Masters World Championship

Recently some have asked if I was going to the Masters World Championships in Iceland next month. It looks like the answer is no, because I’m not invited. Here’s the full story.

January 3 I signed up for MWC, and was told by the Eventbrite website that registration was full, and I was on the wait list. Now, according to the MWC website, the registration period is January, so not only did I sign up within the parameters, I was relatively early in that.

I’ve seen how people have fallen off the MWC sign-up list in past years. Because of injury, etc, there are often drop outs, and I wasn’t concerned that there would not be a spot for me. On January 31 I emailed Kevin Rogers directly, asking about getting to the start list, so I could make travel plans. He said he wanted to help, and that he’d release my entry on the website. That never happened. I tried multiple times to register, and told Kevin that I was unable to get past the registration website. The last contact I had from Kevin was February 1, saying that he didn’t see my registration on the website.

During our contact, I had told Kevin that my dad had passed on 12/26/2016, and that I had been in Ohio with family dealing with that, and that was part of the reason why I hadn’t signed up sooner. His response was “Sorry to hear about your father. Its been 4 years since I lost my mother and it still hurts. I released your ticket back on Jan 5 .... please look for an email from Eventbrite on that date with a link to take your spot and register.”

I assumed I was ok, even though I never got the Eventbrite email, and wasn’t able to pay. I did send a few more emails offering to pay to finalize my entry, but I never heard anything back. I’m glad I didn’t take my acceptance on faith and book two $900 plane tickets.

I still haven’t heard anything. There’s been no update on the MWC website regarding changes to the start list. Last week, I emailed Bill Scruggs, who started MWC, asking for his help, and still, nothing.

So, here we are, one month out, and I have no indication that I’m on the list to go, as I was told I was. The only thing I see is that I’m on the wait list, as are 14 others. And I’m pissed.

I get that our sport has no governing body to appeal to, and, for that matter, neither does the MWC. Kevin has final say and can do whatever he wants. That’s reality. But what should be a World Championship has become a Fun-Event-in-an-Exotic-Place-with-the-People-Who-Were-Best-at-Signing-Up-Fast. I’m not the only one affected by this, and quite realistically, 2 of the top 3 rated throwers in our Men’s 55-59 age group won’t be going because we are both still on the wait list. And the other thrower is a past MWC champ! I’ve been on the podium 2 of the last 3 years! How can anyone justify a system that fails to let the top throwers into a class when they followed the rules and signed up within the allotted time? For me, one of the biggest draws here was the World Championship aspect. How many times in life do we ever have a chance to either compete for, or even win a World Championship?

I’ve waited 5 years for this one. In 2012, I missed the 50-54 age group by 2 weeks. This time, I’d have turned 55 two weeks before the MWC. For me, it meant a chance to not have studs like Berle Conrad and Brett Abbot in my class, for once. Don’t get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed competing against Berle (2 MWC wins), Brett (1 MWC win), Gene Flynn (2 MWC wins), Alistair Gunn (1 MWC win), Mark McDonald (2 MWC wins), Chris Rusher, Randy McClure, and a bunch of others. They’re great guys and great throwers. They are also a little younger than me, and this was my first chance in a long time to get away from them (except Mark), and step up to throw against Myles, Rick, Hans, and Eric, also previous champions. But that’s not going to happen. Disappointed? You bet. Feeling strung along and discarded? Ditto.

I have nothing against those who did make the cut. Throw well, and I’ll miss seeing you all. I’ve supported the MWC since 2005, only missing the two years in which I had back and shoulder surgeries. I’m not special, and I’m not asking for special treatment, but I have established my credentials as a legit contender, with 3 third-place finishes, and I’ve finished top-4 or better since 2010. Two weeks ago at Beltane I hit numbers that would have won the 55-59 class at the Buffalo MWC last year. So, I deserve a chance to be there. And if the rules absolutely don’t allow that because I wasn’t sitting at my computer when the ball dropped New Year’s Eve, then I should have at least been told the straight story.

I’ve been disappointed in life before, and I’m sure the Lord will test me with more disappointments in this life. No biggie. But the MWC trophies I have, and the medals, and the patches I’ve worn on my kilt all these years, won’t mean to me what they used to.