When/to Whom Should Retries Be Granted? (SPOILERS)
Jul 3, 2016 10:36:45 GMT -5
dantebm, DonalM, and 1 more like this
Post by dudesky1000 on Jul 3, 2016 10:36:45 GMT -5
I'm sure this is on everyone's mind after SASUKE 32.
To sum up, wet conditions disrupted and interfered with several high-profile competitors' runs in the First and Third Stages, not limited to but including everyone from at least 80-93 in the former and the final three runs of the latter. In the First Stage, and (apparently) during Drew's run in the Third Stage, the obstacles were soaked with dew from the humid conditions, making obstacles such as the TIE Fighter, the Double Pendulum, the Soritatsu Kabe and the Sidewinder R more slippery and precarious. For Anastase and Kawaguchi's Third Stage runs, it was raining quite a lot, making the Drum Hopper and Flying Bar more slippery--which is the furthest either of them got.
Though it can't be completely attributed to the conditions, several high-profile competitors failed these obstacles during the times they were wet: Darvish, Takahashi, Anastase and Kawaguchi to name a few. Others such as Yuuji and Ryo also failed uncharacteristically, perhaps because of the less than ideal conditions. The two who managed to clear during the worst of it, Nagasaki and especially Drew, were barely able to clear. And this is not even taking all of the competitors whose runs were completely cut into consideration.
We've seen retries granted in the past on occasion, but never due to the rain (unless it resulted in a mechanical failure due to moisture). Until this tournament, the standard had been: if Kane didn't get a retry, neither will you. However, after Drew's close call, with the most promising veterans and the All-Stars (including Nagano's final run ever) next in line, the decision was made to halt production for the night and resume the next day.
As it turned out, only a couple of competitors actually benefited from this--Anastase and Kawaguchi. Everyone else failed the same obstacles that tripped up the others the previous night, or timed out. However, not a single competitor who failed the previous night was given a second attempt (at least, not to my knowledge). Why weren't they? And if they were to, where should they have drawn the line?
To me there are two important sides to this: one is that dealing with the conditions has always been a part of SASUKE. When you toe the start line, you are accepting the challenge ahead of you, and if you fail, you fail. That's the way it has always been, and though rain / humidity like this hasn't been a serious factor in a long time, that doesn't mean competitors should start to be given special treatment compared to those who had to overcome it in the past. On the other hand, there is a point where the obstacles themselves can become a hazard to one's safety--and for a competitor like Drew who has been seriously hurt by the course before, I think a line does have to be drawn at a certain point. But I think that line should be based on safety, NOT based on the added challenge to the course. It's the course designer's prerogative to create obstacles that can withstand treacherous weather conditions.
Discuss.
To sum up, wet conditions disrupted and interfered with several high-profile competitors' runs in the First and Third Stages, not limited to but including everyone from at least 80-93 in the former and the final three runs of the latter. In the First Stage, and (apparently) during Drew's run in the Third Stage, the obstacles were soaked with dew from the humid conditions, making obstacles such as the TIE Fighter, the Double Pendulum, the Soritatsu Kabe and the Sidewinder R more slippery and precarious. For Anastase and Kawaguchi's Third Stage runs, it was raining quite a lot, making the Drum Hopper and Flying Bar more slippery--which is the furthest either of them got.
Though it can't be completely attributed to the conditions, several high-profile competitors failed these obstacles during the times they were wet: Darvish, Takahashi, Anastase and Kawaguchi to name a few. Others such as Yuuji and Ryo also failed uncharacteristically, perhaps because of the less than ideal conditions. The two who managed to clear during the worst of it, Nagasaki and especially Drew, were barely able to clear. And this is not even taking all of the competitors whose runs were completely cut into consideration.
We've seen retries granted in the past on occasion, but never due to the rain (unless it resulted in a mechanical failure due to moisture). Until this tournament, the standard had been: if Kane didn't get a retry, neither will you. However, after Drew's close call, with the most promising veterans and the All-Stars (including Nagano's final run ever) next in line, the decision was made to halt production for the night and resume the next day.
As it turned out, only a couple of competitors actually benefited from this--Anastase and Kawaguchi. Everyone else failed the same obstacles that tripped up the others the previous night, or timed out. However, not a single competitor who failed the previous night was given a second attempt (at least, not to my knowledge). Why weren't they? And if they were to, where should they have drawn the line?
To me there are two important sides to this: one is that dealing with the conditions has always been a part of SASUKE. When you toe the start line, you are accepting the challenge ahead of you, and if you fail, you fail. That's the way it has always been, and though rain / humidity like this hasn't been a serious factor in a long time, that doesn't mean competitors should start to be given special treatment compared to those who had to overcome it in the past. On the other hand, there is a point where the obstacles themselves can become a hazard to one's safety--and for a competitor like Drew who has been seriously hurt by the course before, I think a line does have to be drawn at a certain point. But I think that line should be based on safety, NOT based on the added challenge to the course. It's the course designer's prerogative to create obstacles that can withstand treacherous weather conditions.
Discuss.