~ 2013 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ~
Here are some of the more frequently asked questions that I have been asked or that might come up:
Q. What is the 'May Mayhem Tournament of Champions'?
A.
The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions (or, simply, The Tournament) is a
parody of the NCAA 'March Madness' tournament, comprised of friends. Similarly, the Tournament begins with 64 and, through single-elimination match-ups, an eventual champion -- the Champion of Champions -- is crowned.
In the past, it had been the first of three big events in my calendar based upon the Familiarity Ranking System (FRS): The May Mayhem Tournament of Champions (in May); followed by the FRS World Series (October-ish); and then the FRS Championship Bowl Series (January). Although, in keeping true to the parodies, the May Mayhem Tournament is, by far, the biggest of the three with 64 participants (vs. 8 in the World Series and 10 in the Championship Bowl Series), and the most "famous", as well as the most entertaining (to me).
Q. How does it work? How do I win?
A. While, ideally, the live, head-to-head matches would be ideal and much more
exciting, that is not currently possible due to it not be that big of a deal to most people, also the distance-factor for some of the players, as well as the limits of time and scheduling. Initially, I would advance the players as I saw fit (creating some upsets - because a Tournament has to have upsets) until Nicole Ison was crowned the Champion.
In 2012, however, I switched to more of a game-show-esque format by having the final three rounds of the Tournament (the Enduring 8, Famed 4, and Final Showdown, and thus eventual Champion of Champions) decided by trivia...Nicole also won the Tournament in the trivia format, as well. In 2013, though, I am not sure what format I will use or if it will be hybrid of the two previous formats -- for the later rounds, that is.
I will likely advance the first two rounds by my own discretion, if for no other reason, because to attempt to coordinate 64 (or even 32) people into something like this is either a) not possible or b) not worth the hassle. I'll lean more towards Option B, only because I don't put limits on possibilities.
Q. How do you have time to do all of this?
A. There are several reasons why I do this:
1) I am creative -- I'd argue exceptionally creative...it's arguable...
2) I think it is a lot of fun and interesting; I like having fun and enjoy being stimulated by intrigue...
3) It is a reminder of just how many awesome people I have in life; which are always good, refreshing thoughts...
4) It is a real challenge and a lot of work to set it this all up; I thrive on challenges and enjoy the (unnecessary) complexity for something that probably very few (of the already-limited-participants) care about as much as I do...
5) I am a single guy, which can be synonymous with "ample free time" ;) haha
6) Because there, at least, a handful of people who genuinely enjoy it -- they are usually identified by the "likes" and comments conveying their intrigue/interest. And if I am able to make something that people enjoy, why wouldn't I do that?
Q. How did The Tournament get started?
A. For those who do not remember (or are unfamiliar), in December 2010, when I went through the labor of
creating the Familiarity Ranking System (FRS) formula and began applying it to friends (like the BCS Ranking in college football), I then generated a
large amount of data that, otherwise, was relatively useless -- even to
me. So, in order to make use of this substantial amount of data, various
games and tournaments were started to utilize the data: The May Mayhem
Tournament of Champions was the first of these games.
Q. What does the winner get?
A. The 2013 Champion of Champions receives:
Dinner at Stanford's on my dollar (because it is a great establishment and the Official Restaurant of Ryan Henley)
Ryan Award nomination in the category of "Clutch Performance of the Year" --
battling through a field of 64 awesome people to become the Champion of
Champions definitely warrants "clutch performance" consideration.
If enough people want to do the Bracket Challenge, then I may also toss in a trip to Stanford's and perhaps a 2013 Ryan Award nod, as well, to the Bracket Challenge Champion. However, in 2012, I believe only one person (no more than three) participated and so there was no point and, thus, no prize. Speaking of which, the bracket should be ready this weekend.
Q. I was // was not selected into the Tournament, why??
A. Originally (in 2011), the FRS rankings dictated the bracket population (i.e. top 64 finishers became the Tournament participants), with the seeding largely being assigned based on one's position in the rankings (i.e. top 4 would be the four #1 seeds, etc.). However, since I have not done the FRS rankings in quite some time (I believe December 2011), the Tournament's population has no scientific or methodical basis.
The higher seeds are typically friends that I have known a long
time or am quite close with, and tapering towards folks that I may not
see or talk with that often but who I still really enjoy or have fond
memories of time spent. And, then, there are other folks (usually outside of the UP-dominated population) that are selected for their unfamiliarity to most and thus upset potential or, as Hookah John Herboth called it: The Dark Horse Factor.
If
you did not get selected into the Tournament, do not take it
personally; it is no slight against you. If I did not think that you
were an awesome person, I would not be friends with you -- it just so
happens that the magic number in this Tournament is 64 and I have some 400-something friends (read: a lot of really great people are going to miss out). Besides, there
is always next year.
Q. Why a bracket-style Tournament?
A.
I really like bracket challenges and the bracket format because, all things being equal (as is the case here), they afford a great opportunity for excitement and intrigue. Setting up the bracket with match-ups in mind is probably the
most exciting part, for me. Plotting the regions with some thought
ahead as to potential match-ups with rivalries or other dramatic
elements is, indeed, exciting.
However, while I really
like competitions and tournaments, due to certain agreements I made with
Jesus, I am limited to what sort of tournaments I am allowed to
coordinate, and I am man of my word. A tournament about how awesome my friends are? Jesus is cool with
that topic... and most of my friends are too, I reckon. Everybody wins.
Q. When do I find out when I "play" in the Tournament?
A.
I haven't figured out the schedule yet for the match-ups. Because the
opening rounds span the course of a few days, I try to spread it out and
have some marquee match-ups on each day.
If you have other specific questions, comment on this blog and I will address them there -- or otherwise contact me and I can field them. I am excited!
-Ryan.
Commissioner
May Mayhem Tournament of Champions
