The 'how to improve the F7s' thread

[Willow]

Might lodge my ideas here, while they're in my head.

Finals Eligibility
New rule that teams can't register players to play their first game in the semi-finals? No dramas at all with how any of it happened this season as it's perfectly within the rules. However the rules are open to manipulation, and there's nothing to stop a team getting into the finals using a squad of ten all season, and then recruiting five new players from somewhere to form the nucleus of their team in the final series... Perhaps someone that hasn't played a game during the year shouldn't be eligible for semis, the onus being on captains to recruit and play any additional players before the last round? (And any new players interested in F7s during the finals series can be easily kept interested to play in the PvP due to take place shortly after.)

PvP
The PvP is a great idea especially for new/proposed teams and players, but I've noticed that existing sides that put their hand up to enter often struggle with numbers at that time of year? Perhaps one way to make sure there's some good match-ups and that everyone who wnats a go gets one is to think about having a Barbarians team compete. This would be made up of current players from a range of teams - this would take the pressure off members of an existing squad who have entered to keep playing at that time of year, while still giving the chance to any keen existing players from a range of squads to better themselves and get more games in an F7s environment ahead of the new season? Would need co-ordination and captaincy, but could be a way of making sure the numbers in the PvP teams balance and giving individual players a chance to show their wares before joining an official team.

Um, that's it. I think everything else goes OK. Except the usual chestnut of making sure enough people are interested in being referees, and given the respect by players at all times that's needed for them to continue to carry out the role.

Some very good ideas there.

I especially like a Barbarians type team for the PVPs - although we might have to come up with a slightly different name for League.

It could be a good forerunner to Crusher's knock out comp proposal in post # 2 and could only increase the interest in the F7s.

 

[MysteryGirl]

I think we should have a woman only team. O

 

[Jesbass]

I think we should have a woman only team. O

I noticed you used the singular (woman), and not the plural (women).

Fancy taking on a whole team of men at once, MysteryGirl? :lol:

 

[TooheysNew]

There were a number of times this year where even though we (the Lions) named 7, we were lucky to get 4 across the line. In other words, the other 3 were fake, and were never going to post anything.

Under that proposal, we would have been punished further, and would have been even more discouraging from a team point of view.

I think that one can go into the scrap bin. ;-)

Yeah i'm definately against the 'best 5' system.

 

[MysteryGirl]

LMAO. No - woman only...as in each individual is a woman.
not an only woman team...and get your mind out of the gutter before mine falls down there too!

 

[antonius]

I think we should have a woman only team. O

Not such a bad idea. In fact looking at scores achieved by the ladies this season they would be almost unbeatable.

 

[Robster]

how bout a trophy for the captain who wins the forum sevens and medals for players who partispated in the f7s winning team?

Also a bonus point each time a team submits 5 articles.

 

[Pistol]

Further to the pre season knock out comp idea, I am not 100% sure if a full team would be available so an idea would be to have a team of 3 v 3 with two reserves.

 

[Willow]

Yep. It would be very difficult to get current teams and captains to commit to more essays. But it might work as Barbarians and 3v3 concept.

 

[Crusher]

TO THE F7 COMMITTEE

IMO

Having in a short time made an assessment of this competition there is only one thing left to make it complete in a writing sense.

Every essay in a match should revolve around the same theme. It will still allow the writer to interpret the theme in a particular writing style, but more importantly it will compare APPLES WITH APPLES.

IMO, we need to encourage 'courageous' writing. Clevo this week was a prime example of courageous writing done exceptionally well.

Themes do not discourage this type of writing. In fact they will only encourage it as you will need to stand out from the your opposition who will be writing on the same theme or topic.

The current system of open slather IMO makes comparisons almost impossibke.

From my days as an English teacher I can definitely say that marking open essays are much more difficult and open to criticism than marking essays on the same topic.

Now before you argue the pros and cons of this idea think of this. Imagine last weeks topic was infact 'match commentary'. Chances are you would have got 7 or 8 standard blow by blows, one with more expression and then there was Clevo.

The topics need not be defined to a T. They could simply be such things as

'5 minutes to go' or 'grade 5 high tackle'. The onus is on the writer to interpret these into their story.

I guess what I'm trying to get across is that you can actually be more creative when restricted to a theme than when you have no limits. It is when you have restrictions that the good stuff comes out.

 

[...Morticia...]

look, i agree with having a round of a theme but not every week. i only write about stuff that interests me. i dont give a flying rats behind if it interests the ref or anyone else for that matter. the thing about the sevens is that it lets you be creative, pick your topic etc. its not like school where your forced to write sh*t they want you too. i wouldnt play if every week i had a topic picked for me because, quite frankly, i've got better things to do with my time than write and research crap that doesnt interest me and i think theres a few out there like me. we have enough trouble getting 5 v 5's now. i reckon it would kill the game if we had topics chosen for us every week.

just my thoughts.

now sit up everyone and behave ;-)

 

[Crusher]

motricia I agree with your point but when I say theme or topic maybe I'm being too specific.

If the theme was maybe 'grand finals' there are still a million ways to interpret that.

Just as 'football' is the key ingredient to all articles I believe it needs to be football + 'something' etc etc.

The topics need a degree of openess but the writers creativity should come out in their interpretation. The writer who best exploits the topic can turn it into whatever they like.

Besides, teams go into real matches with game plans so maybe this could be ours!!

 

[...Morticia...]

motricia I agree with your point but when I say theme or topic maybe I'm being too specific.

If the theme was maybe 'grand finals' there are still a million ways to interpret that.

Just as 'football' is the key ingredient to all articles I believe it needs to be football + 'something' etc etc.

The topics need a degree of openess but the writers creativity should come out in their interpretation. The writer who best exploits the topic can turn it into whatever they like.

Besides, teams go into real matches with game plans so maybe this could be ours!!

i hear what your saying, and i guess i'm a rebel from way back, if i cant pick to write about whatever the hell i want to write about, then i wont play. simple as that. if i knew there was one round that i had to come up with something specific to a point, then all good but if i had to do it every week i would just think i was being pushed into something and collapse in a heap with a diazepam or four and think 'f**k it, i'm not being told what to do.' yeah, i know theres a thousand interpretations of each topic but half the fun is coming up with a topic thats different for the week. and what the hell would the pirates do? :lol: structure is for work, school whatever. not the forum sevens. i just feel being told what to write about each week takes it back to nazi WORL days. the whole thing with having it here was to encourage individualism, sportsmanship and freedom of thought, being told what to write about each week, even with it being open to interpretation, is just too formal and oppresive .

as i said, i do get what your saying and its not a bad idea. i would just hate to see some old timers and new timers leave or be put off because the current structure was overformalised. when it comes down to it, its supposed to be fun. take the funness away and its got nothing.

and my english teacher hated my grammar and punctuation and set me on a road of making up my own words and continued blatant use of both :lol:

 

[Crusher]

I hear ya Morticia,

but here's something to consider. One of the best articles I ever read from a student was on the sinple topic of Sydney Traffic. This particular student blew me away by interpreting it as an article on drugs, relating personal experiences of drug use and trafficking in Sydney.

 

[MysteryGirl]

I'm not understanding why you're asking for a more defined topic.

Is it to give you something to work with? If we are going to let the interpretation of the topic be as broad as possible, it seems that we aren't going to end up limiting the topics by much at all.

People will just work whatever the topic is into their existing thought process since stories weaved directly around the given topic probably won't score as high since they will be a dime a dozen.

I think it's great now that there is no cookie cutter to write in. Remembering that this is supposed to be fun for people - the fewer the restrictions - the better.

If your concern is more about how essays achieve a score, maybe that is what you should address. For example x points are for creativity, x for content, x for construction, etc.

Just my 2 cents. I'm with Mort though - I'd not be able to write at all if I was told what I had to write about. As it is, I need all the help I can get just making sure that I have the terminology correct - and I still mess it up from time to time.

 

[Crusher]

Mysterygirl, I guess I'm suggesting the playing field is somehow made equal on a judging level. Maybe you are right and it is all in the scoring techniques. This would do it for me. Either way it should be one or the other.

TBH, I've seen some great stuff scored poorly but also some poor stuff scored well. I would even consider I have been scored in reverse a couple of times. The markers have a really tough job with so much openess.

If not the writer, then the scorer needs definitive values to base judgments on.

IE:
Originality out of 30
Grammar out of 20
etc etc etc.

IMO this is the only other way to compare the playing field. I also thing that the scores should be broken down for the benefit of the writer so he can see what needs improvement and what doesn't. It's Ok to score an article 90 for example, but I think wee need to know why.

 

[[furrycat]]

The great thing about F7's is it requires you to be creative on more than one level and not be constrained to a topic. Sure you can write about a topic that others have written about time and time again, but the challenge is to think of something that hasn't been done (or done well enough) and do it in a way that no one else but you can.

 

[antonius]

The great thing about F7's is it requires you to be creative on more than one level and not be constrained to a topic. Sure you can write about a topic that others have written about time and time again, but the challenge is to think of something that hasn't been done (or done well enough) and do it in a way that no one else but you can.

Agree completely. It is hard enough now to get 5v5, having defined topics will make that situation worse. The game is about fun, we aren't playing for sheep stations, as for marking out of 30 or 20 for originality, grammar etc, that's been tried in the past and wasn't successful, and at the end of the day it will still be the subject of debate, originality is still going to be judged on the refs preferences anyway. Something I think original, isn't going to be what say Mystique considers original, it's all a matter of taste. I think the structure of the game as far as rules is just about spot on, the ideas about Barbarian teams, and different formats for the PVP is good though.

 

[MysteryGirl]

Crusher:
I think if you ask most refs they will tell you how they score an essay. They do vary from ref to ref.

Although there is a measure of personal taste involved, the scores seem to average out right in the end. I wrote one that I thought was outstanding and it was just ok. I've written an ok one that got marked outstanding. All works for me.

Isn't part of being a good writer, knowing your audience? To me, that's a bit of the challenge.

I hear your frustration but in truth, part of the appeal for some of us is the unknown. I'm proud of many of my writings and it's good to see what other people think. I always second guess what I write because I know every time it could be better. Unfortunately - the ref always agrees with that point...lol!

 

[Crusher]

fair point by all

maybe we need one such round only then.