Feet is officially unofficial

[ImmolatedMarmoset]

Why is the WCA removing feet? I don't do the event, but I can't really think of a good reason that it should be removed.

Same here. There’s a vocal minority, and many of the higher-ups in the WCA just plain don’t like it. It shouldn’t be removed, so we need to show that we don’t want it removed.

 

[Sub1Hour]

I personally agree with the idea of having a tiered event list. Have the current 17 events in the WCA as the first tier, then add a second tier for other events that could be added. For example, the second tier might start with let's say 7 events. Team blind, Square 2, Kilominx, Redi Cube, Bump Cube, Curvy Copter, and Master Pyraminx. Each event gets tried in a geographic area somewhere, let's say the US. CubingUSA Recognises 7 regions in the US and they all have their own championship annually. Assign each area a tier 2 event to have the delegates and organizers report on and to keep track of how the events do. All tier 2 events can still be held anywhere but the event your area is assigned will be held more frequently and will also be closely tracked for the success of the event. When the next world championship comes around, all 7 events are held. Then the community competes in all of the events and then the rest stay tier 2. Perhaps a vote is made to decide what events to add to tier 2 and then they are tested and tried. This is a good way to keep the community involved and also to maybe reintroduce feet to the WCA.

 

[One Wheel]

I give it five years: either the WCA will see the deep errors they made in this decision and reverse it, or the organization will no longer exist. Hopefully the former, if not then hopefully it is replaced by a better, more accountable organization.

 

[One Wheel]

I personally agree with the idea of having a tiered event list. Have the current 17 events in the WCA as the first tier, then add a second tier for other events that could be added. For example, the second tier might start with let's say 7 events. Team blind, Square 2, Kilominx, Redi Cube, Bump Cube, Curvy Copter, and Master Pyraminx. Each event gets tried in a geographic area somewhere, let's say the US. CubingUSA Recognises 7 regions in the US and they all have their own championship annually. Assign each area a tier 2 event to have the delegates and organizers report on and to keep track of how the events do. All tier 2 events can still be held anywhere but the event your area is assigned will be held more frequently and will also be closely tracked for the success of the event. When the next world championship comes around, all 7 events are held. Then the community competes in all of the events and then the rest stay tier 2. Perhaps a vote is made to decide what events to add to tier 2 and then they are tested and tried. This is a good way to keep the community involved and also to maybe reintroduce feet to the WCA.

1. Your list of tier-2 events does not include Feet, every other proposal I have seen for tiers has included Feet, and some have 5BLD and 7x7 as well.
2. Square-2 and Bump Cube? The rest of your list seems ok, if you add Feet, except that that’s a lot of events.
3. Part of the reasoning behind taking out Feet is ostensibly to reduce the workload of the organizers of major competitions. Adding a bunch of new tier-2 events that have to be held at world championships goes against that idea.
4. The idea of regions isn’t terrible, but there is already regional variation in the popularity of events. Doing an event primarily in one region is not a good way to get an idea of potential global popularity.

 

[qwr]

My impression is that the public's curiosity and fascination with the novelty of 3x3 with feet outweighs any mild disgust factors.
Again "the public" doesn't even know the WCA exists. If your competition doesn't want to hold feet then it doesn't have to. But don't ruin it for other people who enjoy it.

 

[highnickk]

feet doesn't deserve this

 

[One Wheel]

My impression is that the public's curiosity and fascination with the novelty of 3x3 with feet outweighs any mild disgust factors.

That is absolutely my experience. I have a neighbor who has no interest in Rubik’s cubes but lives near the venue for my competition yesterday. She didn’t come to see what was going on, but I mentioned it to her and she looked up the schedule. If the weather hadn’t gotten bad she said that she intended to come for the last couple of hours to see Feet and 4BLD. 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, OH, and Skewb were also on the schedule.

 

[Sion]

In memory of feet. We will always remember you

 

[Parity Nightmare]

RIPWD
Rest in Peace With Daniel

 

[Sion]

That seems a bit grave for a rather niche event that a devoted handful of people practiced. I disagree with the removal of feet, but the WCA being replaced because of one partially controversial decision is a bit melodramatic and arguably a bit militant in nature.

 

[kubesolver]

My impression is that the public's curiosity and fascination with the novelty of 3x3 with feet outweighs any mild disgust factors.

And my impression is that the public's disgust of 3x3 with feet outweighs any mild curiosity and fascination with the novelty factor.

 

[RyanP12]

At 3 AM PST On January 1st, all permanently inhabited areas of the Earth will have been shot into the new decade, at 3AM PST, is when Feet is officially not an event all over the world.
Here Lies
Feet
2005-2020

 

[One Wheel]

For people saying that the WCA is doomed for removing feet:

That seems a bit grave for a rather niche event that a devoted handful of people practiced. I disagree with the removal of feet, but the WCA being replaced because of one partially controversial decision is a bit melodramatic and arguably a bit militant in nature.

I get it’s novelty, as I started practicing it last year myself; it is fun. However, to suggest that the whole organization would collapse because of it is sad. I’d get it if they removed 3x3 or prohibited stickerless cubes again, but removing feet seems like it would only have a marginal impact.

The significant issue is not the removal of Feet, but the lack of responsiveness to the community that it shows.

And my impression is that the public's disgust of 3x3 with feet outweighs any mild curiosity and fascination with the novelty factor.

Do you have more than your abstract impression? Concrete examples perhaps?

 

[Apolo]

I give it five years: either the WCA will see the deep errors they made in this decision and reverse it, or the organization will no longer exist. Hopefully the former, if not then hopefully it is replaced by a better, more accountable organization.

wtf

 

[One Wheel]

wtf

Removing feet is a bad decision, but it is symptomatic of MUCH deeper problems in the governance of the WCA.

 

[Competition Cuber]

Removing feet is a bad decision, but it is symptomatic of MUCH deeper problems in the governance of the WCA.

Like what? Examples please.

 

[One Wheel]

Like what? Examples please.

The WCA claimed that they were listening to the community, but still refuses to hold a community-wide poll. They even refuse to hold a new poll of delegates even though the delegate poll that supported removing Feet BY A SINGLE VOTE is over a year old. Most significantly, only the innermost of the inner circle of the WCA has any say about who is on the board and what policies are enacted. Even candidates for the board have to be approved by the board. Feet is relatively insignificant, but it’s removal has brought to light the fact that if 4 people decided to change the mission of the WCA from promoting cubing to promoting something truly heinous, then the 100,000+ people who have invested in the WCA would have absolutely no recourse.

 

[Sion]

Feet is relatively insignificant, but it’s removal has brought to light the fact that if 4 people decided to change the mission of the WCA from promoting cubing to promoting something truly heinous, then the 100,000+ people who have invested in the WCA would have absolutely no recourse.

I’ll be very frank. Before feet was going to be removed, I only saw it as a small unique novelty, and I am very confident many other members saw it in the same light. It only seemed like feet was actually cared about when it was announced it was going to be removed.

You make it seem like this is in the middle of happening instead of a hypothetical based on a decision that clearly wasn’t spontaneous. The fact you compare the removal of feet to something “truly heinous” as if these decisions would be weighted equally seems more like you are fear-mongering more than you are criticizing the WCA.

It’s like you treat the WCA as if it were some major organization more than it is about a small organization focused around a hobby that revolves around a very unique talent. I disagree with the removal of any event, but I also disagree with your rationale that this is an abuse of power that has the power to destroy the fabric of the hobby. It won’t.

Sorry if I got too heated, but I felt like I had to say this.

 

[One Wheel]

I’ll be very frank. Before feet was going to be removed, I only saw it as a small unique novelty, and I am very confident many other members saw it in the same light. It only seemed like feet was actually cared about when it was announced it was going to be removed.

You make it seem like this is in the middle of happening instead of a hypothetical based on a decision that clearly wasn’t spontaneous. The fact you compare the removal of feet to something “truly heinous” as if these decisions would be weighted equally seems more like you are fear-mongering more than you are criticizing the WCA.

It’s like you treat the WCA as if it were some major organization more than it is about a small organization focused around a hobby that revolves around a very unique talent. I disagree with the removal of any event, but I also disagree with your rationale that this is an abuse of power that has the power to destroy the fabric of the hobby. It won’t.

Sorry if I got too heated, but I felt like I had to say this.

The WCA is a worldwide organization with tens of thousands of active members. In the grand scheme of things that is a fairly niche hobby, but it’s big enough that it can’t easily be supplanted. If there are more than 2 or 3 people in an organization there should be a process for both bottom-up and top-down accountability. Right now it only goes top-down in the WCA.

Edit to add: as far as people not caring until it was being removed, I think there are two reasons for that. First, I think very few people took seriously the idea that an established, unique, and vibrant event would actually be removed. Second, like cubing, Feet is something that seems silly until you try it. Granted, even some people who try it don’t like it, but that seems to be a pretty small minority.

 

[One Wheel]

The WCA is the only organization other than the RSA (which is far more limited in terms of its events and sponsored by Rubik’s.)

Be happy the WCA exists at all and gives the community an opportunity to document records and host events, regardless if it’s top down or bottom up. The next best alternative is having 3x3 events be documented by the RSA and for literally every other non 3x3 relate event be hosted at unofficial competitions with private solves documented by Guinness however that would work, which would completely steal the soul out of cubing.

Yes, they made a small slip up, but don’t take them for granted because they are the only ones giving you this chance at all. Look at all the other events they offer.

There is also Red Bull, but that is also very limited. You are right that as far as events WCA is still the best by a long shot, though.

I do not want the WCA replaced, I want the WCA reformed. If it does not reform it will die on its own, and that would be even more sad for cubing than removing Feet is, unless it is immediately replaced by a better organization.