And the Scoresheets

The Scoresheets indicate the following:

1. We lost both rounds - resoundingly...by 150 & 100 points respectively. We must have finished amongst the last 3 teams out of 20...
2. Our mem got a 111 out of 200. The 1st team we lost to (Say Team X) got 156. If I asked a 5 year old to take a stick and make designs in the sand on Marina, there's more likelihood of those designs getting a 156...
3. Team Y (the 2nd team we lost to) got a 110, and I think they got a raw deal too.

On Sunday morning, I was just low to be honest. Now I'm just pissed. Even objectively, I'd put my neck on the line and say we could have hit the QFs at the very least of Washington with our arguments. I have never felt as close to saying "Guys, we've cracked the problem" as with this one...

We looked at everything. How to read one treaty into another, how not to read them. How to trace custom, how to seize the court appropriately. How to avoid counterclaims, how to prove valid countermeasures....EVERY GODDAMN THING and Team X which says the de lege lata norms of the '61 convention apply to international orgs beats us??? A team which doesn't know what its jurisdiction is..whether 36(1) or 36(2) wins the competition???

One of the judges (and I'm pretty sure I know which one - LLM student, no speako English, no can spell law of international peeepoools) gave both APR and me a 30!!! He asked me one question which neither me nor APR nor DM nor the opposing team nor his fellow judges could understand. When I say that, I refer not to the relevance of the question alone, but the words included...

This isn't worth my time....

The End

28 January 2007 10:38 am
Madras

And so down comes the curtain on my mooting career, seemingly with lead laden frills – so resounding was the sound. The moment we finished that first round, I think we all knew we were in trouble. Here’s the hard part: we lost to a team whose merits argument was the 1961 convention.

I can’t really say whether I’m angry, disappointed, dejected or just plain helpless. There’s a gamut of ‘emotions’ – and I assure you, swear words – that’s been on in my head time and again since last evening. At the end of the day this remains the equation – go as a first year, say nothing of any legal significance, win.

I wont say we aren’t at fault – because that would just be a typical mooter’s complaint against being ousted. I think we did push the judges too far, but I can tell you this with absolutely no shred of ego or arrogance – municipal law arguments don’t win you a Jessup, except here in Madras from the looks of things. And if the result of one, two, three months of work means that I go out there and tell people that the ’61 Convention is applicable law to international organisations – then I’ll take not representing India, thank you very much.

There’s certainly going to be demand for a level of humility in my step in College for a while (the rest of the year, methinks) after all that we were making ourselves out to be. Winning is, after all, everything – never mind all that your teachers taught you. I don’t like losing, I don’t like the feeling and I’d rather not participate anymore if I know I’m going to lose – same reason the tennis racket was never picked up after I stopped playing.

After the first Jessup, I could come back and say I learnt something. That appears to be the position after this one too. Some things are not meant for you. I’m not a ‘fate’ guy at all – but then I’m usually not this low either.

APR was right – I ought to have brought my acoustic along.

‘This concrete field with its clear blue skies
Feel like the endless smother of an Arctic moonrise
Split lips and broken jaws never hurt
As much as this little blood spurt

And I still don’t want reality’

Half Marathon - Finished!

Official Time: 2:16:12
My time (got to the start 5 mins post start time): approx 2:10:30

Commentary: Slow and steady till the turn (little more than 11.4). 11. 4 time: 1:12:12. Just about 9 km/h. Left calf started cramping at the Haji Ali junction on the way back. Chocolates were a good idea.
Sudden burst of energy on Peddar Road. Think I upped the pace a bit. AV was struggling by here and needed a bit of coaxing to keep going. AV gave up and asked me to go on at km 17 (Charni Road station). Kept a steady pace till km 19 when rigor mortis set in. Kicked to try and get the 2:10 time. Last 2 km in 10 mins. Just missed the 2:10 time, but then I didn't train either.
Best attempt at a 'sprint' on the last stretch...was more like a desperate attempt at a quick jog!

Jost got up from a snooze. Shins and ankles and feet are killing me - probably from the pounding on the tar. No muscular pain (yet).

This was something to do. Next on the list - the Full in 2 years time, the Half in a sub 1:50 time next year...

Much physical exercise

So considering the two weeks that I spent in Giridih and Delhi were terribly unproductive so far as any physical training was concerned...the past week has been quite something else.

1. Played a fair bit of TT in hostel. GLC won the team singles and doubles...I lost in the open SF's - horrible game...the Monday night of the Jessup mems going. Just too zapped. Anyway - at least some physical activity.

2. Went for a run last evening...ran down to the Aquarium signal and then back up to Land's end and back to Hostel. Time:32 mins.
Speed: must have been around the 10k/hr.
Good part: recovered in 3-4 mins (probably less)
Bad part: Calves feeling very very tight...have been having trouble with them over the past couple of weeks in general and I suppose they dont actually enjoy being run on. Ankles and left knee aren't in the best of shape either...knee is most concerning, better dig out the cap to run with on Sunday

3. Cricket match - drafted in due to lack of players for the GLC v. FYBCom hostel match. Hamstrings dont feel very good. Right shoulder will ache tomorrow.

That's about it...time now for a quick snooze.