It is my pleasure to report that the 2001 Down In Flames tournament has once again demonstrated the popularity of this wonderful game system. Played on Saturday against extremely heavy competition (Battle Cry and We the People in particular) it still managed to draw 24 competitors -- more than enough to keep it alive for next year.

This year's format was slightly different than that of previous years, as I've endeavored to tweak it per suggestions by the participants. The continuous tournament included a preliminary three-hour round, followed by a two-hour semi-final, and an hour long final round. Unlike previous years, a list of aircraft that could be used in a round was pre-selected, which sped play and narrowed the wild swings in accumulated victory points.

Speed of play was a contributing factor in the event, as those who managed to complete three or four rounds received significant bonuses to their scores. Flying the fastest while shooting down the mostest was a ticket to future rounds. To this end, Steve Caler receives this year's "Ace of Aces" award, having accumulated 99 victory points in the first round!

There are those who argue that there is too much luck in the game. To them, I present this year's repeat winner, Mike Lam. Faced with strong opponents and weaker ones, fast opponents and slower ones, Mike hung in there and took a lot of bursts. But like a trusty P-47 he hung in there until the end. On the other hand, what else could you expect from a guy who likes the game "six times more than anybody else"? Congratulations Mike!

Thanks again to all who participated, and see you in the skies next year!

Standings

Below are the total victory points accumulated by the players in each round. The half-points were awarded to those with ties who managed to have less aircraft shot out from under them.

Player  | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3
Lam, Mike     71.5 |   54.0   |    29.0
Karpowicz, Ed   71.0    |   50.0    |   14.0
Weinschenker, Kris    68.0    |   48.0 -
Phares, Rich   76.0   |   39.0 -
Caler, Steven    99.0    |   32.5 -
Alderman, Bill    86.0    |    32.0 -
Finkeldey, Jeff    84.0    |    25.0 -
Janiec, Chris    67.0    |   18.0-
Nicholson, Dennis    65.0
Garton, Mike    62.0
Mehl, Jim    60.0
Salvatore, Scott    58.0
Smith, Nick    56.5
Speck, Forrest    56.0
Niemeyer, Frank    55.0
Perla, Peter    49.0
Spitznagel, Matt    46.0
Hess, Stefan    45.0
Peter Card    42.0
Courter, Greg    37.5
Taylor, Roger    37.0
Keating, John    26.0
Caler, Carol    23.0
Eastman, Charles    0.0