NS Arena Bowl IV Everything Thread

[Shadowbourne]

Hello and welcome to the official sign up thread of the 4th NS Arena Bowl!

Visit our new sponsor at: coolbucks.cbg/global!

Northern Conference
Group A
The Ancient World
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
The Serbian Empire
The Neo-Jeffersonians

Group B
Maluponu Kunoa
Alleniana
The Grand Millian
CoolLand

Southern Conference
Group C
Kambota
Saintland
Maklohi Vai
New Tebow

Group D
Shadowbourne
The Bloodied Soul
Lymantatia
German American States

Each team will face the opponents in its group twice, once home and once away, for a total of six matches. The teams with the best record in each conference will receive the top two seeds automatically. The two other division winners will earn the third and fourth seeds automatically depending on overall records and point difference.

The remaining four seeds of the eight playoff spots will be determined in a Wild Card round. Each second-ranked team in their group will play the third-ranked team from the other group in their conference. The winners will then receive the final four seeds based on overall records and point difference.

The matchups will be as follows, with home teams on the left per NS Sports convention:
MATCHDAY 1 (3 January)
1 v. 4
2 v. 3

MATCHDAY 2 (4 January)
3 v. 1
4 v. 2

MATCHDAY 3 (5 January)
2 v. 1
4 v. 3

MATCHDAY 4 (6 January)
4 v. 1
3 v. 2

MATCHDAY 5 (7 January)
1 v. 3
2 v. 4

MATCHDAY 6 (8 January)
1 v. 2
3 v. 4

The play-offs will be a basic single elimination tournament, with the final two teams playing in the Arena Bowl.

Here is a tentative play-off schedule:

WILDCARD (9 January

QUARTERFINALS (11 January)

SEMIFINALS (13 January)

CONSOLATION GAME (15 January)

ARENA BOWL (16 January)

RP cutoffs will usually be around 7:00 PM ET.

VERY IMPORTANT: If you have a comment or concern that is solely OOC, please post it in this thread. If you have an OOC note to add to the top of a IC post, that's fine. However, ANY solely OOC posts in this thread will result in a RP bonus penalty. Multiple infractions would be addressed appropriately.

A final note: Please adhere to your RP opponent's stated permissions if there are any. If your opponent expresses a desire to have you change something you've RP'd within reason, I expect you to accommodate the request. I don't want to have to issue a ruling, which I would do in this thread.

With all that said, let's get to RPing!

[The Serbian Empire]

Roster of the Serbian Empire National Team

Coach/Kicker: Filip Filipovic
Assistant Coach: Dominik Blagojevich

Starters and key components
QB: Mihailo Petrovic
HB/CB: Goran Gordanovic
WR/S: Vlad Kopitar
WR/CB: Nemanja Blazic
TE/Mac: Momcilo Antonovic
C/Jack: Adam Tihanovic
T/NT: Ante Panic (pronounced Pan-ich)
T/DE: Bruno Milic
DE: Darijo Ljiljanavic
K: Filip Filipovic (The coach who has NFL practice squad experience is out there to do drop kicks for 4 points after the touchdown for the most part)

Back ups
WR/S/CB: Dragan Franjovic
QB/DE: Gordan Maravic
T/C/TE: Igor Jankovic
NT: Alen Cizek
Mac/Jack: Ales Gerbic

[Saintland]

Roster for the National Team of the Kingdom of Saintland:

Captain: Prince Petrus
Colors: Red and White
Arena: Royal Square Garden (Capacity: 17,467)

Starting Lineup

QB: #3 Prince Petrus
RB/JLB: #36 Andreas Tuccius
WR/DB: #81 Matthaeus Favonius
WR/DB: #87 Thomas Favonius
WR/DB: #88 Ioannes Lusius
OE/DE: #74 Lucas Floridius
C/NG: #75 Abraham Nemetorius
OE/DE: #77 Marcus Nigrius
MLB: #52 Georgius Didius
K: #9 Philippus Francus

Bench (listed at their primary position only)

QB: #6 Paulus Salvius
RB: #32 Petrus Maximius
WR: #80 Paulus Favonius
OL: #68 Ioannes Conconius
DL: #92 Thomas Calventius
DL: #99 Andreas Cammius
LB: #55 Matthaeus Publicius
DB: #23 Lucius Curtius
DB: #26 Lucas Desticius

Notes (OOC)

Prince Petrus is an athletic QB who is known to scramble frequently. Salvius is more of a pocket passer. Tuccius is a power RB and Maximius is a speed back. The Favonius brothers are twins and Paulus Favonius is their younger brother. All of the Favonius brothers are possession WRs. Lusius is the deep threat. Didius is primarily a pass rusher. Curtius and Desticius have bad hands, which is why they are DBs in the outdoor game. Saintland runs the ball more than usual for an Arena League team (around 30% of the time) and that sometimes includes designed QB runs. Plays are called by the QB on offense and the specialist on defense. In Latin (the national language of Saintland), I and J are the same letter, as are U and V so those can be used as alternative spellings (I and V are considered the proper letters, but J and U are acceptable for casual use).

[Maklohi Vai]

Maklohi Vai National Arena Football Team

Rp Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: N
Godmod scoring events: N
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: N
Style addition: -5

Head Coach: Pulamo Morukalanapai

Offense:
QB: Mukuno Norumalanakai
RB: Ramono Rowalopanai
TE: Lumawo Morunakai
WR: Numo Norunakapali
WR: Lonarako Purukalanai
Line: Wukolo Lunawoi
Line: Anomo Wonulukapai
Line: Rolu Muwanolarapoi

Defense:
Line: Nalumo Ralamowunaroi
Line: Ropu Rumakaranapai
Line: Tolu Nomakarapoi
S: Pukolo Kulamonumai
LB: Marao Loparanakai
LB: Mawunolo Polukaranai
CB: Pulo Rukalaparatoi
CB: Apumo Kaparanalokai

Reserves:
Moluko Poluwumolatapai
Lumoko Porukanai
Poluno Porukanapai
Monalo Lukawanapai

OOC: Apologies if positions aren't quite right. I've never watched Arena Football, but I have a grasp on the general aspects.

[New Tebow]

New Tebow National Arena Football Team:

Coach: Dan Bowless

Starters:
QB: #3 Gregg Romero
RB/JLB: #27 Steven Dunhouse
WR/DB: #15 Steve Tylerson
WR/DB: #88 Vincent Paulson
WR/DB: #19 Franco Romeo
OE/DE: #70 Ray Bearson
C/NG: #90 Geno O'Sullivan
OE/DE: #56 David V. Rodgers
MLB: #65 Xavier Colleny
K: #6 Brad K. Wallace

Bench:
QB: #4 David Foster
RB/JLB: #37 Howie Feneck
WR/DB: #87 Justin Longo
OE/DE: #99 Jean-Francois Nicolas

Rp Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: N
Godmod scoring events: N
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: N

[German American States]

German American States National Arena Football
===================================================

Team: German American States
Colors: Black, Gold, and Blue
Stadium: National Colosseum(120,000)(Retractable Roof)(Grass Field)
Coach: Mike Hoover

Roster
======================

Starting Roster
===============
QB: #2 Sergio Esposito
RB/JLB: #27 JaRell Wompers
WR/DB: #83 Michael Jasper
WR/DB:#12 Caspar DuMont
WR/DB: #86 Clyde Williams
OE/DE: #90 Prince Shepton
C/NG: #99 Oliver Frankop
OE/DE: #75 TaQuin Parcell
MLB: #54 Ignatius Trompton
K: #1 Erik Carlson

Bench
========================
QB: #7 Gunnar Rolfson
RB/ JLB: #19 Justin Eafords
WR/DB: #80 Cody Ewart
OE/DE: #94 George Constantopolus


Rp Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: N
Godmod scoring events: N
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: N
Style addition: 2.5

[Shadowbourne]

The tournament will begin tomorrow. For those you haven't yet done so, please post your roster, and make sure to get your RPs in by around 6:00 EST tomorrow.

[The Grand Millian]

Head Coach: Thon Barclay

Offense:
QB: Shran Bates
RB: Zimm Arthur
TE: Pola Andrews
WR: Sybok Blair
WR: Eric Burton
Line: William Chapman
Line: Frank Darwin
Line: Matt Decker

Defense:
Line: Arthur Dent
Line: Ben Finney
Line: Matt Franklin
S: William Hartnell
LB: Thomas Henry
LB: James Irwin
CB: William James
CB: George Jessel

Reserves:
Donald Kaplan
Alan Ladd
Mark Logan

Rp Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: N
Godmod scoring events: N
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod other events: N
Style addition: 0

[Levivania]

Nation: Levivania
Team name: The Levivania Prowlers
Coach: Jerry Lukes
Captain: Levi Goldman
Team Colors: Black, Red, and white


Roster
QB/S#20 Levi Goldman
HB/MLB#15 Ben Ballmer
FB/JLB#18 Harry Gates
TE/SLB#39 Bob Anders
WR/DB#23 Aron Meeks
WR/DB#49Joe Joes
C/DT#99 Will Willfork
G/DT#93 Vince Love
G/LE#86 Liam Helms
T/RE#91 Jim fisher
T#67 Dan Shomo
K/P Wels Wekler


Backups
QB/S#13 Barry Marno
HB/LB#25 Keyshawn Moreno
DE#79 Dan Shomo
WR/DB Hueon smith
C/DT Contor Dorstie

[Shadowbourne]

Today's RP cutoff should be around 6:00 to 6:45. Please try to get your RPs in by then.

Thanks.

[Saintland]

Arena Bowl Preview

(Saintland Press) For the first time ever, Saintland is about to compete in international sports competition. Prince Petrus will captain a team of Saintland's finest gridiron stars in Arena Bowl IV, sponsored by a foreign coffee company named Coolbucks and hosted by Shadowbourne. The entire tournament will be televised on Royal One, so be sure to tune in and watch the heir to the throne represent our Kingdom.

Arena gridiron is an indoor version of gridiron, with unusual rules. The field is only 50 yards. There is no punting. Teams have 4 downs to get 10 yards for a 1st down or attempt a field goal. There are only 8 players on the field at a time and 7 of those 8 players must play both ways. There is no such thing as a single. The game is faster-paced than the 12-man, 3-down, 110-yard gridiron game we are used to and games are higher scoring.

According to Prince Petrus, the national team has played a series of intrasquad scrimmages over the past few weeks to learn the nuances of this modified version of gridiron. "Its definitely a fast-paced game. If I don't get rid of the ball quickly, I end up on the ground. Georgius [Didius] got the better of me a number of times over these past few weeks. I told him to save some energy for the real games."

The press was allowed to attend the team's final scrimmage. We saw firsthand the surprising chemistry between Prince Petrus and the Favonius brothers from the St. Ioannes village gridiron team. Prince Petrus played on a squad with the Favonius brothers and threw for 8 TDs, while running for 3 more touchdowns. Andreas Tuccius, the reigning MVP of the Saintland Gridiron Association, looked his usual dominant self for Paulus Salvius's side as he ran over the opposing defense all day long. Prince Petrus's side won the scrimmage 90-76. Tuccius, in his role as "Jack" Linebacker (who can't blitz and must stay in a "box") dropped what would have been a critical interception late in the game, allowing the Prince to seal the win for his side. The QB and "Mac" Linebacker (who is allowed to blitz) are the only players that don't play both ways. According to Prince Petrus, any defensive player can be used as a specialist, but the team chose to use MLB Georgius Didius in that role because he's a dominant pass rusher who can disrupt plays and put an opposing quarterback on his back.

After the scrimmage, Georgius Didius spoke out about the poor defensive play: "I don't know how we're going to be able to stop our opponents once the actual games start. That was ridiculous. I couldn't get to [Prince] Petrus all day long. He's just too quick and too dangerous when he's in form."

As they left Royal Square Garden, the team had one last stop to make. Around an hour's walk later, they arrived at the Cathedral in St. Petrus to pray and seek the blessing of the Patriarch before representing our Kingdom in an actual game. The press was not allowed into the Cathedral with the team, but we were told to stick around because Prince Petrus had one final comment for us before the team's departure.

After 3 hours, the team emerged from the Cathedral. "We're looking forward to representing the Kingdom in the Arena Bowl and, God willing, we will bring honor to the name of our Kingdom and show the world that we are God's chosen people, the last remaining uncorrupted remnant of the True Church of Iesus Christus founded by St. Petrus."

The national team will play a double round robin. In order, we will play Maklohi Vai, New Tebow and Kambota. Then, we will play the same teams again in the same order. The top 3 teams in each group will advance to a single-elimination tournament. First place teams will get a bye to the quarterfinals. Second and third place teams will have to play in a wild card round to earn a place in the final 8.

OOC: I figured I'd try to post an RP of some sort. I have no idea if this is any good, but I hope it showed some insight into my nation and my grasp of the rules of Arena Football. Yes, Canadian football is the native version of football in my nation and these are Canadian-style players playing Arena-style for the first time.

[German American States]

The German American States is gearing up for Arena Bowl IV, in one of the nation's first international sporting events. The people of the States are interested and exited to get the tournament underway. They have been seen camping outside the National Colosseum, waiting to buy tickets to all of the 6 group games. The upsart team is largely inexperienced, knowing the game of regular American football. The team held tryouts for the amateur team in Millwaukeesburg in the months before the competition. The team is largely comprised of students that have graduated from college and men from all corners of the country, from Eisenport to Swillburg.

Quarterback Sergio Espisito is straight out of Eisenport A&M, where he lead the Clippers to a national championchip. He played arena football as a club sport at E A&M, but he has no experience going up against the heavyweights in the Eagle's division. During practice he has shown promise, but it will be hard to see how the Eagles will adjust to the international game.

[Shadowbourne]

RP cutoff...results to come.

*UPDATE*

Here they are...

The Ancient World 37 - 41 The Neo-Jeffersonians
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 49 - 50 The Serbian Empire
Maluponu Kunoa 38 - 55 CoolLand
Alleniana 34 - 46 The Grand Millian
Kambota 37 - 58 New Tebow
Saintland 62 - 28 Maklohi Vai
Shadowbourne 34 - 55 German American States
The Bloodied Soul 43 - 38 Lymantatia

(OOC: I should have a results table up by this weekend.)

[German American States]

When can we start RPing?

Note: Yay! We won!

[Shadowbourne]

When can we start RPing?

Note: Yay! We won!

Whenever you want to.

[Maklohi Vai]

'We are a team built on defensive principles, right?"

"Yeah."

"So then how did we allow 62 friggin points?"

"Well, uh, they had some good plays."

"Good plays? GOOD PLAYS? We have good players. That should triumph any day."

"Sorry, coach, it was tough."

"Get it together for next game, alright?"

"Yessir"

[German American States]

The 9th Man cheered on the German American States to a 55-34 win over Shadowbourne. The National Colosseum was rocking as the Eagles marched to the victory on the back of Sergio Esposito, as he scored 4 touchdowns through the air for 354 yards. Running back JaRell Wompers capitalized with 3 touchdowns and 78 yards. The defense did well, holding Shadowbourne to 34 points.

[Saintland]

National Team routs Maklohi Vai 62-28 in Arena Bowl opener

(SP) Before a sellout crowd at Royal Square Garden, our Kingdom's National Team was victorious against Maklohi Vai by a score of 62 to 28. The outcome was never seriously in doubt, as we were in control all game. "It was just an unbelievable game. I hoped we would win, but I never imagined that we would dominate all facets of the game. As soon as I caught that pass from [Prince] Petrus and took it for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, I knew it was God's Will that we would win today." - Ioannes Lusius

Before the game, the ceremonies lasted for an hour and delayed the start of the game by around 15 minutes. King Paulus XV was on hand to speak to the team and the nation. The Patriarch himself led the team in prayer. A young lady sang a self-written song in honor of the team. Finally, the Queen herself led the capacity crowd in the singing of our National Anthem. Royal Square Garden gave her a standing ovation that lasted for 5 minutes. The team's entrance was awe-inspiring, as they descended into the arena on a platform as a giant cross emitted bright light.

The game got out of hand for Maklohi Vai early. Prince Petrus's 45 yard touchdown pass to Ioannes Lusius opened up the scoring. After a kickoff, Maklohi Vai threw 2 incomplete passes to bring up 3rd down. In Arena Gridiron, there are 4 downs, so they once again attempted a pass, targeting Andreas Tuccius. This time, the RB/"Jack" LB came down with it and once he had the ball, he wasn't going to be kept out of the end zone as he ran over Maklohi Vai's Ramono Rowalopanai and went into the end zone to put us up by 14.

By the end of the 1st quarter, Saintland was already up 24-7. Because the game was well in hand, Prince Petrus decided to put the ball in the hands of his RB Andreas Tuccius and let him grind it out. Maklohi Vai had no answer for the massive running back, as he ran through their defense all day. At the end of the day, he finished with 172 yards on 30 carries and 5 rushing TDs in addition to that INT return for a touchdown on defense.

"I didn't intend to give him the ball that much, but we had a lead and I wanted to shorten the game to prevent them from coming back. Andreas just doesn't get tired out there. He really is the best gridiron player from the Kingdom and it's going to be hard for anybody to stop him. Now, I understand why he ran for over 2000 yards last season [in the SGA]." - Prince Petrus

At one point in the second quarter, it looked like Maklohi Vai would get back in the game. The National Team were up 27-14 and Philippus Francus missed a long field goal attempt. Maklohi Vai drove down the field until they got to the 5 yard line. As Mukuno Norumalanakai dropped back to pass, Georgius Didius burst through their offensive line and laid a massive hit on him, knocking the ball out. Both teams piled onto the ball, but when the dust settled, C/NG Abraham Nemetorius came up with the ball and Andreas Tuccius broke a big run to put the game out of reach. Maklohi Vai never again looked like they had a chance of victory.

The National Team's next game is against New Tebow and is the Kingdom's first ever international sports event on foreign soil. New Tebow defeated Kambota 58-37, so the winner of the next game will be in sole possession of 1st place in Group C. The SP will be traveling with the team to New Tebow and we will keep you informed. Remember to tune in on Royal One (Regius Unus) to watch the game.

[Shadowbourne]

RP cutoff for MD2. Results to come...

*UPDATE*: Here are the results for day 2.

The Ancient World 41 - 46 The Serbian Empire
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 44 - 41 The Neo-Jeffersonians
Maluponu Kunoa 41 - 40 The Grand Millian
Alleniana 51 - 48 CoolLand
Kambota 24 - 54 Maklohi Vai
Saintland 64 - 21 New Tebow
Shadowbourne 45 - 41 Lymantatia
The Bloodied Soul 23 - 57 German American States

[The Serbian Empire]

Manager's report

2-0... Nice, but we need to score more offense... I really don't like these close margins of winning and maybe we will try some more aggressive tactics like drop kicks for 4 points and two point conversions.

[German American States]

The German American States continued their winning ways, beating The Bloodied Soul 57-23. Sergio Esposito continued his sucsess, throwing 5 touchdowns for 410 yards. The defense especially did well today, as Ignatius Trompton recorded 4 sacks and an interception that he returned 37 yards for a touchdown. The defense pressured the quarterback all day long, recording 27 total hits and 12 sacks.

"I am very proud of how we played here today" said Coach Hoover " we beat the crap out of their players, and Sergio was magic."

The 10th Man rocked the Eagle's Nest as the Eagles picked up another game in their home stadium, climbing into first place in their group. Fans cant wait for the next game vs. Lymantatia.

[Saintland]

National Team pulls off another one-sided victory, beats New Tebow 64-21

(SP) Our National Team appears invincible at this time. On the road in New Tebow, they looked just as dominant as they did at home as they crushed New Tebow's team 64-21. "I never expected another easy victory, but God is on our side out there. For a moment, I had my doubts. That opening kickoff was a disaster, but we came right back out and tied the game. Before too long, we had a big lead and [QB Prince] Petrus started handing me the ball and I helped to run out that clock and seal the victory. I don't know how many yards I had out there [124], but I know I had alot of them again. I just wish I could have made a big play defensively today, but the only thing that matters is the final score." - RB/JLB Andreas Tuccius

The game did not start well for our Kingdom this week. New Tebow took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, but we didn't catch the name of their reporter. Our team responded with an impressive drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Andreas Tuccius. Prince Petrus found Thomas Favonius on a 3rd down and 15 from midfield for a 24-yard pass to set up the touchdown. Favonius was brought down hard by Vincent Paulsen of New Tebow at the 1. After getting a defensive stop, Prince Petrus went back to pass on the first play of the next drive. His WRs were covered and the blitz was closing in on him. He ran to the right side and the pocket which was left completely uncovered by New Tebow and ran 45 yards downfield for a touchdown to put Saintland in the lead. "I dropped back to pass, but all my WRs were covered and I didn't have any more time to wait for them to get open. I had to take off and I did. Fortunate Ioannes [Lusius] was running a deep route on the right side, so their DB had to be back covering him. The Jack was on the other side of the field covering Andreas [Tuccius], so I was in the clear once I got past those linemen and that Mac. Ioannes threw a great block on his man and I took that scramble all the way. It definitely proved to be a turning point in this game. I don't think they ever recovered from the shock of giving up a play like that." - Prince Petrus

Prince Petrus proved to be right. On the next drive, New Tebow WRs dropped 3 passes in a row while they were wide open. At the end of the first quarter, Saintland led the game 14-7, but this game was broken wide open on the first play of the 2nd quarter. Prince Petrus found Matthaeus Favonius in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown pass to put Saintland up 21-7. Saintland's offense slowed somewhat in the 2nd quarter, but Philippus Francus kicked 3 field goals to make it 30-7 at the half. He would finish with 5 field goals on the day.

If New Tebow thought things were going to be any different in the 2nd half, they were mistaken. The opening kickoff of the 2nd half was returned inside the New Tebow 10 and Andreas Tuccius put the ball across the line for a touchdown. By the start of the 4th quarter, the National Team was up 47-7 and Prince Petrus made the decision to play the backups so they could get some game experience. The backups still outscored New Tebow 17-14 in the final quarter. Paulus Salvius threw a TD pass to Paulus Favonius. Petrus Maximius would run for a touchdown as the clock ran out to put an exclamation point on the win.

On the day, Prince Petrus threw for 168 yards and a touchdown and ran for 57 yards and a touchdown. Andreas Tuccius ran for 124 yards and 3 TDs. Philippus Francus made 5 field goal attempts. The Saintland National Team plays Kambota at Royal Square Garden in their next game. Kambota is last in the group at 0-2 and was routed 54-24 by Maklohi Vai. Tickets are already sold out. The SP can confirm that both the game and the halftime show featuring a live performance by the popular Cantus Virginum group will be televised on Royal One.

[Shadowbourne]

RP cutoff for day 3... results to come.

*UPDATE*: Here are the results for MD3.

The Ancient World 44 - 41 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
The Serbian Empire 55 - 24 The Neo-Jeffersonians
Maluponu Kunoa 23 - 24 Alleniana
The Grand Millian 33 - 40 CoolLand
Kambota 14 - 60 Saintland
Maklohi Vai 54 - 20 New Tebow
Shadowbourne 33 - 20 The Bloodied Soul
Lymantatia 17 - 59 German American States

[German American States]

The German American States is 3-0, as they beat Lymantatia 59-17 in the third commanding victory for the Eagles in the tournament. Sergio Romo is red hot, as he passed for another 397 yards and 5 touchdowns. The defense has gotten better every game, as they held Lymantatia to 17 points as Ignatius Trompton recorded 14 hits and 2 sacks, and Prince Shepton had 9 hits and a sack.

"I think this was the best performance of the tournament" said defensive captain Ignatius Trompton " We are continuing to do well on defense, and Sergio is helping us out a ton."

The 3-0 start is leading many members of the 10th Man to belive that these tryout-acquired ametuers can make a run into the knockout phase of Arena Bowl 4.

[The Serbian Empire]

Manager's Report

A 55-24 blowout of the opponent today was both what we were looking for both offensively and defensively. The bad news is that we are not the best team offensively nor defensively. I am continuing the focus on offense as more offense means the opponent will make errors and errors will make them turn the ball over or make high-risk plays in hopes of keeping pace.