NO YOU CAN'T WIELD POWER THAT'S CHEATING WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE IMAGINARY RULES I MADE UP!

  • ta00000 [none/use name]
    ·
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    I've been curling in the winter for the last few years, and I guess you could call me a "scrub" in that I'm not "playing to win" so to speak. Recently people have started using stopwatches to measure the precise speed of the rock, which sort of puts a pressure on everyone else to play that way because it gives you an advantage. I don't care about losing but sometimes my team does. Personally, the reason I do curling and no other sports is precisely because it's so un-tryhard and no one is trying to prove anything. If you want to play that way with others who also want to play that way, then have at it, but where does that leave me? Not wanting to make this feel like a job is just as valid. I'm not trying to invalidate your wins but the more pressure you put on to win the stuffier and more unfun the game becomes for me.

    This is particularly raw for me since I was playing a tournament this weekend where I teamed up with a couple out-of-towners who clearly looked down their noses at our dinky curling club. I never advertised myself as a professional curler, yet I found myself getting a dressing down from this smug sanctimonious asshole about how it's bad etiquette to move when someone is trying to throw, and that I should never set up the opponent's rock for them because I could be tampering with it. No, how about fuck that. I've been curling at this club for 5 years. How about I tell you what the etiquette is here? You aren't some authority or better than us because you hale from a fancier curling club. Then after said dressing down he had a temper tantrum and stormed off, because the other team's skip.. leaned over while he was throwing the rock. I don't know, that's not any etiquette I'd like to emulate.

    My point is that an event I look forward to all year was ruined for me by a tryhard asshole telling me my way of playing is wrong, so I guess I'm a "scrub" or whatever I don't care. Where's the sport I'm allowed to participate in without getting browbeaten for not properly researching optimal this or new technique that? It wasn't hockey, it wasn't bowling, it clearly won't be curling for much longer. I've given plenty of space for "tryhards" to do their thing but when do the "scrubs" get to stand their ground and have a silly little game to ourselves?

    I'm not a competitive person. I don't get it. I don't want to be forced to get it. I came here to play a silly friendly game with zero stakes, and stay active??

    Who knows what objective the scrub has, but we know his objective is not truly to win. Yours is. Your objective is good and right and true, and let no one tell you otherwise. You have the power to dispatch those who would tell you otherwise, anyway. Simply beat them.

    I won therefore my opinion is more valid than yours smuglord