New Year's Revolution is Upon Us!

by Kris Sonsteby, Staff Writer

3rd December 2010

Over the past four years, the Second Edition players from Minnesota and our neighboring states have managed to keep at least one life-changing New Year's Resolution: to do all we can in one day to help those that are less fortunate. While several of these kind-hearted "frozen chosen" offer assistance throughout the year individually, collectively we have all played a role in an ongoing miracle simply by getting together on New Year’s Day to play the game we love. Now you too can pitch in, as we cordially invite anyone who can to join us at the 5th Annual FMSC New Year’s Day Charity Draft tournament!

Now entering its fifth consecutive year, this sealed deck event had its humble beginnings in January of 2007 when, following a successful title run at the August 2006 World Championships, Caleb Grace took it upon himself to use his card-related winnings for the greater good. In what can only be classified as a tremendous outpouring of support, more than 20 "retired," "semi-retired," and "active" players showed up to throw down a handful of games, and in the process ended up raising just over $500 for Feed My Starving Children. To learn more about this amazing social assistance organization -- or to donate -- please visit their website.

Following the rousing success of that first tournament, the Minnesota area 'trek player base has kept the New Year's Day tradition alive and raised, through the consistent generosity of the attendees and the spontaneous format improvisation of the tournament directors, a little over $3,650 in total for FMSC. Now, with the previously-inconceivable $5,000 mark within sight, we're asking the global player base to help us make someone's holiday wish come true and to have a great time with us in the process! While attendees are encouraged to make a $20 donation at registration to cover the product expenses and to help us reach this collective $5,000 goal, there are no explicit fees to participate in this event. Any amount that can be spared will gladly be accepted and passed on to Feed My Starving Children once the overhead expenses are covered. So, without further preamble, here are the tournament's specifics and details regarding the "house rules." To pre-register for this event, please click here.

Taking place again this year at Outpost 2000 and Beyond in Coon Rapids, Minnesota at 12 p.m. on 1/1/11, the "house rules" for this once-a-year tournament are fairly simple... just about anything goes! For those seeking a clearer definition, stipulations for this event are as follows:

(1) There will be no headquarters reporting restrictions. That means your drafted card pool and your imagination are the only limiting factors when determining who'll attempt missions. Just be mindful that ship-staffing requirements will remain enforced, so a Klingon, Denobulan, and a pair of Ferengi piloting a Borg Sphere will have to occur another day.

(2) Round-by-round pairings will be anything but random. Which means from the first through the final round, attendees will have the opportunity to bid their way into, or out of, a game against any non-previously played opponent, from a former World Champion to a best friend, or both. Also worth mentioning, as part of the annual "To Be the Man, You Gotta Beat the Man" Challenge, any participant to face and defeat a former World Champion over the course of the day will win a boat-load of prizes! Also, as a directly intended consequence of this stipulation, players may additionally donate to pair up their friends and rivals with other attendees, so remember to bring a few extra bucks to ensure you get your shot at a former World Champion or to toss your rival under the bus by pairing him or her up with one. Either way, it's perfectly legal, because on this day, everybody's got a price!

So, if you're looking to make New Year's plans that will be both heart-warming and hilarious, head north to Minnesota and help us help others this holiday season through our 5th Annual Feed My Starving Children Charity Draft. When it comes to New Year's Revolution, you gotta be there!

-djl-