Why MSSA's Free State Championships are important.

MSSA's 2017 Protea Team that attended IESF's 9th World championships - Busan.

Of course every championship is important when it comes to evaluating just how good a team's training sessions are.

It is only in true competition that teams are able to judge how far they have come, and if honest with themselves, how much further they have to go.

But why is the Free State Championship so important?

For a start, the Free State Championships is the furthest  away from Mind Sports South Africa's 2019 National Team Trials. This means that the pressure is off. Team managers/captains are afforded the opportunity to try out new tactics and new strategies. Such new ideas could lead to better gameplay leading up to the prestigious S A National Championships in December and to the 2019 National Team Trials.

Secondly, team managers/captains may also experiment with the very composition of its teams. 

Should a club have a larger pool of players, not only will a club be able to deliver its best possible team to MSSA's 2019 National Team Trials, but will also promote depth and competitiveness in the club itself.

For any club to survive from year-to-year, a club needs to be competitive and to have a number of athlete.

Thirdly, by participating at MSSA's Free State Championships, a team is able to set up a track record of just how it performs over the year. Such track record is important for the Selection Committee to evaluate the overall performance of the teams under review. Another important tool in this regard is a team's participation in MSSA's Ladders.

Thus any team even remotely interested in qualifying for MSSA's 2019 National Team Trials should therefore seriously consider participating in MSSA's Free State Championships as selection to the national team is often a long term goal that is to be taken very seriously.