2006 WBC Sportsmanship Award

The third leg in the BPA Triple Crown is its Sportsmanship Award. Coupled with the Caesar Award for prowess on the gameboard and our GM of the Year Award which honors those who sacrifice their time to make WBC the memorable event that it is, the Sportsmanship winner completes our virtual Hall of Fame by reminding us that there is no fun to be had with these games without an affable and enjoyable opponent with which to cross vicarious swords.

Doubtless there are many more good sports at WBC than those we can acknowledge here. But since we do not want to duplicate the cavalry charge of a California Gubernatorial recall election with a thousand candidates, we limit the nominees to those endorsed by WBC GMs for outstanding sportsmanship and further reduce their number by selecting only the most fervent endorsements. These are supplemented occasionally by the Board of Directors and/or Convention Director for meritorious service.

Nominations are not accepted for individuals who conceded a victory to allow a beaten opponent to continue in an event in their place. While a player who allows another to play on in "his" place may well have good intentions, doing so is contrary to the purpose of a tournament. A player who concedes a won game is circumventing the rules of the event by dispensing byes in a non-random, unearned manner and is actually committing an unsportsmanlike act in the eyes of some. Such a kindness bestowed upon one player is actually grossly unfair to the other participants who had to win their right to advance and tarnishes the event as a true test of skill.

While lots of people get caught up in the quest for “wood,” the folks listed below subscribe to a higher standard. These are the sportsmen and women of the WBC…the shining example of sportsmanship that we should all aspire to. These folks are the ones that make it all bearable for our GMs and contribute most to the friendly atmosphere of the convention. Their shining example contributes to the remarkable esprit de corps and camaraderie for which the WBC has always been noted.

So without any further ado, let’s present the class of 2006—and a classy group it is, too. The following individuals were just some of the many nominated for the reasons indicated below and owe their appearance here to both their own demeanor and the fervancy of their sponsors in relating it to BPA. As is our practice, all 2006 BPA members are urged to vote for one of the following when submitting their 2007 membership form and voting for new Trial Events before Jan. 1, 2007. Reward a good sport with our biggest prize…free lodging at the next WBC.

Advanced Civilization: It is difficult to sit through a game with good humor when you are losing. It is doubly so to do it twice and triply so in a game as long as this one. Add in youth and inexperience, and Woolly Farrow is to be congratulated for his fortitude.

B-17: Relatively few people at WBC have met Bruce Peckham. He comes every year but only to play in one event: B-17. A lover of air shows and B-17's in particular, Bruce attends every year solely to fly with the 8th Air Force. He has probably been shot down 20 times over the past 15 years, but he keeps coming back for more. This year he played across from winner Paul Risner who emerged triumphant again by shooting down Bruce on his third mission—thus, removing Bruce from contention again. He'll be back.

Bitter Woods: Steve Likevich was the most accommodating and helpful player. Always enthusiastic, friendly and outgoing—a pleasure to play.

Brawling Battleship Steel: David Huss was being mugged as leaders usually are in this game. Ship after ship went down to the combined fire of his opponents while David faced the music with good nature and grace.

Breakout Normandy: Dave Wong has been a valuable asset to this GM year after year. He willingly agrees to teach the game or adjust his schedule to accoomodate others. Dave is also the epitome of the anti-whiner…accepting what fate drops thru the dice roller with enthusiasm. He is quick to congratulate an opponent for a successful attack. David is an outstanding ambassador for our hobby—which is not surprising since he also has represented our country well around the world while serving in our military.

Britannia: Rich Curtin was on the losing side of a slow-moving game that had to be adjudicated. His next heat also deposited him in another slow game destined to be adjudicated. He, nonetheless, exhibited exemplary patience throughout.

Dune: Phil Barcafer directly cost himself an advance to the Final by not only pointing out to the Guild player that a move he had made would cause him to lose, but also arguing (and getting the GM to rule) that because the next player had not started, the move could be redone.

Empire Builder: As the semi-finalists were being seated, it was discovered that there had been a miscount in the number of heat winners. Inger Henning surrendered her seat with good humor in a classy display of sportsmanship.

Formula Motor Racing: Devin Flawd's cars were eliminated early in the last two races but he hung in there playing a largely useless hand without complaint as the other drivers finished the race.

Gangsters: Steve Quade enthusiastically teaches two demos per year and his teaching doesn't stop there—often counseling new players during the game to the detriment of his own position. Steve's enthusiasm carries over to other conventions where he recruits for the WBC tournament.

Manifest Destiny: In the Semi-Final, Pete Pollard agreed to collaborate to share a breakthrough. His partner jumped out to a big lead, but Pete stuck to his word and the collaboration, even though it cost him a shot at the win.

Panzerblitz: Bill Scott is well known as a great guy and challenging opponent who is a joy to play. That never changes. This year he was pressed into service as the early GM replacement at the sacrifice of his own gaming time before handing off the chore to Chuck Leonard before departing to fulfill his own family obligations.

Princes of Florence: Rob Flowers arrived for the Semi-Final as the second alternate, but there was only one opening. As he had brought a copy of the game, and the event was short a copy, he could have claimed the last seat by the rules, but he graciously lent his game so that others could play instead.

Princess Ryan's Star Marines: Christina Hancock failed to guess the correct whereabouts of the Princess, thus costing her the win, because the Black Guard gave her an incorrect answer to her question. She took it in stride though and ended the game the same way she played it, with a smile.

Puerto Rico: John Weber had actually achieved the unthinkable…winning his own massive tournament despite all the pressures and distractions of GMing a 100+ player event. It was only afterwards when reviewing their recorded notes of the game for constructing a replay of the game for his event website that he discovered that a scoring error had been made. He immediately overturned the result and awarded the win to the next player.

Queen's Gambit: Vincent Sinigaglio had actually qualified as one of the 16 players to advance but withdrew rather than force a recalculation of the qualifiers.

Twilight Struggle: Nathan Hill, a young player, was nonetheless playing a strong game and holding his own in a game that had to be adjudicated. He took the decision that went against him with a grace that belied his tender years.

Up Front: Young Kevin Emery played the game with considerable skill—not all that surprising considering his teacher—perennial champion, John Emery. However, in a large group of great players and sportsmen, he exhibited a level of sportsmanship and maturity far beyond what one would expect from a 12-year-old.

Victory in the Pacific: Mike Kaye consistently displays courtesy, sportsmanship and a willingness to help others.

Waterloo: Marty Musella was the GM of this event, and it was he who was nominated by one of his players in a bit of role reversal. The player relayed how much he appreciated the time Marty took after their game to give him pointers on how to improve his game.

We The People: Greg Schmittgens is a skillful competitor who keeps everything in perspective. He not only plays a splendid game, he literally cheers when great plays are made against him. For him, the enjoyment of the game is the main reward, and seeing a game's "story line" unfold by the twists and turns of fate causes genuine delight that is, frankly, quite infectious. No one who plays Greg has a bad time regardless of the final outcome! Greg also engenders and nurtures WBC's growing sense of camaraderie by making and distributing buttons featuring various events and widely sharing his fabulous homemade jerky. The contagious manner in which Greg savors good play, his ready willingness to help GMs and WBC officials, the sense of amity that he encourages throughout the tournament, make this nomination a no-brainer.