Not questioning the general point wrt Canada vs. USA in the NA rankings but to clarify the facts of the 9 Cities in Ontario
Hamilton
Oshawa
Barrie
Angus
Etobicoke
Oakville
Mississauga
Georgetown
Thunder Bay
8 of 9 were in the GTA (OK its a seriously committed GTA player who is making the trip to TB) and 6 of 9 did not fall on a common day. We played 4, but missed the weekend of the 8th - 9th of December. The bigger problem IMO is that some of the venues are too small, if you've played a couple of the above you know what I mean. The result is smaller turnout less matches hence less potential points available.
My son is #1 in Canada -- Junior, but there's virtually no way to stay in the Top 25 in North America, especially come the big K-value tourneys later in the year. This means a bad day at Nationals and your invite to World's is gone ...
For what it's worth, Provincials are at my hall in Georgetown which can easily hold 100+ participants, has washroom facilities, has a snack bar downstairs, has parking for 300+ vehicles etc. I'm personnally picking up the tab on this venue, because I LOVE this game and I want to see it succeed in Ontario. I've solicitted the local paper to cover the event and it appears that this is going to happen. Bigger / better venues will mean more participants. Smaller venues need to be rotated out of the competative circuit so we can be considerably more participant and spectator friendly.
Not to rant too much, but the other problem is getting new people into the tourney circuit. I've got 35 juniors in my league, but to date outside my immediate family I have drawn zero experienced players to my League. Try teaching 15+ 7-9 year olds how to play by yourself when numerous parents think of it as a low cost babysitting opportunity. The result is these players are not ready for tournament play, and a bit of a let down when they do participate. There is some level of responsiblity for the experienced players to help out at league, so that we can build a larger base of players.
More competent players == More tournament participants == More Ranking Points in Play.
Last point in my rant, when you are an experienced player playing at an event, be mindful that parents of the newer players are watching. Good behaviours (i.e. helping oranizing staff by filling out deck lists for new players, playing a game or two with new players before the tourney starts so they understand the rules of the game and how the tourney operates) lead to parents that understanding that this gaming community is something they want their children involved in. Bad behaviours (i.e. acting like a thug / brat, yelling at judges) lead to parents who may think twice about bringing their kids to the next competitive event --> this is a bad outcome. As a huge favour, take the heated discussions outside of earshot of the spectators and take the time to think about the fact that our game is on display every time we hold a tournament.
We are always going to have less players than the US, but its the participation rate that we need to get up, if we want a chance at claiming some of those top 25 spots. We all play a role in making this happen.
