News
TD Certification Process Standardizes Planning
As the 2014-15 season commences, USQ has made a number of changes. While some, such as the new name, are impossible to miss, others have flown under the radar. One such difference this year is that all official matches must be hosted by a certified tournament director (TD).
As the 2014-15 season commences, USQ has made a number of changes. While some, such as the new name, are impossible to miss, others have flown under the radar. One such difference this year is that all official matches must be hosted by a certified tournament director (TD).
Becoming USQ-certified is simple: candidates must simply sign up on the USQ website, attend an hour-long Skype training session, and complete a brief online assessment. The entire process is free of charge, and the program itself is run by Tournament Director Certification Coordinator Logan Anbinder, who reports to Events Director Sarah Woolsey. Woolsey’s experience includes directing World Cup VII and four tournaments at the University of Maryland (UMD). The Woolsey-led Shell-Shocking Spectacular twice won the IQA’s Most Successful Quidditch Tournament Run by a Team or Group of Teams award (previously known as the “Better Than the World Cup” award), with Anbinder assisting in the planning of the first tournament when both attended UMD.
Anbinder is excited about the program he and Woolsey created and the benefits it brings to the table.
“I think it will be a really great way for TDs to share resources and to increase the quality of events across the sport,” he said. “The community has collectively done an amazing job in the past couple years of creating a trend of increasing event quality, and that's something that the TD certification program is designed to help perpetuate.”
Tournament Directors both novice and veteran have already found the program beneficial in their planning. UMD President Erin Mallory, tournament director of 2014’s Most Successful Quidditch Tournament Run by a Team or Group of Teams award winner Turtle Cup, praised the development of the program and feels that it will better the sport.
“With the course, tournaments will have an expectation and teams will feel more comfortable and confident attending because they know that it should be a good-quality tournament,” Mallory said. “Having better tournaments during the season prepares teams for the strict requirements at [Regional Championships] and World Cup. With this certification course, tournaments will be stricter and better managed and make for an overall improvement in the sport.”
Jack “ThePhan” McGovern, who is directing his first tournament this October, the Keystone Cup, also commended the program.
“I think the implementation of the TD requirement was essential to the advancement of the sport,” said McGovern. “Right now, many tournaments are organized by collegiate quidditch clubs that are recognized by their universities. Because I was an outsider, the facility hosting the Keystone Cup needed a certificate of insurance that covered any one accident and property damage. I cannot produce a certificate like that, but US Quidditch can.* However, for US Quidditch to take on liability for quidditch tournaments, they need to ensure that Tournament Directors can run safe and standard events.”
McGovern also credited the program for emphasizing elements of gameplay that he had not previously focused on, including standardization of equipment and the on-field experience for teams. McGovern explained that the program led him to bring on Amanda Dallas, herself a tournament-planning veteran, to focus on the gameplay elements of his tournament. Overall, McGovern appreciated the introduction to hospitality that the course provided.
“As a first-time Tournament Director, the course was incredibly helpful and informative,” he said. “The course covered a wide range of topics but moved quickly and did a great job of emphasizing essential information. I feel much more confident in my ability to host a successful tournament now. US Quidditch couldn't possibly have a better team than Logan Anbinder and Sarah Woolsey.”
*In order to produce a certificate of additional insured, a tournament must be USQ sanctioned. For more information about this process click here.
