My 2013 BASH: Disappointing but very satisfying!

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alankulwicki7

alankulwicki7

Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2010
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Location
Vadnais Heights, MN
Even though I've been a member here for a few years, I've never really participated much. I've only posted a few of my pens and mainly just lurked. Last year during the bash I did play trivia and voted in the pen contests but never entered any pens.

This year was going to be different. I decided a few months ago that I was going to enter some pens in the contests. I came up with some ideas, experimented a lot and finally came up with some of my best work yet. Being a very competitive person, I was hoping to do well in the contests.

Therein lies my disappointment. Not one of my pens made it to the finals.:frown: (it's kind of like your favorite team making it to the Super Bowl and laying an egg). I thought I came up with some winners but the competition was too tough.

But you know what? That's OK. I'm not going to let that bother me:smile:. I have learned so much over the last few months that this experience will really help me when it comes to my pen making skills. That's where the satisfying part come in:smile:. I love the pens that I made (my wife even snatched one for her desk at work) and that's what matters most.

I've already got a few ideas for 2014 so watch out! I'll be bringing my 'A' game! (or maybe a 'B-' game)!:biggrin:
 
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As a continuous "by-stander", I have seen a lot of "contest pens". This year, in each of the contests with more than 20 entries, I firmly believe you could hand the pictures to ten very experienced penmakers and ask for the "top five" and you would have no two exactly alike. Judging is difficult and subjective. The pens submitted were all technically close to perfect and each of the penmakers should be very proud of their submission!!!

Amazing how much different they were, from each other!!
 
As a competitor and past judge and current chair of some of the competitions. The judges are given a list of criteria to select the pens that make it to the top choices. Sometimes that doesn't correspond to the prettiest pen. The choices are swayed by personal preferences just like the Ice skating judging at the Olympics. The best reason to join the competition is to force yourself to do better than you ever have. To re evaluate your fit and finish comfort levels. Then to re evaluate it again and again. If you competed this year there were a lot of entries in some of the competitions. Some were good, very good and outstanding. Next year Im sure you will do better. Although your some what disappointed that you didnt make the play offs.:biggrin: Im glad to see it made you more determined to compete next year. The first person you have to beat is yourself. The "thats good enough" once youve done that the rest is easy.
 
Do not beat yourself up over these contests. As Ed said some times it is just a matter of numbers and taste. You could enter the same pens you made today and next year they maybe winners. But if you see flaws that you think needs refinement then that is where to concentrate the effort. Hope we get to see more of your work.
 
Doug,

Absolutely!

Last year, I made a pen for the Intermediate Contest. It took me a few tries and more than a week to do, and I think it came out very well. My entry was cut in the first round. I was disappointed with that at the time, but I'm still very happy with the pen. It's one of the prettiest I've ever made and I gained new skills doing it. That is my real prize.

I made 8 pens for the Bash this year. Win or lose, I had fun and I'm still learning.

Sincerely,
Eric
 
Doug, don't be disappointed about not placing in any of the finals. Don't get me wrong, it's cool to win and I've won a couple myself. But if you participate more in the forums, then you will enjoy the ENTIRE penturning experience far more than the odd prize now and then.
By a country mile the biggest rush (ego boost) you can get is honest feedback from your peers that you admire.

This year the bash has been 'strange' and interaction between members hasn't been encouraged. It's kinda focused on vendors rather than members and I suspect it has been a painful learning experience for all that matter.
But hey, it was worth a try. Maybe if more members supported the site,then we wouldn't have to rely on paying vendors to sponsor bash activities to keep the lights on.
This of course is only MY opinion. :)

Interact more this year and I'm sure you won't be disappointed for our big one!!! Our 10th!!! :)
 
I'm certainly not beating myself up over losing because in the long run I came out a winner. I've learned many things that I can use in the future: PR, casting, pressure, etc.

I usually hang out at Sawmill Creek but I will make sure I visit often (and post more of my work!)
 
I happened to get lucky to get my intermediate pen to make the cut. I failed at 3 more advanced pens before settling on the one that made it. If you take the attitude that this exercise just stretches your skills then win or lose it is a rewarding experience.
 
Doug as has been said the learning experience and enjoyment of the bash you'll always have.

Wow! Skip maybe I'm wrong but all we did was supply prizes for the contest, in my case 25 of them and I don't think any of us hawked our sites,or did any advertising other than our signatures which would have been there whenever we posted regardless, but I'm going to suggest to Mike that if we continue to have vendor sponsored contest that the vendor do away with their signature lines.
Would that make it better for you?
 
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I don't think doing away with vendor signatures is necessary. Sometimes when I am in a thread I am interested in something jars a thought and if the vendor link is available in the signature space, I'll click on it.

I did not share the same feeling that there was more vendor chatter than member chatter. Personally, I saw some of the best pens I have ever seen and the back and forth and congratulatory notes were spot on. In my unscientific view, there were more posts by non-vendor members than by the vendors.

The only thing I would do to improve (and this would help the site as a whole) is to find a photo viewing app/function that lets you see the multiple pen photos submitted by a single penmaker by clicking on a 'next' or 'previous' button in whatever photo is selected. This is done by Woodturning Forums in Australia and many other forums out there.

Other than the above comment, I am quite happy with the 2013 Bash. As a first time participant and lurker, this was an excellent introduction to all the great folks here and a wonderful showcase of their talents.
 
Having the vendor names attached to the contests didn't bother me in the least. I don't see how vendor sponsorship could have possibly affected the interaction between the participants. Unless some of the potential participants decided to boycott the bash because of the sponsorship. I would be surprised if that was a big factor though.

I'm not really sure what type of interaction people were looking for. Trash talking and friendly bantering could have been entertaining for some, but may have been intimidating for others. This was my first bash (I think...memory is going), so maybe I just don't realize what I missed.

I like John's suggestion of a better solution for viewing photos of the entries.

Ed
 
Part of the missing banter was possibly from not posting the pens as they were entered this year. Holding off and posting all of them at once. That will be reviewed and comments from everyone on the effect on the bash will be considered.
 
mredburn said:
Part of the missing banter was possibly from not posting the pens as they were entered this year. Holding off and posting all of them at once. That will be reviewed and comments from everyone on the effect on the bash will be considered.
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There were many complaints about the way it had been done, so, we evaluated it, changed it, tried it. Now we can start the evaluation process over again.:biggrin: We all made a few mistakes(well maybe not ALL, but I sre had a few) we will learn from them and adapt as best we can.
 
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Eventually we will figure it out Landon:biggrin: but it may come down to "6 of one 1/2 a dozen of the other"
 
Does it bother anyone that anything we watch on tv is an advertisement? From product placement, to commercials and company logos on sport jerseys and cars.

If you don't watch tv, drive down the road in your car, do you see any advertisements? Please exclude those that live in the middle of no where.

At the end of the day, if you don't like it, don't buy it.

Personally, I enjoyed the banter with individual vendors during a few of the bash contest. As vendors, they support our community as we support them. Additionally, I believe one of the vendors offered gift cards to other vendors as prizes.

I think the biggest area for improvement going into next year surrounds the pen contests. I recall reading a number of complaints during the Best of IAP contest regarding unnamed judges selecting the best of pens. During the bash, it seems all the photos were held until the close date, published and a few hours later, the top 5 as selected by unnamed judges were posted to a poll for members to vote. We should have transparency if this is the process going forward. Being that we are a member supported community, we should allow out members to select the best entries our members submit.

Thank you vendors for your support this year and remember, the minority is not the majority.
 
I'm new here and considered entering a pen. There were two things that prevented that from happening...

It was just too cold for me to get to the garage and being new, I didn't feel I was qualified to compete with the pens I have seen on here. I have only made one pen, then replicated it in another color scheme.

I did try to complete the puzzles as time permitted. I think I only missed two days of them.
 
fitty said:
Does it bother anyone that anything we watch on tv is an advertisement? From product placement, to commercials and company logos on sport jerseys and cars.

If you don't watch tv, drive down the road in your car, do you see any advertisements? Please exclude those that live in the middle of no where.

At the end of the day, if you don't like it, don't buy it.

Personally, I enjoyed the banter with individual vendors during a few of the bash contest. As vendors, they support our community as we support them. Additionally, I believe one of the vendors offered gift cards to other vendors as prizes.

I think the biggest area for improvement going into next year surrounds the pen contests. I recall reading a number of complaints during the Best of IAP contest regarding unnamed judges selecting the best of pens. During the bash, it seems all the photos were held until the close date, published and a few hours later, the top 5 as selected by unnamed judges were posted to a poll for members to vote. We should have transparency if this is the process going forward. Being that we are a member supported community, we should allow out members to select the best entries our members submit.

Thank you vendors for your support this year and remember, the minority is not the majority.
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If you would, take just a few minutes and consider what it would take to set up a poll for say 47 entries?

Now this is your quote, not mine.

"At the end of the day, if you don't like it, don't buy it." :eek::biggrin:
 
hunter-27 said:
If you would, take just a few minutes and consider what it would take to set up a poll for say 47 entries?

Now this is your quote, not mine.

"At the end of the day, if you don't like it, don't buy it." :eek::biggrin:
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Don't take my comments as a compliant. I realize the effort to organize and coordinate a month long event and appreciate those evolved. I thoroughly enjoy the bash events and fully participate. I was just offering an opinion, not BASHing the events :)
 
Wow, I step away from the computer and look what happens to my thread!:eek:

I just know that I don't envy what the judges have to do. When I look at the pens in one contest I might have one or two favorites but in another contest, I can't narrow it down at all because they are all so good. :smile:

But I still had fun and cannot wait until next year!
 
I too have had so much fun with the BASH this year! I joined IAP right at the start of the BASH last year and enjoyed it too.

I think that all of the contests and the phenomenal pens that are made because people are stepping up to the challenge of entering a contest that they could have felt a little intimidated to enter is perfect! I entered several contests and did not make finals and I understand that feeling of disappointment, but wow, when I look at the finalists, I can see the judge's choices too. I definitely see the need for a group of judges to initially slim down the choices when the pool gets so large.

I really like the anonymity of the entries. I think it encourages people to enter and keeps people voting only for the pens. I also like that they are revealed at the same time. It's exciting! The banter and chatter may have been reduced by this, but the excitement is still there, at least for me! - I guess more so when I have a pen in the ring. The teaser pics may have been a little too small, but they kept us looking at the threads and wondering just how many people might jump in. Perhaps some really blurry photos or redaction or something would get people wondering about them and could possibly get some talking/bantering without a full revelation of the entry. But I really don't know if that would be good or not...

I also like that there are other contests to occupy us like the trivia and puzzles and wood identification… while we are anticipating the revealing of the pen contest entries. They have all been really well done!

Sorry Doug I didn't mean to continue any diversion from your OP, but I can relate with it! I LOVE THE BASH! And, I did my best! And I am proud of my non-finalist entries! And I will compete again next year! Great job everyone!! Thanks!!!


Greg
 
Without Prejudice

Having been a forum member for 5 years, I have not been very active, but I do know many of you personally and I have learned a lot off this forum. For me this has been an awesome bash...my first really.

For those that have had fun, that's what its all about.

For those that submitted entries and are disappointed about not placing. I agree with you that you walked away with a whole new perspective on things and I would suggest you will be a strong contender next year. This forum can teach so much.

For those that like to find fault and criticize people who volunteer to make this event what it is. I say shame on you.

My personal opinion about commercial sponsors and their links....Come on...As Roy mentioned 25 prizes....Who's pocket does that come out of....Not ours!!! Mesquiteman (Curtis) For his efforts and the efforts of all the rest of the sponsors both private and commercial, send me your links you deserve exposure for your efforts. It's the North American way.

I have heard a few comments, that things are not the same as it used to be...go figure, times are changing, but I have made more friends on this forum in the last 30 days than I have in 5 years. I have also renewed many old acquaintances.

For those of you that volunteer your valuable time and efforts, Kudos to you, and if anyone fells like criticizing, perhaps they may like to pony up and volunteer their valuable time or resources next year. I certainly plan to.:biggrin:

Awesome job to you all.

Kindest Regards,

Kevin

PS. Looking forward to next year.

OKLAHOMAN said:
Doug as has been said the learning experience and enjoyment of the bash you'll always have.

Wow! Skip maybe I'm wrong but all we did was supply prizes for the contest, in my case 25 of them and I don't think any of us hawked our sites,or did any advertising other than our signatures which would have been there whenever we posted regardless, but I'm going to suggest to Mike that if we continue to have vendor sponsored contest that the vendor do away with their signature lines.
Would that make it better for you?
Click to expand...
 
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I am a new forum member, and I have been inspired by the various BASH categories to go in the workshop and try something new to me. I may not have entered this year, but I certainly will try next time.

That is surely the aim of a competition - not simply to find 'a winner' and 'lots of losers' but to raise the bar on standards and original thought - and get people out in their workshops, trying something new to them?. We have been fed the 'winning is everything' credo for so long that those who do not win are seen as failures. That is such a cynical, screwed up view on life. The fact is - if you participated - you won!

Kudos to all those who worked in the background to make it happen.
 
I made it to the finals of the Exotic Blanks Advanced Beautiful Pen Contest.
I was absolutely devastated at not reaching the final 3.
I realized, after a day, how lucky I was to reach the finals with my first Kitless pen.
I realized how much I owed to the sponsors and organizers of this competition for lifting me out of my despair at Christmas when one after another failures stood in my way to my dream of a perfect pen 6 months before.
The myriad of homemade taps and dies that refused to work after hours of construction before a pair of "triple starts" finally produced a good body to cap junction, the failed bodies that were not quite concentric, the home made clips that looked just that, the ………………
Then came the BASH.
Spurred on I finally completed my entry. Wherever I had come in the competition, it was the sponsors that had made it possible for me to be tickled pink and immensely proud to carry MY perfect Kitless pen in my shirt pocket.
Many thanks to the sponsors and organizers of this and all the competitions.
Kind Regards,
John
 
This was my first bash as a regular poster, so I can't compare to other years. I thought it went fine.
My only thing was that, although I have only been turning for 4 months, I couldn't enter the beginner contest. Placing a number limit on what a beginner is bumped me up to the intermediate, where people were submitting things way beyond my skill level.
Of course, it won't matter next year, but returning eligibility for the beginner contest to just 6 months or less might be nice.
 
The bash is fun. It happens to probably be the absolute worst month out of the year for me to participate, but I tried to do a little more this year. Between my work being insane and coaching baseball, February is virtually a non-event month for me. I blink and it's gone.

I generally just read when I have a few spare minutes, but got lucky enough this year to be finishing a pen just in time to enter and lose the Exotics Advanced Beautiful Pen contest:biggrin:.

Submitted photos for the match the shop contest and won an awesome box of blanks from GoodTurns.

Bought my first anniversary mug and love it - looks like a hobbit beer mug sorta:biggrin:.
 
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