R, Cohrs, this is the beginning of understanding. If you truly knew the kindness that Custardchuk shows you by imparting his harsh words, you would tattoo them on your forearm.
I think it was Rosh who said or quoted the statement that a student can never hope to surpass the master; to become an equal with the master would be the highest honor.
Actually, it was not, and I'm not sure I agree with this sentiment. Being a Master of RPS, I have had many students. Not all of them have a real aptitude for the sport, and fewer still "hear the call." The students of whom I am most proud include such greats as Victor "Evil Eye" Richards, Awesomer Thanu, and Fattyus Maximus. The process of educating a gifted student is challenging, yet rewarding beyond compare. Having experienced the process firsthand many times, it is not a simple matter of progression, the student steadily becoming better and better along a linear scale. To me, it is as if my teachings are only a means to get the student on his or her own path, much as Buddhism can be considered "a finger pointing at the moon." A good RPS Master will show you the paths, but not the goal. Many times, my students have entirely different paths to wander, ones on which I never trod! In my training, I seek to bring a player "up to speed" via a series of physical, mental, and spiritual exercises. Along the way they learn strategy and tactics, and I also administer a series of "shocks" (not in the electrical sense, but in the sense of unexpected initiatory experiences) to synergize the process. In short, I have brought my brightest and best students to a place where they can then explore their own destiny in the sport, much as a black belt in the martial arts is to be considered the beginning of true knowledge, not the end. At this point, the student is taught by the Sport itself, and has no further need of my training.
"The master level is also acheivement far above the ordinary."
This could not be more true. True Mastery of RPS means much more than the ability to win matches. Stewardship of the sport is also implied. There are many RPS Masters who do not publicly claim the title; even more are there so-called Masters who have yet to take the first step of Mastery!
"Why waste time learning lesser techniques from pseudo-masters, unless that is the only option you have. If a master wants to charge a huge amount for lessons, then it could of course be a sign of greed, or it could be a way to find out how dedicated a student really is."
I am reminded of a story told by the notorious 20th century mystic/writer/mountain climber/chess savant/occultist/drug addict/RPS guru Aleister Crowley:
GOLD BRICKS
Teach us Your secret, Master! yap my Yahoos.
Then for the hardness of their hearts, and
for the softness of their Heads, I taught
them Magick.
But...alas!
Teach us your real secret, Master! how to become
invisible, how to acquire love, and oh! beyond
all, how to make gold.
But how much gold will you give me for the
Secret of Infinite Riches?
Then said the foremost and most foolish: Master, it
is nothing; but here is an hundred thousand
pounds.
This did I deign to accept, and whispered in his
ear this secret:
A SUCKER IS BORN EVERY MINUTE.
-from The Book of Lies
Crowley's commentary on Mastery is so succint that I will let it pass without comment.
"I'm not that into fast cars, expensive cars, and random hotel bars." - R. Cohrs
I will disagree with Custardchuk here, and confirm that random hotel bars do not, as a rule, tend to advance one in the ways of RPS. However, wandering into
specific hotel bars can pay for one's RPS tuition many times over. I have personally had great success at hotel bars owned by the
Kimpton Group . In particular, Washington DC's
Topaz was the first of the area's RPS "hotspots." The bar was presided over by none other than Jerry "Snaggletooth" Glaab, aka "The Hawaiian Island Hopper," who competed at the SW ProAms the last three years, earning a top 8 spot in 2004. In later years, the Kimpton-owned
Helix came into its own. There was a time where I could walk in any Sunday night and find as many $20 matches as I wanted. One night, I made $80 in five matches, losing none and tying one, against a guy I called "The Whale". He was a RPS Hustler's dream: made of money, a compulsive gambler, and really bad at RPS. No listing of hotel bars would be complete, however, without mention of the
Courtyard Marriott Downtown lounge in Toronto. This historic bar was the location of the first-ever Outreach Conference in 2002. To this day, there is a plaque at the bar signifying the location where Urbanus and I met and discussed Outreach over beer, bar snacks, and women's kickboxing.
"I play at home with friends and online when I can, but from my glimpse of the tournament scene, there's a lot more to the game than that."
You are correct. At the DC Nationals afterparty last year, C. Urbanus noted to wily newcomer "Money" Mark Pilotti "
This is where it really is. You go to the main tournament to try to get into this one." Again, there is so much more to attending a RPS tournament than playing RPS itself. The rewards I have experienced in this arena are so substantial, I have prospered more from them than from playing the sport itself. More about this matter I can not say, but I hope you will, in the not too distant future, take up the mantle of Journeyman and travel to Toronto or another fine city holding an Open RPS tournament. We'll be waiting for you.
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