Sandbagging inc.

[Skippy!]

Tom and I have discussed this a couple times, not really at any length, but the general idea was that if you compete intermediate and win, then you go open. I mean, if you've won an intermediate tournament once, then you're not really proving anything to yourself, or anyone else, by going out and whomping newbies all the time. I think a persons level of play is really subjective, because any guiltless player can say 'Ehhhh, I don't think I'm good enough to compete open, I'm just gonna go intermediate.' But then what do the rest of the intermediates do? They can't hop down a level. If, however, it were based upon whether or not the person has won in intermediate, it's a pretty much light on/off situation.

I haven't really been to any comps where I felt someone went to intermediate when they shouldn't have (maybe 1), but I can honestly say that if I knew a guiltless player was competing against me in an intermediate comp, I'd be pretty unhappy about it, and less inclined to compete.

[bustinjustin]

Ok, you guys have got this wrong. The level of intermediate did not go up. It's the bottom of pro that is getting worse. I mean really the top 2-3 at worlds should have been open, but didn't feel the need to assert themselves (Edit: actually its perfectly fine to go intermediate if its your first worlds regardless of how good you are). If your guitless your pro. End of story. If you can put up a score over 140-150 in shred 30 (which you can do with consistent bop and a few other moves) you are pro. We actually tried to get the top Intermediates to go into the Open shred 30 but didn't have the energy due to competing intermediate (and that is was unprecendented). But yes, as an intermediate there is a grey area between you mastering bop and mastering more genuine shred. Intermediate shred should rely heavily on bop. But if you can hit 7 fives, your pro, if you can hit 3 5's your pro! And guess what, if you cant do bop or guiltless but you can throw blurriest, or ripped warrior, or some other rediculously heinous move that's like a 6 or 7 that I see kids doing all the time....YOUR PRO and now your ass needs to quit doing big tricks and school your basics because your going to get eaten alive in comp. without drilling and schooling your consistency rather than one big move you really want to hit. You can learn one big move or you can pick up every tiltless move in the same amount of time. Or become a solid guiltless player. EDIT
Lastly I really want to agree with what Jeremy said that there is a lot of valuable experience to be had in going intermediate that you can't get when sitting at the bottom of open. Makes me think I should have stayed down there a litttle longer rather than struggled so long in open.

Sorry that this post is so biased and opinionated. I realize a lot of this is debatable.

[LEGOMAN]