Strange ( tournament ) Tales, stories of the weird, bizarre and absurd

[Actionjick]

Since a lot of events are being put on hold or modified one way to fill the void is reminiscing about past events. Whatever unusual events have stuck with you I'd like to hear about.

In the Maczek Fire Brigade thread MichaelR said he had played Dave Derenski. I'm not sure if he meant Deresenski but regardless it reminded me of one of the more absurd occurrences at Oktoberfest.

Dave Deresenski had attended a couple of the early Oktoberfests. He was the typical laid back California dude with a great passion for ASL. I can't recall the year but Dave had pre-registered. The tournament had started, Dave hadn't shown up when Fish got a call at the hotel, it was Dave. He was in Cincinnati. He knew the tournament was in Ohio and it was being held in a city that started with a " C ". Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland were his choices. He picked Cincinnati. Could Fish come and pick him up? Fish was a great guy, but drive from Cleveland to Cincinnati while Oktoberfest was in full swing? Sorry Dave. Dave eventually made it and hopefully had a great time. A lot of what happened at Oktoberfest is hazy, blurred by lack of sleep, too much caffeine and too many nights spent with Captain Bacchus but I'll never forget that.

Speaking of lack of sleep I was exhausted during one Oktoberfest and finally had to get some rest. Not sure how long I had been asleep when the fire alarm went off. I heard the alarm but decided f@@@ it, I'll burn and went back to sleep. Pretty stupid but there you are. It ended up being a fire in a waste paper basket. I think that was the same year Fish was kicking Curt Schilling`s butt and Curt unleashed a torrent of " f@@@ you Fish " about 1 in the morning. Curt had my complete sympathy and understanding.

 

[Actionjick]

The 1987 Origins has four distinct memories for me, two of which had important life lessons.

The first memory was getting to see Mac. After he moved to work at AH I had only seen him at Oktoberfest and Turkeyfest ( an informal gathering that was held after the first couple Oktoberfests the weekend after Thanksgiving ). It was always great to see him and he and Fish went way back.

The second memory was the absolutely thinnest pizza I have ever seen. Someone at the hotel ordered it, can't recall who. When it arrived and he opened the box I swear there were sections where you could see the foil underneath it shining through. Being a midwesterner I didn't realize how thin a thin crust pizza could be.

The third and fourth memories have the life lessons attached to them.


The third memory was my first and only visit to Aberdeen Proving Grounds and the tanks. We had arrived in Baltimore allowing time for the visit. I had my 35mm Canon camera and a single roll of film, 36 exposures, partially used. I intended to take a ton of pictures and was planning on buying more film on the way. As usual Fish was driving and got lost, as usual. We finally got on the right path but hadn't stopped to get film. No problem, I'll get it at the gift shop. Probably pay a few bucks more but I was anxious to get there and check out the armor. We arrived and of course the gift shop was closed. I was left with about twenty pictures I could take. Lesson: get what you need before you get on the road. In the same vein: hit the head before you hit the road. Reminds me of the story of the Soviet tank commander who was anxious to get fighting, ignored orders to fuel up before he left as he figured he could fuel up his tanks when he got to the front. Gets there, no fuel, tanks immobile. The Commisar was not happy. A lesson from the Commisar ensued, the last the tanker ever got. The story may be apocryphal but a good tale.

The lesson from above may seem dated in this digital age but I'll offer this updated piece of advice, make sure your battery is fully charged.

The fourth and final memory is the most bitter and it's lesson the most deserved. We got to Origins, checked in and got our nametags and event schedule. Yanks had been released and in it was the long awaited and much sought after Sgt. Burk SMC. I'll admit here to a certain amount of vanity and pride and wanting everyone to be aware of my achievement I stuck Sgt.Burk inside my nametag for all to admire. We had been at the hall for quite a while when I happened to glance down at my nametag and was shocked to see that Sgt. Burk was missing. I wandered around that complex inside and out searching for that silly piece of cardboard for a couple hours to no avail, Sgt. Burk was gone. The fruit of all my labors lost somewhere in Baltimore, most likely to be swept unnoticed into the trash. Sigh. Pride and vanity can be harsh teachers.

Eventually got another Sgt. Burk from Fish but not quite the same. I hoped that another ASLer had found him and that that Sgt. Burk got to see plenty of action, he deserved it.

 

[kempenfelter]

I have had some ASL tournament adventures. I showed up at one to discover I was the only person signed up for it. Another time it was me and one other guy. And my very first ASL event had five attendees, including myself. These were all billed as three-day fun fests. Truth be told, my first tournament was a blast, a great experience and why I'm still playing to this day.

 

[Actionjick]

I have had some ASL tournament adventures. I showed up at one to discover I was the only person signed up for it. Another time it was me and one other guy. And my very first ASL event had five attendees, including myself. These were all billed as three-day fun fests. Truth be told, my first tournament was a blast, a great experience and why I'm still playing to this day.

Glad to see you didn't let the small attendance deter you from continuing to play. It can take a while to get an event up, running and successful. Hopefully the organizers didn't let the initial low attendance at their event dissuade them from trying again.

 

[kempenfelter]

... Hopefully the organizers didn't let the initial low attendance at their event dissuade them from trying again.

That first tournament where I was the only out-of-towner went on to become the Canadian ASL Open. I like to think I had something to do with it getting off the ground.

 

[Actionjick]

That first tournament where I was the only out-of-towner went on to become the Canadian ASL Open. I like to think I had something to do with it getting off the ground.

It only takes one pebble to start an avalanche. Well done you.

 

[Actionjick]

It was the second or third Oktoberfest, still at the Best Western in Austintown. Two of the attendees were Duffy and ?????. They were from Pennsylvania IIRC. Horrible with remembering names, my apologies. Duffy's friend worked for Cadbury. He brought a trunk full of chocolates and gave me a large grocery bag full of them.

The tournament ended Sunday night, went home dead tired and stuck the bag in the fridge. Had to work on Monday and didn't think about the chocolates until Tuesday night. Went to grab some and found two or three pieces in the bag! The 14 year old stepson had eaten almost a grocery bag full chocolates! Really did not help his acne.


Duffy's friend might have been Lindsey.

 

[Actionjick]

I have had some ASL tournament adventures. I showed up at one to discover I was the only person signed up for it. Another time it was me and one other guy. And my very first ASL event had five attendees, including myself. These were all billed as three-day fun fests. Truth be told, my first tournament was a blast, a great experience and why I'm still playing to this day.

It only takes two to tango!