Jim Bast solving the problem. Photo by Erv PetersonJim Bast submitted the following story from the 2014 MacRobertson Shield:
Danny and I were in a doubles match against Paddy Chapman and Chris Clarke of New Zealand at the United Club in Christchurch. My ball was near hoop four and it was our turn to play. After consideration of multiple options it was clear to us that I had to shoot at the opponents’ balls near hoop three. Hoop four interfered with my stance completely. Danny said, “Put your foot in the hoop.” “It won’t fit”, I replied. Danny said, “Take your shoe off.” That worked — but as I took a practice swing I felt unbalanced — so I removed the other shoe, as well. You see the pair on the ground behind me. It would be a really good story were it not for the fact that I missed the shot.
I am surprised we haven't seen a vigorous discussion on the legality of footwear (or changing footwear) in the aftermath.
Loyal readers know that we have a habit of changing things up around here just when things are getting comfortable. Generally, I take a good assessment of how things are working in January and then consider changes. Across social media and the websites the overall reach of Croquet Network has reached what I would call a "valid starting point." So, you've seen ad rates now posted on both sites and we plan to take to push for advertisers/sponsors as we go forward.
In addition, I plan to make this news site the main CroquetNetwork.com site again. Which means that URL will redirect here instead of the community site. The Croquet Network forums are going to be rebranded (again) and have a separate domain. And our host is working on upgrades for that platform so there's cool new stuff in the future there. Utimately, I see the two sites connected, but serving very different needs. The sport needs a valid news entity and after a lot of trial and error, I believe this is the best vehicle for to fill that need.
And I also see a strong need for active discussion amongst players and fans. So the community site should focus on and serve that need. Ultimately, the two compete for attention and I look forward to watching them battle it out.
Those items are minor compared to the following initiative though. The Croquet Network enewsletter quietly draws in subscribers at a steady rate and I believe it is on verge of a tipping point. It's one of those things where you hate to mess with success, but I've been wrestling with this decision for about a year. I've been testing a new concept for a month now and I have to say, I am incredibly excited about the change. I am going to play it close to the vest for now, but newsletter subscribers should prepare themselves for what I consider a huge step forward. We are projecting to launch this initiative prior to June 1. It could be messy, but it will be fun as always.