an open letter from G-tac

Mrs MaxForce

A post we did not want to have to write

In relation to the removal of a thread, we here at G-tac reported the post to a moderator who saw fit to remove it .we felt on our behalf that with in this thread it was all derogatory and inflaming and verging on deformation towards us .The Gathering was devised to bring Airsoft together in Ireland which I think was achieved .The thing that is annoying us is an individual is thanking us on or own thread and then instigating other posts then.
Also while on the issues on safety, lets discuss 4 players that arrived on to our site 4 hours early prior to the established and well published proper arrival time and then proceeded to go into our game zone without registering and croning of their guns. And even before the arrival of the event organisers, with the result that we got an irate phone call from the landowner wanting to know what was going on. They then had to brought out of the game zone by a local who knew the way.
If a person, person’s had an issue with any game ie.night game then you should have shown professional courtesy as a site owner and come to us we all welcome constructive criticism that is the way we can learn from each other and improve, the way that this has been gone about is publicly putting us down and we wont stand for this and we would consider this slanderous and we will take it futher if it does not stop.
There was mistakes made and as a community we can learn from them ,Apologies have been issued and made and have been accepted, it is now time to get over it, after all is it not adults we are not 8 year olds squabbling in a playground. We need to stick together not tear one another apart.
Regards Evelyn and Martin

kdouglas

I'd just like to say yourself and Martin did an excellent Job at the weekend, I've organised non-airsoft events on a similar scale before and alot of people don't have any idea how much work goes into organising an event and instead of being helpful all they can do is sit back and moan and point fingers.

I applaude you both and on behalf of the majority who attended and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, again, Thank You.

There is always the few who will bitch and moan and offer nothing constructive, do not let them get to you.

cpb

Congrats on a great event, unfortunately those that lead the way are often criticised and in this instance you both deserve nothing but thanks from the Irish airsoft community. Well done again.

zero19

I enjoyed my first airsoft event thoroughly, found everyone helpful and the only downer i had about it all was that bloody cold night was probably my worst nights sleep ever, of course G-tac can't control the weather so what more can you say about that! lol Thanks to the Maxforces for putting the work into the event!

gandalf

Evelyn and Martin I said it in the main thread and I will say it here that was the best organised skirmish I have been at, the marshalling, the management of the safe zone and cronoing was top knotch. Don't mind the begrudgers.

Hopefully whoever takes the torch from you for the next gathering will learn from the organisation of this one and it will be a great success also.

weeder

well i can own up for arriving 4 hours early down to poor time management skills and apologise for this(we had a camper),i had a look around without entering the game zone,anyway there was a group of 4 and one fellow on his own i think its the group of 4 that antered the gamezone together as i was talking to the guy on his own and looking at his guns. none the less i thought it was a great even and i dont think it would be quite the same at any other skirmish site ive been to given the size of gtac and the hospitality i got from martin and evylin

Masada

what really bugs me is these same little pr*cks are so vocal when there behind the puter screen talking cr*p but they were at the event like the rest of us, if they had a problem they should have raised it there and then., also some of them that are making there thoughts known wernt even at the event!
To Mr and Mrs Maxforce, id say congratulations on running the best airsoft game ive had yet,., I know its pretty far away from dublin but as Arnie once said, "I'll be back!". Dont lower your intelect by letting these ar*eholes get to ya.,

Thanks again,
Richie,

Fallschirmjager

bravo Mr & Mrs Maxforce...some people here dont realise the effort involved in an event this size.

it is very easy to sit on the sidelines and point and tut tut. Get involved in the next one, and i dont mean a casual involved in responding to a thread, GET INVOLVED. Everyone has the right to complain, but a complaint needs action...if you feel someone is doing it wrong, step up to the plate....

this event had super organisation. By way of example i have played abroad and you have marshalls pointing out non existent infractions and totally screwing up games. every game i played, g-tac were visible, yet unobtrusive. that is excellent marshalling...and for anyone in case you dont know...its friggen tough to get that right -really really tough.

G-tac, took all this on, ALL of it...i think a little appreciation might not go astray, and with appreciation it is not appreciation if you use HOWEVER or BUTS....

Personally, it was one of the best airsoft events i have been to in a long long time and was easily on par with foreign events that cost a lot more.

and by way of clarification, i need to set the record straight.

when this started, i asked the IAA did they want to present and i am going to divulge some private info here so i hope they will forgive me...

when i asked, the IAA was very very concerned that it would appear that this event was being taken over as a way of getting members. Imagine that?

Others PMed me saying they didnt like the idea of the IAA presenting or the initial idea of the shops selling AEG's at the event. others wanted a full blown European wide marketing blitz...

So the IAA decide to keep a low presence and now the complaint is they should have been presenting? I talked with people who had wished they could have bought aeg's or kit at the gathering. So i hope you see the issue..no matter what the decision, accept it you are making the wrong decision to someone. In every airsoft event there are things you like and dont like. Such is life. If you feel face masks were needed, wear one. if you feel uncomfortable playing with others not wearing masks..dont play. you can DECIDE yourself.

so i am now saying directly to people who feel somehow aggrieved, i dont doubt how sincerely you feel...but its time for action

Time ladies and gentlemen, to stand up to the plate..get involved

let me ask you this question..if you were setting up a site and read the complaints, would you honestly want to host 'the gathering part 2'?

if you are concerned about safety and are an expert in it...GET INVOLVED
if you feel the Gathering could be done better...GET INVOLVED

stop sitting it out, waiting for other to do something for you..

by way of finishing...every thing you write here is read by people very unfriendly to airsoft...

so to modify a great generals speech

You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did for airsoft before it became the biggest sport in ireland, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, "Well, your Granddaddy shoveled sh1t on boards.ie."


edit: one final note as this has bugged me : This game was all about prebooking. If you booked and didnt turn up, i certainly hope you will pay g-tac regardless. you gave a committment and the honour & code in airsoft extends far beyond bb hits.

Fallschirmjager

gandalf wrote: »

Evelyn and Martin I said it in the main thread and I will say it here that was the best organised skirmish I have been at, the marshalling, the management of the safe zone and cronoing was top knotch. Don't mind the begrudgers.

Hopefully whoever takes the torch from you for the next gathering will learn from the organisation of this one and it will be a great success also.

bingo....i second what Gandalf is saying...

Evolute

gandalf wrote: »

Evelyn and Martin I said it in the main thread and I will say it here that was the best organised skirmish I have been at, the marshalling, the management of the safe zone and cronoing was top knotch. Don't mind the begrudgers.

Hopefully whoever takes the torch from you for the next gathering will learn from the organisation of this one and it will be a great success also.

Yep it was bloody amazing and I would love to drop down on a regular basis I enjoyed it so much:D:D Possibly every 2 months or so and its no small trip either

Just want to say congratulations on making the event a success and nevermind the hiccups because for the first one in the republic ever I think it went very well and dont even listen to the moany people. The internet is full of them and its great because you can ignore them:D:D

Thanks again for a excellent weekend

Boston

Fallschirmjager wrote: »

if you are concerned about safety and are an expert in it...GET INVOLVED
if you feel the Gathering could be done better...GET INVOLVED

stop sitting it out, waiting for other to do something for you..

I'm reminded of a quote

"I can't be arsed doing what you do, but if I did do it, I'd do it better then you".

There will aways be detractors.

TheDoc

to the maxies

i wouldnt let anything get you down, everyone ive talked to loved the event, and any issues that arose where down to certain individuals, who made apologies.

for some unknown reason random people are posting ****e about little incidents.

i think some people need to just get a tissue and whipe their tears and get over it

i wasnt even at the event, but to me there are alot of cry babies, and stuck up their own arse folks around here.

Mr. and Mrs. Maxforce delivered their promise and ran a good event so ive being told, and it was after game activities that are gathering the attention, not the gathering itself.

and im kinda sick of logging onto the forum to find new topics not about a sexy new aeg, but some tool trying to sound great by having a debate about safety cause a pistol discharged in a tent zone, yes the guy who posted yesterday talking bout you.

get over it seriously, stop cluttering the board with ****e, if you have a problem go pm/email someone about it and stop wasting forum space.

to mr and mrs maxforce, ive organised some computer gaming events myself, and golf outings, so i know the effort involved and the planning, and you always get moaners, but if no one has come to you with constructive critiscm, or suggestions, then you had a great event and dont let anyone think otherwise.


and sorry to be an anal prik but i cant help it.... you wouldnt have any grounds for a slander case, as any implications made against the event where singled out to individual behaviour outside of your control and your character hasnt being directly or indirectly attacked

thank you 2 1/2 exam on defamatory yesterday :P

so on a final note, can everyone whose thinking about posting a topic with some sort of negetive aspect surrounding the gathering, or some amazing suggestion to improve safety ( toy guns, get real a pen lid could take your eye out)

could you kindly **** off to pms, emails or mirc and let me read something interesting here

seems alot of airsofters have been living in cotton wool in their own little world for along time

kevteljeur

I've said it before and I'll say it again; it's the 1% that ruins it for everyone. The other 99% had a good time, and are still saying so, and likely will be back for more. The 1% might make it look otherwise, but pay no heed. They don't reflect general opinion. You'll see them cause trouble in other threads here, rehashing the same old, same old - if it's of any consolation, many people are raging about the comments made disparaging The Gathering, it's organisers and other people who were there.

I'll be back to G-Tac for more of the same, thanks again for organising and running a great weekend.

Stercus Accidit

I thought the chronoing, the tagging of chronoed aegs, the bold signs informing people to put on safe and remove mags, the bold signs stating you were entering a safe zone, the strict rules layed down about eye protection, maps given out all were all signs of a well planned event.

I was very impressed.


I would definitely camp down there again, who's up for it?

Killinator

gandalf wrote: »

Hopefully whoever takes the torch from you for the next gathering

i dont think the torch needs passing on:D

CrazyRabbit

You know, as I look through all the recent threads about this event, one thing comes to mind. Improved communications by individuals and groups would have eliminated 99% of the complaints and bickering.

Some suggestions (and in no way meant as negative criticism):

1. If they IAA wants to keep a low profile at an event, or make their presence known...announce it in advance. If you don't, some people will complain about the lack of presence, or complain about the percieved 'hogging of the limelight'. The only 'win' situation is to communicate intentions and reasons in advance. Everything must be out in the open.

2. If you see someone doing something they shouldn't at an event/skirmish, bring it to the attention of the marshals. Do not try to marshal if you are not one!

3. If you disagree with a marshal, bring it to the attention of the site owner...and I don't mean 3 days later in a thread on boards.ie. Accept their decision. Life's too short to be arguing over something will be forgotten in 2 weeks time.

4. If you see a marshal doing something they shouldn't, bring it to the attention of the site owner. Don't try to marshal a marshal.

5. Written words rarely truly convey the full meaning of the average writer. And indeed in many cases, the written word can be interpreted in a way that is very different than was intended by the writer. Keep this in mind when reading posts, and before replying.

5a. Before clicking the 'Submit' button, read your own posts once or twice and check for words/phrases/comments that could be misinterpreted. And can you write the same thing in a more neutral or positive way? Positive posts will have far more sway than negative posts (which can put people on the defensive)

6. Before posting here or on other Irish airsoft-related forums, remember that they are publicly accessable sites. Immature, argumentative, trolling, childish posts cast a very dark shadow over a sport that is desparately trying to show itself as being played by responsible mature people who are cabable of self-regulating the sport.

7. If you have a complaint about a person, group etc, try bringing to to their attention in a PM or private email first. You'll usually get a much better response since you will not be percieved as publicly bashing the person/group. (I'm guilty of not following this advice in the past!) Just because you can post complaints in a public forum, doesn't mean that you should.

8. Life is too short to hold a grudge. If there is someone you don't get along with, then ingore them & their posts on forums. Is a confrontation with them really worth it? Remember, we have a lot of different personalities around here now. Many of whom would probably not 'hang out' with each other had they not shared a common love of airsoft. This will lead to personality clashes. Deal with it...get over it...move on.

Masada

jeez teres a lot of reading in here,.,lol

not really the place for it but has anyone credited FALLS with comming up with the idea for this event? i know we thanked everyone else involved but wasnt it himself that first thought of it? if so, Cheers man.,

Hivemind187

vtec wrote: »

jeez teres a lot of reading in here,.,lol

not really the place for it but has anyone credited FALLS with comming up with the idea for this event? i know we thanked everyone else involved but wasnt it himself that first thought of it? if so, Cheers man.,

+1

Stercus Accidit

+1 thanks to fallshirmjager

SniperSight

Actually, to my shame I dont believe I have. Nice one Falls.

Oh and to the Maxforces my impression of the event was brilliantly run like all other skirmishes I've been to at G-TAC.

iceage

Das Crazy Ribbits guy is just way to sensible...think I asked before, Crazy are you a member of the I.A.A? This is purely a curious question, with nothing attached..

Oh and Falls, a brilliant idea, a great opportunity to get Airsofters together. Nice one

Hivemind187

iceage wrote: »

Das Crazy Ribbits guy is just way to sensible...think I asked before, Crazy are you a member of the I.A.A? This is purely a curious question, with nothing attached..

Yes. Rabbit FINALLY joined up a couple of months back

First one to pay his fee to I believe.

iceage

Nice one, while we're all giving it plenty in here, for what ever reason, C.R. just seems to take a step back from the fray, then returns with sound reasoning....like it. Keep up the reasoning:D

Must dig out my membership No. and do the same, its around here somewhere I'm sure.....

Fallschirmjager

much and all as i would greatly love the praise...it would be stealing from g-tac.


if you need to thank anyone, g-tac is the place.

and anyways i was playing the best game in the world on a great site with great players....lets be honest, suiting up, getting ready to play...tons of players...pulling on your goggles, clipping that mag and the kachunk as it locks, the faint sound as you move off safety, grouping in teams, depending on people you barely know to cover your flank, as you cover theirs....the sound in your mask, the fogging goggles, the crackle of your radio, the thump of an aeg, that pants pissing zip zip zip of a stream of bb's lasering past....looking down the sight and cursing you didnt align it as well as you should...

does all the bull**** on these boards doesnt really matter when you think about it that way?? thats what makes me laugh about people who say its childish or stupid or dumb, the only answer is..you havent actually played it have you??

i quite frankly have never met anyone who hasnt tried a great game on a site like gtac that has come out and said...nah, thats crap...

i think what people are forgetting while moaning here...its about the game, its always about the game...everything else is just a means to an end. if someone says or does something to inhibit that for whatever reason, in my book, they should just fuk off and play golf...

well thats what i think anyways....

jeasus that was very deep dont you think?

CrazyRabbit

Hivemind187 wrote: »

Yes. Rabbit FINALLY joined up a couple of months back

First one to pay his fee to I believe.

Hehe, yeah, I had the membership form for about 5 months. And since I was the 1st to actually pay for membership, I guess that makes me officially the first member of the IAA!