Forum rating?

[Der Echte]

Ratings points got processed from my tourney two weeks ago and I have moved up another 60+ points. That makes 185 increase over my last three tourneys. That would easily be a full standard or so improvement, but there are no other American members here to compare to, so I keep my position and move up or down based on how I perform against other forum members if I ever get a chance to drop down to OZ/NZ after I get to Korea.

[big ears]

Ratings points got processed from my tourney two weeks ago and I have moved up another 60+ points. That makes 185 increase over my last three tourneys. That would easily be a full standard or so improvement, but there are no other American members here to compare to, so I keep my position and move up or down based on how I perform against other forum members if I ever get a chance to drop down to OZ/NZ after I get to Korea.

Do you know what Der? the one thing that attraccts me to you is your undoubted realism of where you are in the TT world. Out of the forums I am involved in, you are the only guy who does not try to build his standard up. I don't know but maybe its because in your life there are more important things going on? I've actually interacted with you on quite a few forums, it would be most easy for you to take some kind of moral ground, but you never do? for that I  honestly salute you, I dont really know who you are, but I really like you immensely. So what do I like? the fact that you are so modest in TT? or the fact that you stand for everything I believe in politically?

[RebornTTEvnglist]

But Der doesn't want you to like him....he wants to be the BAD Boy!! :P

No matter how hard he tries though, he can't be the bad boy. Although I doubt his soldiers see it this way, hehe!

[Der Echte]

Yeah Reb, they REALLY don't like it when I utter the word SANDBAGS just before fitness training starts. They hate it even more when I mention visiting a few hills just before a run.

Big Ears, I doubt I would cut it as a politition as I don't have any political affiliation whatsoever. I am against both major parties. With my affinity for economics and finance, I should be squarely in the Republican camp, but no way. A few months ago, I thought I deserved to rated near USATT 1700. I did a few tourneys after coming back from Iraq and the ratings points indicate I had a slightly inflated idea of where I stand. After doing a tourney in Oklahoma City, I realize I could cut it there at the 1700 level, but if I went to Dallas, I wouldn't cut it against thier 1700 crowd. I'll just accept that I am now not grossly under-rated and need to get somewhere to train. Big Ears, thanks for speaking favorably about me.

A better environment and training will take care of my level. With my impending move to Korea (I speak Korean like we do English) I should be able to make enought TT friends and train as much as I want. I also look forward to meeting my other TT forum friends. Speedplay and I have thrown modesty out the window in building up our future match, which is OK, as we must make it epic.

[big ears]

I hope you have yr camera with you that day, it will be like watching the 'rumble in the jungle' for forum addicts

[speedplay]

Yes, modisty between me and Der_Echte is all lost 8)

Now, seeing your raise in level, if you have played 3 tourneys and gained points in all of them, is it the correct to assume that you still haven't reached your real rating level? Cause as long as you keep earning those points, it shows that you are performing better then you rating, right?

Man, I wish we had a system like that here, but we don't. Besides, you your self point out the flawas in the system when 1700 in one state don't measure up to 1700 in another state. Still, it would give a rough indication on level.

Congrats on the progress, you know, I will enjopy my win so much more now that you are higher rated then ever before >:D

[Der Echte]

The day Speedplay loses modesty is the day someone needs to rush him to the emergency center as a sure sign of a stroke requiring immediate attention. The day we both stop talking this one up is also a sure sign of a major world reaching event in the works. Yes, the USATT system is flawed, but given how only a few players travel far away from their normal tourney venues, it is entirely possible that strong concentrations of good players make it difficult to raiise the ratings level. Indeed, a USATT 1600 player from Dallas or Baltimore/Washington DC (should throw California on here, but never played there, just heard about them) would likely defeat a USATT 1700 player from Oklahoma or elsewhere most of the time.

So, ratings points wise, I feel I am pretty close (maybe only still one or two dozen points under-rated) to where my rating should be. That is still way lower than where I thought I would be, but three tourneys against the levels of players I played should have adjusted the points pretty close. i can conclude that my origonal opinion of myself was higher than reality, but not by so much, at least not as much as guys like Sid and Co. keep saying on MyTT for example. It is entirely possible that I listen further to forum members' advice and pull my head out from my arse, play better sound TT, and keep upping the rating. I have the shots, but not so much consistancy, total focus, anticipation, short game, stroke recovery, tactics, mental flexible strength (although that improved 5000%), and lack advanced serves. Any improvement I have made over the last year and a half has come from listening to forum members advice and applying it the best I could, given my Scottish like hard head. If I can continue to listen and get somewhere to actually train, (like I am about to go to Korea), then I can really do something about it and reach a USATT 2000ish level and at least be considered to be no "pushover" when it comes to the middle of this and other TT forums' ranking lists.

I've actually interacted with you on quite a few forums, it would be most easy for you to take some kind of moral ground, but you never do?

I don't know which specific incident(s) big ears is referring to. I have always been one to support the joker or instigator in stirring stuff up for general purpose and general good. Big Ears, Wiggy, Dark Horse, WW, and his Screen name at MyTT have not attacked me, grossly ridiculed me, or otherwise offended me in any way except for HOW DH went about pissing off a lot of my forum friends. I stayed out of that as they all can handle their business on their own and I never saw a need to jump in as a matter of honor. I even supported Dennis/Wiggy's position in the ousting of Speedplay from DTTW, even though Speedplay and I are close friends. I pissed off Dennis with some of my explaination of my position on the matter, but generally agreed with his authority and action.

I think I have taken Moral Ground in a lot of my posts where I had strong feelings. I just put one of those on About.com TT forum, although I word it not to create too much a fuss.