victory in the pacific [Updated October 2003]  

2003 WBC Report    

 2004 Status: pending 2004 GM commitment

Ed Menzel, CA

2003 Champion

2nd: Dan Henry, IL

3rd: Mike Kaye, MD

4th: Charlie Drozd, IL

5th: Ken Nied, KS

6th: John Sharp Jr, FL


Offsite links:

AREA Ratings

boardgamegeek 

Event History
1991    Dave Targonski      36
1992    Wes Erni      39
1993    Alan Applebaum      36
1994    Dave Targonski      36
1995    Dan Henry      45
1996    Robert Kondracki      46
1997    Ed O'Connor      42
1998    Joe Dragan      48
1999    Alan Applebaum     48
2000    Andy Gardner     50
2001    Dan Henry     48
2002    Dan Henry     50
2003    Ed Menzel     39

PBeM Event History
1999    Nick Markevich      20
2001    Ed Menzel      32
2003    -      32

 Laurels
Rank Name

From

Last
Total
 1. Dan Henry

IL

03
192
 2. Ed Menzel

CA

03
100
 3. Michael Kaye

CA

03
  96
 4. Alan Applebaum

MA

01
  84
 5. Andy Gardner

VA

01
  78
 6. Ray Freeman

CA

02
  36
 7. John Pack

CO

01
  36
 8. Bob Hamel

CT

00
  30
 9. Tim Tow

TX

02
  24
10. Charlie Drozd

IL

03
  18
11. John Strand

CO

02
  18
12. Eric El Osta

Belgium

00
  18
13. Ken Nied

KS

03
  14
14. Michael Ussery

MD

02
  12
15. Joe Powell

VA

99
  12
16. Nick Markevich

CA

99
  10
17. John Sharp Jr

FL

03
    6
18. Jim Eliason

IA

01
    6
19. Michael Day

AZ

01
    6
20. Casey Adams

MN

00
    6
21. Joe Dragan

MI

99
    6
22. Brad Solberg

CA

99
    6
23. Meng Soon Ong

Malaysia

01
    4
24. Max Zavanelli

FL

99
    4
25. Bobby Clinton

CA

01
    4
26. Dennis Nicholson

NY

99
    3
27. Vince Meconi

DE

99
    2
28. Glenn McMaster

ONT

01
    1

Past Winners

'91, '94: Dave Targonski - DC
1992: Wes Erni - WI

Alan Applebaum - MA
1993, 1999

Dan Henry - IL
1995, 200l-2002

Robert Kondracki - PA
1996

Ed O'Connor - NJ
1997

Joe Dragan - MI
1998

Andy Gardner - VA
2000
 


Three-Time Winner

It came down to another photo finish at the end of the last round. Even after the last die roll, up until the final scoring was done, it was unclear as to who was our champion, or who held second thru fourth places. In a reversal of last year, Dan beat his nemesis, Ed Menzel in the second round, but lost in the scoring when he didn't play the fifth round. Ed Menzel managed to outscore Dan on the final count for the big plaque!

A tad worn wouldn't you say? This fleet no doubt has seen the bottom many times in the last 13 years.

Even that didn't settle everything, as Mike Kaye and Charlie Drozd followed close enough to contend with Dan for the second place plaque. It was down to tie breaking tournament points to finally give Dan second, Mike third, and Charlie fourth.

39 players registered. 75 games actually played. Six new players. 22 games went seven turns. 16 games went a full 8 turns! Seven players stuck it out for all seven rounds. Bidding reached 5.5 POC.

John Sharp has agreed to GM for next year, giving me a break. John expects to retain the same format, with just a bit of fine-tuning to the scoring system. As of now, John is the GM with full and final authority. He answers only to Don Greenwood, not to me in any way. Send suggestions to John at aefajohn@gte.net

What really counts

Thirteen consecutive years! It has been a great epic! Friendship, camaraderie, and an appreciation of each other "just the way we are", and continually drawing in new friends.

Yet, a large part of it is the competition. Good, clean, competition, to be sure, but the competitive spirit remains. We play every game to win, as much to give our opponent a good game as to our own satisfaction. Even our losses we can be proud of.

When the last die has been cast and the score counted, we get up, shake hands, look each other in the eye, and say, "Wait until the next game."

Yet, it goes beyond that. I have seen friendships grow over the years. Friendships that have grown to proportions well beyond the game board and tournaments. Friends that I know that I can count on in time of need, or call at 3:00 am just 'cause I need to talk. Friends of a depth and quality that seem rare in this day and age of "too much in a hurry." Yea, I want one more game, but it's not the victory that I am after, it is time with a friend

Ed Menzel, Fullerton, California. Our Champion! 1 USN win, 5 IJN wins, 1 IJN loss.
Until two years ago, Ed Menzel collected any number of VIP awards and plaques including second and third places, Nagumo awards, Halsey awards, and various other "pieces of wood". But never a championship. In a short telephone interview with Ed he told me that after WBC 2001 he made it a goal for himself that over the coming two years he was going to win a championship ­ any championship ­ in VIP. It had just been eluding him far too long. He felt pretty good about his Midwest Open victory in March 2002, but certainly did not rest on those laurels. It simply became the first in a series, with this WBC 2003 championship the crowning touch.

Since March of 2002 Ed has become nearly invincible. In August 2002 Dan Henry barely out-scored him for the championship at WBC. In March 2003 Ed took the first consecutive year win at the Midwest Open since Alan Applebaum in 1996. He then proceeded to take the WBC email tournament, and is current VIP ladder champion. But it still isn't over! Before I finished writing this, news has come in that Ed has also taken "all the marbles" at Conquest over Labor Day weekend!

In just two years Ed passes Alan Applebaum and Dan Henry as titleholder to the winningest record on the VIP circuit. Ed's WBC 2003 ­ VIP championship plaque will be hanging with his collection of lesser awards. Quite naturally, all of this puts Ed at the top of the A.R.E.A. ratings for Victory In The Pacific, but it also makes him the first player to break the 7000 rating mark in any game other than Advanced Squad Leader. Is there no stopping this guy?

I would be remiss if I did not also mention that Ed Menzel has the very high esteem of his peers as a gentleman and sportsman. Win lose or draw, Ed always displays the best attitude and behavior that can be found anywhere in our hobby.

Gee ... ya think they use chess clocks in this event?

Dan Henry, Chicago, Illinois. Second Place. 4 USN wins, 1 IJN win, 1 USN loss. Dan came on with a strong allied game this year and pretty well showed us how it needs to be done. In a reversal of last year, Dan beat his nemesis, Ed Menzel in the second round, but lost the edge when he didn't play the fifth round.

Mike Kaye, Pasadena, Maryland. Third Place. 3 USN wins, 2 IJN wins, 1 USN loss, 1 IJN loss. Very close to out-scoring Dan for that second place plaque. Mike is usually one of the chief contenders. I expect that he always will be.

Charlie Drozd, Vernon Hills, Illinois. Fourth Place. 5 IJN wins, 2 USN losses. A virtual rookie! He cut his teeth at the Midwest Open in March, then cuts nearly everyone else's here!

Ken Nied, Olathe, Kansas. Fifth Place. 2 USN wins, 2 IJN wins, 2 USN losses, 1 IJN loss. Always chasing the leaders. One of these days

John Sharp Jr., Sarasota, Florida. Sixth Place. 1 USN win, 3 IJN wins, 1 USN loss, 2 IJN losses. We expect to find John in the top ten. Sixth is no shame in this crowd, but we all expect to see John taking the big one sooner or later.

Larry Meyers, Peoria, Arizona. Seventh Place. 2 USN wins, 1 IJN win, 1 IJN tie, 2 IJN losses. Larry has been playing with us for some time, and keeps coming back.

Glenn McMaster, Troy, Ontario. Eighth Place. 3 USN wins, 1 USN loss. Glenn has been with us only a few years, but is certainly showing the kind of stuff that he is made of.

Bob Hamel, Newington, Connecticut. Ninth place. 3 IJN wins, 1 IJN loss, 2 USN losses. Bob Hamel in ninth only shows how tough the competition really is. Bob has done better, and I know he will again in the future.

James Kramer Jr., Wiconisco, Pennsylvania. Tenth Place. 3 IJN wins, 2 USN losses, 2 IJN losses. Jim rounds out our top ten with seven tough games.

 

I would be remiss if I did not publicly acknowledge Glenn's efforts as a GM over the past 13 years. A Best GM Award and six Top Six GM nominations speaks clearly as to what his players thought of his efforts over the years. Glenn is a hard act to follow - having always put being a GM above his own personal playing time. But what else would you expect from someone whose volunteer efforts kept AREA going after the demise of Avalon Hill? Glenn will be sorely missed in 2004. I wish him the best of summers with his departing brood and selfishly hope for the days when he will return to his second family to vie for Victory in the Pacific once again.

 GM      Glenn Petroski [13th Year]   6829 23rd Ave., Kenosha, WI 53143-1233
    gelp@Juno.com   (414) 656-5791

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