The third and final leg in the BPA Triple
Crown is its Sportsmanship Award. Coupled with the Caesar for
prowess on the gameboard and our GM of the
Year which honors those who
sacrifice their time to make the events possible, 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. While
some get caught up in the quest for “wood,” our Sportsman of the
Year always subscribes to a higher standard…a 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 “club” atmosphere of the convention. Their shining example
contributes to the remarkable esprit de corps and camaraderie for
which the WBC has always been noted by those in the know.
The object of a tournament is to win,
so it is somewhat perplexing to see so many nominees selected because
they do not put their own best interests ahead of helping others.
While such sportsmanship is laudable, it puts the rest of us mere
mortals on the horns of a dilemma. Just how much are we expected
to help our opponents in a tournament? And does that make me a
bad person if I fail to correct an opponent’s error rather than
take advantage of it? This is especially true in a multi-player
game where perhaps not all the players are so charitable. Is this
allowable table talk or kibitzing? The answer will vary from one
person to the next depending on what they expect from a tournament
experience. Surely, for some the “game is
the thing” and anything that makes for a tense and enjoyable
finish is laudable. Apparently, the majority of our members side
with that view as they elected another one of WBC’s good guys Sportsman
of the Year for shooting himself in the foot by pointing out an opponent’s
error and arguing that he should be allowed to change it since the
next player had yet to move. Such self-sacrifice won Phil Barcafer a free stay at WBC this summer as our 2006 Sportsman of the Year.
The 2006 Sportsmanship voting by the membership
was the heaviest ever recorded with no less than 14 of the nominees
recording double digit vote support. Rounding out the top six finalists
were John Webber, Steve Likevich, Rob Flowers, Greg Schmittgens and
Mike Kaye in that order.