I just don't know what it is -- i make dozens of decisions daily and over the years have made thousands of same decisions on behalf of FlyerTalk and then I get to this and get so caught up in the stories and the admiration I have for the talent as travelers our members have. It makes me want to cancel all the otherwise boring business travel I have during this time and join in. But alas, I will get just as much if not more joy in watching our members have fun, meet other members and otherwise get a chance to live out some of their own goals and fantasies in travel. That of course is why I started FlyerTalk.
So, how did I get to announcing our teams?
1) By reading each and every post more than once.
2) Thinking about what makes for great stories to share with our fellow members. Was it being thrown together with a stranger to trek around Europe? Was it a display of paired team from friendships that had been established among complete strangers at some point in the past? Was it the wonderful wit that was displayed by many members here? Was it the intrigue of learning something about our fellow members we did not know before (the ink on rhl, right?), or was it the fact that no matter whom I chose, this was going to be something we as FlyerTalkers will be traveling vicariously along with.
So, just how did i get to this moment? Well, I had narrowed things down to ... 24 teams myself. Uh, that's right, 24 teams. The Banker on "Deal or No Deal" wouldn't even pick up the phone when I called him for help. My accounting manager shut the door in my face and my wife started to wonder if I was ever going to really save up for the long-promised honeymoon from our 3+ year-old marriage. OK, I know when I'm beat.
So, I then go to Plan B. I put out a call around the House of Miles for some assistance to narrow this down because I did say I was picking a "team." Team as I remember, does not have an "s" in it. So, we now have Darcie, Mikel and Janet helping me with this. They read, laugh and read again. They help get this down to 12 teams (24 members). (The echo in the back of my mind ... No, slamming doors and where's the honeymoon?) So, we go to Plan C (is there really such a thing?). Grind, select, grind, select. (Actually the Espresso chocolate balls that clincher recently sent me did the trick for us) And voilà, we are down to five teams. I take a break, take some aspirin and take stock of my life and return to the table for one last attempt to narrow this down.
No can do.
SO. We will have five teams in the Competitours travel competition and each of them are a wonderful blend of what FlyerTalk is all about. Shall we meet the team(s)?
Team 1 (upfront777 and husband)
There is no doubt that the global economy has affected many more FlyerTalkers than I would ever hope. This clever team of Global Economic Crisis which it seems was recently "liberated by Corporate Gods" will represent those members of FlyerTalk which when these things happen, need help and support in understanding that life can still be good, if not great. While I may require to see the pink slips (kidding) and demand to know how the heck you were in the very front of a 777 15 times. We'll let Global Economic Crisis #2 set sail for this team and let's hope we don't end up in the dreaded no-sail zone.
Team 2 (Elizabethh and l'etoile)
I'm not sure which of these words we got stuck on (zany, quirky, savvy, creative, innovative, fun or wicked smart) but the mere marketing of this pair left us no doubt that they knew how to play the game and in this case made it easy or ... easier (I have my doubts that Elizabethh could really get me to reveal my underwear size). And this l'etoile member. I count Marrakech among my favorite places to visit and know that it is impossible to escape two captors even if you are only referring to the operators of the juice stalls in the big square of Marrakech. And, for my good friends in OMNI, we really do need to talk about this boast of turning Nevada into a blue state. Can you say -- Go Girl!
Team 3 (liquid)(la2jax)
This is our first mash-up team. We're putting Wall Street and a lawyer together (anyone know any good jokes about these two professions?) to run the table on everyone else. We like that la2jax has worked Air Traffic Control and "can scramble during irrops with the best of them." As well, we like that liquid has a past in finance which just may come in handy when the team realizes that they spent their last Euro on a Schwarzwalder Kirschetorte. Actually, in the best of Amazing Race tradition, don't you want to see how "dry or sarcastic humor" does with "funny and ballsy"? I would not count this team out at any time.
Team 4 (thaliajen)(CK82)
OK, if we're going to put two unknown guys together on a team, then it's equal opportunity for the girls, excuse me, ladies! Since CK82 is already recruiting for a partner to audition for AR15, we thought we'd get her before the big show does. And the real differentiator? Who can't want a team mate that is "GREAT at reading maps". And I'm willing to bet that she will get a chance to use that Mandarin Chinese in Europe. Now, on to thaliajen. While we can't promise that she'll get a chance to "parasail over the Great Wall while wearing bikinis", we can tell that she is going to have to cancel Aruba. With a big win here, you'll definitely be able to spice up your profile and if nothing else, we expect great trip reports with your background as a writer.
Team 5 (chexfan and geo1005)
This team seems the male version of
Team 2 and is formed from a friendship forged on FlyerTalk which is what we are so proud of. Cocky and ready to throw down the gauntlet to any team on FlyerTalk or elsewhere, I'm thinking these guys truly have already been over to Hulu.com and are editing all the past shows of Amazing Race. Also like Team 2, we got caught up in all these descriptors: "spontaneous, creative, daring, clever, resourceful, original, persuasive, and dare should we say… zany." But, truth-be-told, I almost disqualified them right away -- I knew they were fibbing when they posted "PS: We don’t even care about the miles and points".
So, there we have it, five teams of members of FlyerTalk that no doubt will do us a great honor in reminding us why we all love travel. I hope you'll all tune in to watch their progress and we'll set up a few dedicated threads to make this possible.
I'd like to repeat my earlier comments about just how hard it was to select these teams. So many great stories and members.
AND I will leave you with this. For those members who would still like to enter this on you own, I will personally pay $300 of you entry fee for the next two teams that may decide to go for it. AND, I will commit to the others that if this travel competition goes forward, I will sponsor at least one team in the next go around and thus, your chances are not ending, they are only just beginning.
Congrats to our teams and I do hope to one day meet each one of you and personally thank you for your support of FlyerTalk - Go, Team, Go!
[
note: of the 10 members selected, I have only met two of them personally]
So please count us as a team 
for coming up with the idea for Competitours in the first place!
