My least favourite thing is the need, every now and then, to come up against the beaurocracy and the need to engage in hoop-jumping and paper-wading. My latest round of hoop-jumping due to new rules by the Australian BJJ Federation's requirement that every athlete/competitor and coach (that's me) needs to get (meaning: pay through the nose for) an ID card. Think about that: they need people to pay for an ID card, that gives them ONE - just ONE privilege, and that is the privilege of being able to pay them more to enter their tournaments. Disgusting! And same goes for the International BJJ federation - if Australian athletes are wanting to compete in the world championships in the USA. So, lots of forms to fill in and of course, money to pay (again, just for the privilege of being able to pay even more money to compete - absolutely nothing coming back for the money - but the latest is that I have to prove that I am a legitimate BJJ black belt to the Australian federation before I can get even my ID card. Can I prove that I am a BJJ Black Belt? Yikes.
I hate that this sort of shite that more and more foten, finds it's way onto the martial arts landscape ... but then it occurred to me, some people really live for this stuff. It IS their entire world!
Politicians and political parties exist everywhere - and they all seem to be occupied by the same sorts of people. How many of us can put our hands up and say this is a good thing for martial arts? No wonder there is more and more talk from various quarters about boycotting these 'official' types of events. Personally, I prefer a 'grass roots' approach - wholesome networking - and real martial arts training - along with a healthy balance of all the other things that make up a well-rounded life. JBW
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Latest news is that the cards are *not* required for the upcoming Victorian championships, due to "problems with the system", which I believe, because people I know who have registered did not receive their cards for weeks after ordering, and they are of poor quality. They are basically useless as non-repudiable ID in their current form.
Maybe something special will come out of this, but I doubt it. It looks like a big waste of time and money. There are much simpler ways to track and rank competitors.