for 26 AUG 06: YOU SHOULD BE COMMITTED

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: You may find this item humorous, serious, or a little of both - but we offer these thoughts from time to time, as we keep a seventh-day Sabbath.)

We mentioned the other day that our dream of Power Frisbee goes back many years -- but we decided 2006 finally would be the year to "fish or cut bait," and commit to starting it. Our months of time and effort have included several road trips, to pick up various forms and promote the gane. Is it only coincidence that the price of gasoline has dropped in recent weeks, as we did that?

All we ask in return is that the people and agencies with which we work demonstrate some commitment as well, toward us. Some people and agencies have shown that, and we're very thankful to them. But in other cases, we're sad to report the commitment has been lacking -- and no, it's not simply a "guy thing."

Some agencies and individuals have been reluctant to work with Power Frisbee, simply because we're new. In one case, we were asked to provide three references -- and we weren't even asking the agency for money.

Other agencies and individuals have expressed interest in us, but have not followed through with verbal and written commitments they made. Some have left us hanging for months at a time -- as if they're inspecting us more closely than Phenix City's new hospital.

Some may not have realized Power Frisbee is a season with weekly matches, and players who win one round are expected to compete in the next round. We have a name for this -- the "modified Jeopardy format."

What we've seen in the run-up to Power Frisbee has us wondering if commitment is more of a chronic problem than we realized, across a wide range of society. I mean, it's not like we're trying to arrange a cease-fire force for the Middle East here....

Commitment for us begins with players committed to taking part in Power Frisbee, and dreaming of winning a title. The Northern Little League team has shown that in recent weeks, and will play Saturday for the U.S. championship. We started planning our season much earlier than they did -- and we haven't asked for thousands of dollars in donations, either.

If we make a commitment to Power Frisbee, is it too bold as to ask that others be committed to it as well? We'll see over the next couple of weeks whether the commitment level is there. If not -- well, we may simply change our position and follow the examples of others.

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