IT Leadership, Counselling and Execution
Sport and fitness
Why "SquashLeague"?
21/01/16 13:46
I'm sometimes (I'd say "often" but that wouldn't be quite right!) asked "why Squashleague, when you're neither a league or anything to do with squash…?" Well, back in the depths of history (pre-Y2K) I was managing The Metropolitan Club in Portsmouth and looking for something new while my old buddy Martin (he and I go back way, way before even Y2K to TBGS) was breaking in to the brave new world of "computers" and writing database applications for the property management sector that he worked in at the time. He encouraged me to think about doing the same (build a data application) for a space that I knew (hence Squash) and use something called the "internet" - which has, I'm assured, become even more successful than it was in 1998 - to reach customers/consumers.
My vision was that I would offer a place (on the "internet" - I could see that I was going to have to promote that!) where squash leagues would be managed on behalf of the many clubs and centres that, at that time, largely did that through someone with the patience to take down umpteen pinned sheets from a wall each month and work out, from the results, who should be moved up or down in relation to their fellow members. In this new world, next month's league positions would simply be a matter of adding scores from last month and rearranging the array (of players) after applying a mathematical algorithm. I would extend that model so that the sum of the many leagues managed there could not be exposed and players' positions in the super SquashLeague would be determined by everyone's relative performances allowing for, e.g., players to find players of a similar standard when visiting a new town or club.
The service would be free to players, offered with a small charge to the clubs that would use it for managing their leagues and I would make my fortune through it by selling onsite advertising to what was obviously going to be an important, and cash-rich demographic. Easy!
And so the site became an online family album! And even that slipped into disrepair when "cloud" offerings came along and it was not really anything - but I did continue to use the domain as my email address (thanks to Gary) and, when I came to offer myself up as a consultant, it seemed obvious to make use of what I had on the shelf. And that's why SquashLeague! I think I was just early - what do you say?
My vision was that I would offer a place (on the "internet" - I could see that I was going to have to promote that!) where squash leagues would be managed on behalf of the many clubs and centres that, at that time, largely did that through someone with the patience to take down umpteen pinned sheets from a wall each month and work out, from the results, who should be moved up or down in relation to their fellow members. In this new world, next month's league positions would simply be a matter of adding scores from last month and rearranging the array (of players) after applying a mathematical algorithm. I would extend that model so that the sum of the many leagues managed there could not be exposed and players' positions in the super SquashLeague would be determined by everyone's relative performances allowing for, e.g., players to find players of a similar standard when visiting a new town or club.
The service would be free to players, offered with a small charge to the clubs that would use it for managing their leagues and I would make my fortune through it by selling onsite advertising to what was obviously going to be an important, and cash-rich demographic. Easy!
And so the site became an online family album! And even that slipped into disrepair when "cloud" offerings came along and it was not really anything - but I did continue to use the domain as my email address (thanks to Gary) and, when I came to offer myself up as a consultant, it seemed obvious to make use of what I had on the shelf. And that's why SquashLeague! I think I was just early - what do you say?
Here's 2016
18/01/16 12:45
New year and 2016 is my "biggest triathlon" year with a 70.3 (half ironman - lowercase branding) event in May. I haven't done any triathlon for a few years now (I think my last was Brighton or Seaford - both Olympic distance and about 5 years ago) and this one is further than I've ever done with a 2k swim, a 90k ride and a 21k run but I am better prepared and in better shape than I've ever been in. Since last summer, it has been more normal to do some form of exercise than not every day. I've upped the running (from about 150k total in 2014 to about 900k in 2015), re-started my swimming and kept going on the bike. More details will follow as I tell the story but I have the place in the Outlaw Half in May and I will be raising sponsorship in support of Cancer Research.
And, in as good a segue as I can do, it was cancer that did away with David Bowie last week. I could not, and will not try to, match any of the more lucid homages to his talent that are around and I don't go for a lot of public grieving on social media but I will say that he was a genius that, unlike most, will never be seen as tied to any particular time - he and his art (more than music) are time-less and will last.
There will be more business and or technology posts here but, for the moment, welcome to my site - please use the contact form (or any other form of communication!) to let me know what I should discuss here
And, in as good a segue as I can do, it was cancer that did away with David Bowie last week. I could not, and will not try to, match any of the more lucid homages to his talent that are around and I don't go for a lot of public grieving on social media but I will say that he was a genius that, unlike most, will never be seen as tied to any particular time - he and his art (more than music) are time-less and will last.
There will be more business and or technology posts here but, for the moment, welcome to my site - please use the contact form (or any other form of communication!) to let me know what I should discuss here