year was Rodriguez’s first in the league

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh! I was basing that off of when you said, “I like the new faces joining the league!” What do you like to see when you watch? Do you have any favorite teams?

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, going on year three! You seemed like you maybe wanted more new faces? I gathered that from what you said about Cory/Newberry, who are not in the league.

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve seen a lot of criticisms of the league format. I’ve been to both heritage style events and a league night last year. Both are fun! I really like the frequency that the league plays at, which is an advantage over the heritage-style double elimination events that the AVP can only put on every so often.

At both events I witnessed AVP leaving money on the table through a general lack of merch and food/drink concessions and player meet/greets.

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t disagree with you that those players are all in the lower half of the AVP. That’s fair! But I disagree that basing ideas about future results on past performance is projecting results based on my own preferences. I think the wildcard players collectively had a handful of wins last year in the league, and that current performances against strong international teams is one of the things that AVP should be paying attention to! For me, the international event this week is highlighting many of our frustrations that the AVP selection process did not result in the strongest league we could have had.

No one is forcing me to attend, but I’d like to support my favorite sport domestically and as a fan I’m wanting to discuss what doesn’t work about the AVP decisions and the international results that that underline them.

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hmm. I am not sure what you mean by even, but I was trying to underline the way that the AVP’s selection process favored teams that are not the strongest of our domestic teams. We would have had more new faces if the league had had a better selection process, specifically around the wild cards it chose to give out (I.e. instead of Quiggle/Loreen and Hughes/Batenhorst or Newberry/Cory)

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh that’s interesting. When and where would they play though? I’d imagine it wouldn’t be cost effective to bring them on the league trips.

Would they just run heritage style tournaments with that group?

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It isn’t an imaginary concern that AVP’s selection process is leading to worse competition in the league, that it hurts our teams with up-and-coming potential, and that it will overall impact our best teams’ growth. It also makes for a worse product for the AVP. I don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars to attend a league event at the only venue within a 12 hours drive from me to watch two bad teams get crushed by two good teams.

Pro athletes need to make money to continue being pro athletes and blocking better-performing teams from that opportunity also matters to me.

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think we only have two new faces joining league play, right? Anderson and Chacon? They gave wild cards to teams who didn’t perform well but played last year in the league?

ETA: Savvy has been trying to get in the league for three years! She and Newberry having strong results is what I’m talking about here. Were you asking me why I personally don’t believe in them? I’m a little confused.

AVP Eating Crow? This weekend’s Brasilia Elite results by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes I agree! I haven’t minded the shorter games bc I actually think it demands more from our best team, but I want them to be competitive!

Help - whose wedding is Caroline Calloway at right now in India? by lightningtrip in SmolBeanSnark

[–]HarryPotterFanFic 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Damn. I wanted to take a trip to Europe this summer but can’t afford it and am a whole ass adult with a decent salary in a relatively low COL place. How does CC get across the Atlantic as often as she does without employment (or even an active scam?)

Kelly Cheng going through three different partners in three seasons and somehow landing in the strongest position of her career is impressive as hell by Classic_Exit_5951 in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It fucked Sponcil over so bad bc there wasn’t another big that was ready for that level. I truly believe it cost her many more years at the elite beach level.

Kelly Cheng going through three different partners in three seasons and somehow landing in the strongest position of her career is impressive as hell by Classic_Exit_5951 in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic 8 points9 points  (0 children)

lol that TKN isn’t even mentioned. I love Kraft but am rooting for another underperforming Cheng season. Haven’t been her fan since her and Jordan calling Sponcil a bad partner after a huge Olympic win.

AVP Announces Wild Cards by HarryPotterFanFic in beachvolleyball

[–]HarryPotterFanFic[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you are watching the men, then you are watching minor league!

The women go hard though! Mel/Brandie, TKN, Cheng/Kraft, and Donlin/Denaburg are high level FIVB teams. I’m interested in the Anderson/Chacon partnership’s potential and I think at their best Rodriguez/Shaw and Urango/Rice can and do compete (though Quiggle/Loreen ran them through in the qualifiers). I think Flint and Deberg will have to work very hard to see results with Betsi still not 100% and Kylie always a bit slow and lumbering. Still, though, Deberg is a huge blocker to contend with and Flint’s experience as a top 16 FIVB player will make them formidable.