6 minute read
Building a World-Class Event
How the USCA Built a Plan and Team to Host the 2024 WCF GC World Championship
By Dylan Goodwin | Photo: 2024 Michael D Shreaves
HOSTING GC WORLDS WAS NO SMALL FEAT FOR THE USCA AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY CROQUET CLUB (CBCC), BUT WITH A DEDICATED TEAM, METICULOUS PLANNING AND ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT, THE EVENT WAS A REMARKABLE SUCCESS AND SET NEW STANDARDS FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HOSTING. HELD AT THE SCENIC CBCC NEAR HARTFIELD, VA., THE CHAMPIONSHIP RAN FROM OCTOBER 13-26, FEATURING A QUALIFYING EVENT DURING THE FIRST FOUR DAYS THAT OFFERED SPOTS IN THE MAIN EVENT FOR THE TOP SEVEN FINISHERS.
For the scale of the tournament, the journey from planning to execution featured logistical challenges, unexpected hurdles and memorable highlights. For co-tournament director Bev Cardo, organizing an international event of this caliber began with comprehensive planning. “Our first step in meeting the challenges of organizing such an event of this magnitude was coming up with a structured plan,” Cardo says. “Our committee was small, so each person contributed greatly in the area that they were assigned.” The meticulous planning included everything from designing the event’s logo to arranging site logistics and recruiting top referees.
Cardo says, “We also worked to put in place a solid volunteer base. We held regular Zoom meetings and kept planning notes that were revised after each meeting. This planning process was all-consuming, but we worked together as a team and quickly learned that we could rely on each other to put forth our best efforts to get the job done. Once on the site of Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club, the set-up phase began and we were able to see the plan come to fruition. The USCA brought in tenting and portable toilets. CBCC installed the required fencing and built a stage for the opening ceremony, as well as a media booth for live streaming. Our extended team of volunteers, referees, and camera crew showed up from all over the country and it was inspiring to watch the place come alive.”
One of the event’s most critical aspects was creating a welcoming environment for international players and local attendees. The USCA hosted a pop-up tent as the central information hub, where players could collect their welcome packet (with the Croquet News official event preview), gear and other essentials. Social events further fostered camaraderie, starting with a mixer after the Opening Ceremony and a Players’ Dinner featuring croquetthemed trivia. The atmosphere was the result of ongoing teamwork and a strong volunteer base that helped keep the tournament running smoothly. “It was inspiring to watch the place come alive. Everyone embraced the event with enthusiasm as we welcomed our croquet friends from around the world,” Cardo says.
USCA President Damon Bidencope noted the significant role of the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club’s facilities in ensuring the tournament’s success. With 24 croquet lawns spread across a beautiful landscape, players were welcomed with flags from 17 nations. The scenic setting combined with tight hoops challenged competitors’ skills, offering a premier stage for toptier play. Bidencope says, “Allowing our top players exposure to the world’s elite was a significant goal,” and CBCC’s facilities allowed 80 participants in the main event, including 19 U.S. players, with four of those coming through the qualifier.
The scale of the event required logistical support beyond CBCC’s usual capacity, leading the USCA to mobilize roughly 50 volunteers and officials — traveling to Virginia at considerable personal expense to make the event a success.
“The USCA had to rent several tents, erect safety fencing and supplement changing room and bathroom facilities to ensure the venue could accommodate this event,” says Bidencope. “Several years of careful financial planning was needed for the USCA to be in a position to underwrite the substantial expense of facility-related costs and event expenses. The end result was most successful. All USCA members can be proud that we showcased the sport at a top level.”
His experience underscores the importance of being adaptable and ready to manage players’ needs equitably while keeping the larger tournament structure in focus. Through it all, Soo notes that his assistant managers, Rocky and Elaine Smith, worked tirelessly to keep the event on track.
He also notes the early challenges in lawn preparation, that required USCA personnel to step in and support CBCC’s grounds crew. He says the flexibility and problem-solving of the event’s co-chairs, Cardo and Michael Albert, were pivotal in overcoming these challenges and delivering a seamless experience.
In the end, Soo was happy to get to the finish line without any major missteps. He says, “We did get a lot of nice comments from players, which I hope is representative of the group as a whole.”
A CHAMPIONSHIP TO REMEMBER
Many of the players and attendees noted the sizeable volunteer and referee staff the USCA and CBCC assembled for the event. The entire world of croquet players and supporters is grateful for their efforts because it made for a wonderful tournament overall. In addition, the USCA YouTube Channel video team also deserves recognition and praise for working diligently to make this tournament available to the world and for preserving croquet world championship history in video.
Going forward, Bidencope says the USCA aims to leverage this momentum to grow the sport at the grassroots level and among young players. “Through our USCA YouTube Channel it is possible for grassroots and younger players to visualize and model great talent. The USCA invested considerable funding for this event so that content from many matches could be shared across the country and promote interest and growth in the sport. I am sure that any young aspiring player can watch Blake’s 7-0 win in the fifth game decider against the top ranked player in the world and be excited and motivated by the grit and superb performance.”
Looking ahead, the USCA hopes to continue to build on the momentum of hosting GC Worlds in the U.S. with events like the inaugural U.S. Open GC tournament in January 2025, the U21 GC Championship in April 2025 and fielding a strong team at the Openshaw Shield World Team GC Championship to be held in February in Tasmania.
