#coach tour operators

[buglercoaches]

Best Coach Tour Operators in Bristol: Discover the Top Experience with Bugler Coaches

There are few things more convenient or enjoyable about exploring the city and beautiful surroundings of Bristol than a well-designed coach tour. Whatever the size of your group, whether you're organizing a school trip or a corporate event, the right operator will find that your comfort is ensured as is your safety and those unforgettable memories you will take back home.

For the best coach tour operators in Bristol , consider Bugler Coaches. In this article, we will consider what differentiates Bugler Coaches from the rest of their competitors to stand at the top for all travel needs.

Who are Bugler Coaches?

Being a family-owned company, Bugler Coaches quickly set up a reputation for sound coach services across the Southwest. Conscious professionalism and customer satisfaction kept the loyalty client base in and around Bristol. Its fleet of modern coaches delivers services to clients within schools, private groups, corporate teams, and sports clubs.

With years of experience behind them, Bugler Coaches understand what is required to ensure a successful tour, be it for one day to an attraction close by or across the UK for several days.

Why Bugler Coaches for Bristol Tours?

Select the best tour operator-whether you want to avoid experiencing a stressful journey or have the desired smooth experience. Here are some reasons why Bugler Coaches is on the list of the best coach tour operators in Bristol:

Comfortable Modern Fleet: Their coaches have air-conditioning, reclining seats, and generous legroom so that passengers do not feel uncomfortable for long periods.

Safety First: Bugler Coaches is passionate about safety through the competence of its drivers, well-maintained vehicles, and compliance to tight measures of safety control.

Personalized Itineraries: Do you want a scenic tour of Bristol's best attractions or any other part of the UK? With Bugler Coaches, you can simply choose your preferred time and interests, or we'll create one for you.

Experience and knowledge of the city of Bristol and its surroundings

Having spent years operating in the South West, the knowledge that their drivers and staff possess can guide you on the places to stop, scenic routes and hidden gems.

Affordable and competitive pricing: Bugler Coaches have competitive prices, so you are guaranteed value without sacrificing quality. They are also very frank about costs, and you'd be amazed to find that there are no hidden charges.

Booking a coach tour with Bugler Coaches opens up several of the best sites to explore around and in Bristol. Among these are such attractions as:

City Tour of Bristol: See the best that Bristol has seen, from the Clifton Suspension Bridge to the SS Great Britain, set against the lively harborside.

Bath and Stonehenge: Stop and see the lovely city of Bath, renowned for its Roman Baths and Georgian architecture. Take some time close by to see the famous landmark, Stonehenge.

Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole: Visit the stunning Cheddar Gorge famous for its caves and cheese, or visit the attractions of Wookey Hole - a great destination for families and thrill-seekers alike.

The Cotswolds: Village tours of the beautiful Cotswolds allow for scenery, curio shops, and a glimpse into traditional English life in the countryside.

Bugler Coaches also offers school, college, and youth groups tours. They cover everything in guided tours-from historical sites to educational trips to museums-making the journey fun and educational for young travelers.

Corporate and Group Travel Services

Bugler Coaches also specializes in designing corporate and group outings - team-building days, conferences, incentive trips, and many more.

Their large, fully equipped coaches carry groups of all sizes-whether employees or clients-in comfort and fresh and ready for meetings.

Reliability gives professional comfort, so businesses come to Bugler Coaches first.

Apart from corporate events, they also offer transportation services for weddings, sports teams, and even big group functions. Whatever event will be held, Bugler Coaches ensures that your journey is seamless and stress-free.

Easy Booking and Reliable Service

An easy and hassle-free reservation process seems to be another characteristic that distinguishes Bugler Coaches from its competitors. You can get quotes and make bookings right over their website or by dialling their friendly customer care team.

Their focus on communication is rivaled only by their focus on keeping customers first, so you are kept updated at every stage of the booking process, right up until your arrival at your destination.

Bugler Coaches offers customized packages based on the size of the group and budget. Therefore, they are versatile means of travel for all the kinds of travelers around. They ensure you have a quality experience with punctual service and polite drivers.

Conclusion

When it comes to identifying the best coach tour operators in Bristol, Bugler Coaches truly ticks all the right boxes-from a modern fleet to a commitment to safety, customer service and value-for groups, schools, businesses, and families, offering an experience unparalleled for those traveling locally by day or longer journeys.

If you know more about Affordable coach trip gift vouchers in Bristol so you can contact here.

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[mostlysignssomeportents]

“Humans in the loop” must detect the hardest-to-spot errors, at superhuman speed

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me SATURDAY (Apr 27) in MARIN COUNTY, then Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

If AI has a future (a big if), it will have to be economically viable. An industry can't spend 1,700% more on Nvidia chips than it earns indefinitely – not even with Nvidia being a principle investor in its largest customers:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39883571

A company that pays 0.36-1 cents/query for electricity and (scarce, fresh) water can't indefinitely give those queries away by the millions to people who are expected to revise those queries dozens of times before eliciting the perfect botshit rendition of "instructions for removing a grilled cheese sandwich from a VCR in the style of the King James Bible":

https://www.semianalysis.com/p/the-inference-cost-of-search-disruption

Eventually, the industry will have to uncover some mix of applications that will cover its operating costs, if only to keep the lights on in the face of investor disillusionment (this isn't optional – investor disillusionment is an inevitable part of every bubble).

Now, there are lots of low-stakes applications for AI that can run just fine on the current AI technology, despite its many – and seemingly inescapable - errors ("hallucinations"). People who use AI to generate illustrations of their D&D characters engaged in epic adventures from their previous gaming session don't care about the odd extra finger. If the chatbot powering a tourist's automatic text-to-translation-to-speech phone tool gets a few words wrong, it's still much better than the alternative of speaking slowly and loudly in your own language while making emphatic hand-gestures.

There are lots of these applications, and many of the people who benefit from them would doubtless pay something for them. The problem – from an AI company's perspective – is that these aren't just low-stakes, they're also low-value. Their users would pay something for them, but not very much.

For AI to keep its servers on through the coming trough of disillusionment, it will have to locate high-value applications, too. Economically speaking, the function of low-value applications is to soak up excess capacity and produce value at the margins after the high-value applications pay the bills. Low-value applications are a side-dish, like the coach seats on an airplane whose total operating expenses are paid by the business class passengers up front. Without the principle income from high-value applications, the servers shut down, and the low-value applications disappear:

https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/

Now, there are lots of high-value applications the AI industry has identified for its products. Broadly speaking, these high-value applications share the same problem: they are all high-stakes, which means they are very sensitive to errors. Mistakes made by apps that produce code, drive cars, or identify cancerous masses on chest X-rays are extremely consequential.

Some businesses may be insensitive to those consequences. Air Canada replaced its human customer service staff with chatbots that just lied to passengers, stealing hundreds of dollars from them in the process. But the process for getting your money back after you are defrauded by Air Canada's chatbot is so onerous that only one passenger has bothered to go through it, spending ten weeks exhausting all of Air Canada's internal review mechanisms before fighting his case for weeks more at the regulator:

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/air-canada-s-chatbot-gave-a-b-c-man-the-wrong-information-now-the-airline-has-to-pay-for-the-mistake-1.6769454

There's never just one ant. If this guy was defrauded by an AC chatbot, so were hundreds or thousands of other fliers. Air Canada doesn't have to pay them back. Air Canada is tacitly asserting that, as the country's flagship carrier and near-monopolist, it is too big to fail and too big to jail, which means it's too big to care.

Air Canada shows that for some business customers, AI doesn't need to be able to do a worker's job in order to be a smart purchase: a chatbot can replace a worker, fail to their worker's job, and still save the company money on balance.

I can't predict whether the world's sociopathic monopolists are numerous and powerful enough to keep the lights on for AI companies through leases for automation systems that let them commit consequence-free free fraud by replacing workers with chatbots that serve as moral crumple-zones for furious customers:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563219304029

But even stipulating that this is sufficient, it's intrinsically unstable. Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops, and the mass replacement of humans with high-speed fraud software seems likely to stoke the already blazing furnace of modern antitrust:

https://www.eff.org/de/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

Of course, the AI companies have their own answer to this conundrum. A high-stakes/high-value customer can still fire workers and replace them with AI – they just need to hire fewer, cheaper workers to supervise the AI and monitor it for "hallucinations." This is called the "human in the loop" solution.

The human in the loop story has some glaring holes. From a worker's perspective, serving as the human in the loop in a scheme that cuts wage bills through AI is a nightmare – the worst possible kind of automation.

Let's pause for a little detour through automation theory here. Automation can augment a worker. We can call this a "centaur" – the worker offloads a repetitive task, or one that requires a high degree of vigilance, or (worst of all) both. They're a human head on a robot body (hence "centaur"). Think of the sensor/vision system in your car that beeps if you activate your turn-signal while a car is in your blind spot. You're in charge, but you're getting a second opinion from the robot.

Likewise, consider an AI tool that double-checks a radiologist's diagnosis of your chest X-ray and suggests a second look when its assessment doesn't match the radiologist's. Again, the human is in charge, but the robot is serving as a backstop and helpmeet, using its inexhaustible robotic vigilance to augment human skill.

That's centaurs. They're the good automation. Then there's the bad automation: the reverse-centaur, when the human is used to augment the robot.

Amazon warehouse pickers stand in one place while robotic shelving units trundle up to them at speed; then, the haptic bracelets shackled around their wrists buzz at them, directing them pick up specific items and move them to a basket, while a third automation system penalizes them for taking toilet breaks or even just walking around and shaking out their limbs to avoid a repetitive strain injury. This is a robotic head using a human body – and destroying it in the process.

An AI-assisted radiologist processes fewer chest X-rays every day, costing their employer more, on top of the cost of the AI. That's not what AI companies are selling. They're offering hospitals the power to create reverse centaurs: radiologist-assisted AIs. That's what "human in the loop" means.

This is a problem for workers, but it's also a problem for their bosses (assuming those bosses actually care about correcting AI hallucinations, rather than providing a figleaf that lets them commit fraud or kill people and shift the blame to an unpunishable AI).

Humans are good at a lot of things, but they're not good at eternal, perfect vigilance. Writing code is hard, but performing code-review (where you check someone else's code for errors) is much harder – and it gets even harder if the code you're reviewing is usually fine, because this requires that you maintain your vigilance for something that only occurs at rare and unpredictable intervals:

https://twitter.com/qntm/status/1773779967521780169

But for a coding shop to make the cost of an AI pencil out, the human in the loop needs to be able to process a lot of AI-generated code. Replacing a human with an AI doesn't produce any savings if you need to hire two more humans to take turns doing close reads of the AI's code.

This is the fatal flaw in robo-taxi schemes. The "human in the loop" who is supposed to keep the murderbot from smashing into other cars, steering into oncoming traffic, or running down pedestrians isn't a driver, they're a driving instructor. This is a much harder job than being a driver, even when the student driver you're monitoring is a human, making human mistakes at human speed. It's even harder when the student driver is a robot, making errors at computer speed:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/01/human-in-the-loop/#monkey-in-the-middle

This is why the doomed robo-taxi company Cruise had to deploy 1.5 skilled, high-paid human monitors to oversee each of its murderbots, while traditional taxis operate at a fraction of the cost with a single, precaratized, low-paid human driver:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no

The vigilance problem is pretty fatal for the human-in-the-loop gambit, but there's another problem that is, if anything, even more fatal: the kinds of errors that AIs make.

Foundationally, AI is applied statistics. An AI company trains its AI by feeding it a lot of data about the real world. The program processes this data, looking for statistical correlations in that data, and makes a model of the world based on those correlations. A chatbot is a next-word-guessing program, and an AI "art" generator is a next-pixel-guessing program. They're drawing on billions of documents to find the most statistically likely way of finishing a sentence or a line of pixels in a bitmap:

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3442188.3445922

This means that AI doesn't just make errors – it makes subtle errors, the kinds of errors that are the hardest for a human in the loop to spot, because they are the most statistically probable ways of being wrong. Sure, we notice the gross errors in AI output, like confidently claiming that a living human is dead:

https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/according-to-chatgpt-im-dead

But the most common errors that AIs make are the ones we don't notice, because they're perfectly camouflaged as the truth. Think of the recurring AI programming error that inserts a call to a nonexistent library called "huggingface-cli," which is what the library would be called if developers reliably followed naming conventions. But due to a human inconsistency, the real library has a slightly different name. The fact that AIs repeatedly inserted references to the nonexistent library opened up a vulnerability – a security researcher created a (inert) malicious library with that name and tricked numerous companies into compiling it into their code because their human reviewers missed the chatbot's (statistically indistinguishable from the the truth) lie:

https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/28/ai_bots_hallucinate_software_packages/

For a driving instructor or a code reviewer overseeing a human subject, the majority of errors are comparatively easy to spot, because they're the kinds of errors that lead to inconsistent library naming – places where a human behaved erratically or irregularly. But when reality is irregular or erratic, the AI will make errors by presuming that things are statistically normal.

These are the hardest kinds of errors to spot. They couldn't be harder for a human to detect if they were specifically designed to go undetected. The human in the loop isn't just being asked to spot mistakes – they're being actively deceived. The AI isn't merely wrong, it's constructing a subtle "what's wrong with this picture"-style puzzle. Not just one such puzzle, either: millions of them, at speed, which must be solved by the human in the loop, who must remain perfectly vigilant for things that are, by definition, almost totally unnoticeable.

This is a special new torment for reverse centaurs – and a significant problem for AI companies hoping to accumulate and keep enough high-value, high-stakes customers on their books to weather the coming trough of disillusionment.

This is pretty grim, but it gets grimmer. AI companies have argued that they have a third line of business, a way to make money for their customers beyond automation's gifts to their payrolls: they claim that they can perform difficult scientific tasks at superhuman speed, producing billion-dollar insights (new materials, new drugs, new proteins) at unimaginable speed.

However, these claims – credulously amplified by the non-technical press – keep on shattering when they are tested by experts who understand the esoteric domains in which AI is said to have an unbeatable advantage. For example, Google claimed that its Deepmind AI had discovered "millions of new materials," "equivalent to nearly 800 years’ worth of knowledge," constituting "an order-of-magnitude expansion in stable materials known to humanity":

https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/millions-of-new-materials-discovered-with-deep-learning/

It was a hoax. When independent material scientists reviewed representative samples of these "new materials," they concluded that "no new materials have been discovered" and that not one of these materials was "credible, useful and novel":

https://www.404media.co/google-says-it-discovered-millions-of-new-materials-with-ai-human-researchers/

As Brian Merchant writes, AI claims are eerily similar to "smoke and mirrors" – the dazzling reality-distortion field thrown up by 17th century magic lantern technology, which millions of people ascribed wild capabilities to, thanks to the outlandish claims of the technology's promoters:

https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/ai-really-is-smoke-and-mirrors

The fact that we have a four-hundred-year-old name for this phenomenon, and yet we're still falling prey to it is frankly a little depressing. And, unlucky for us, it turns out that AI therapybots can't help us with this – rather, they're apt to literally convince us to kill ourselves:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkadgm/man-dies-by-suicide-after-talking-with-ai-chatbot-widow-says

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/23/maximal-plausibility/#reverse-centaurs

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[kidlit-queen-competition]

Train fact: NAMED TRAINS!

So you've probably heard of the Flying Scotsman. Big green thing, turned 100 this year, probably the most famous locomotive in the UK, if not the world. Adapted into Thomas the Tank Engine with a whole lot of charisma and eyebrows. But did you know that name wasn't hers originally?

'The Flying Scotsman' is actually the name (formerly a nickname) of the train. The locomotive is Flying Scotsman's monster named for it. She was given the name in 1924, to help promote said service at the British Empire exhibition. Any engine, with any rack of coaches, or any train set, can be the Flying Scotsman.

Right now, it's run by LNER's new Azumas, which get a special little outfit about it:

Most of the named trains in the UK were phased out with steam (although you can still catch the Sheffield continental from Sheffield to St. Pancras, or the Northern Lights from King's Cross to Aberdeen, among a handfull of others) but they live on elsewhere.

Some are luxury touring trains, like Japan's Seven Stars in Kyushu (left) or South Africa's Blue Train (right).

Transport isn't really the goal here. They sell out months in advance and cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the class of ticket you get. They're an Experience, and a very cushy experience at that. Just look at their interiors!

(yes, that's a piano)

But the vast majority of named trains in operation (as far as I can tell) are regularly-running exepress services across Asia.

Japan names their Shinkanens, India, Pakistan, Bengladesh & Sri Lanka often name their intercity expresses. These are practical, long-distance services, often named for monuments, like India's Ajanta Express, named for the Ajanta caves:

Or their operating regions, like Sri Lanka's උත්තර දේවී | Princess/Queen of the North:

Some North American countries also kept historic named routes, like Amtrak's Sunset Limited, or Canada's Ocean, which has operated continuously since 1904:

but my personal favorite named services are Australia's historically-nicknamed "The Fish", named after one of its drivers:

and the numerous trains that have been companion-nicknamed "The Chips" to match.

[dynamic-power]

Coach H

Rating: T

No warnngs

Words: 1.6k

A look at a possible future for Steve Harrington.

Taylor has known Coach H for almost 4 years, and still can't quite figure him out. They have the opportunity to investigate his office a little, and they learn more than they thought they would.

This is totally Steve-centric. All others, though I love them all dearly, are only briefly mentioned.

-------------------------------

Coach Harrington's office is one of four tucked behind the gym, between the girls' and boys' locker rooms. Taylor has never been in here before. Students rarely have a reason to come to the coaches' offices; they can all usually be found in the gym, even when class isn't in session.

Taylor has known Coach H for four years; their freshman year had been Coach's first year at Lincoln High. They know him just well enough to not feel guilty about wanting to snoop around a little while they are waiting. Maybe they can learn something.

Coach H is a bit of a point of confusion, even for many of the students who know him. He looks normal enough; Taylor guesses he's in his fifties, with thick brown hair that has started to go gray at his temples, kind eyes, and a boyish smile that is contagious. It's when he starts to talk about himself that the oddities begin to show.

He has tattoos, the most notable of which is an electric guitar that takes up most of his right inner forearm. It's upside down, with the bottom of the body tucked into the crease of his elbow and the neck stretching down to his wrist. When asked, he always admits that he doesn't play guitar; in fact, he knows very little about music at all. He says he got it because someone saved his life with that very guitar, but Taylor suspects he'd just thought it looked cool when he was young.

He also, allegedly, knows an unusual number of people with significance to the LGBTQ+ community. Taylor has heard him mention having lunch with Michael Wheeler, an author who gained popularity in the early 2000s for his fantasy novels that often feature queer characters. Kelly swears that she heard him mention the Byler siblings once. The three artists, each known for having their own distinct mediums of photography, paint, and sculpture, had risen to fame in the nineties for the mix of praise and criticism they'd received for their first joint exhibit. It had been an exploration of the realities of being gay at the time, and the artwork is still discussed and admired today.

There's also a rumor that he knows a member or two of Corroded Coffin, a metal band who toured for thirty years and was fronted by an openly gay man, though Taylor is unfamiliar with them and finds this a bit less impressive than the other possible connections.

They don't know how many of these rumors, if any, are true, but it's interesting nonetheless. It makes him a sort of unspoken, safe space for the queer students.

He has a strange scar across his throat, and if asked about it, his responses are varying levels of insane, ranging from very improbable to outright impossible. He'd been mistaken for a patient in need of a thyroid operation when he'd gone in for a knee surgery. A sentient vine got wrapped around his neck while he was being attacked by giant bats. A serial killer known simply as The Strangler had tried to make him a victim when he'd gone back to his hometown for a high school reunion. He'd been hanged for being a pirate in a past life and bore a scar as a reminder to always abide by the law.

He claims to have a brother just a few years younger than himself, but he also tells stories about being an only child. He says his reason for choosing to be a high school teacher is that he raised six teens himself, but it's common knowledge that he's never had kids. He's a nerd, which had caught Taylor by surprise the first time they'd realized it. He'd mumbled something about Coach Roberts sounding like a demogorgon when he passed by Taylor during class one day. He'd said it like he knew exactly what that fictitious beast sounded like. As though it was a sound that existed.

Then, of course, there is his friendship with Ms. Buckley, who had arrived at Lincoln the same year as Coach. There's speculation that they are actually married to each other - their wedding rings, though different, are equally strange - but Taylor has never gotten that vibe from them. They do interact with the familiarity of people who have known each other a long time, though.

Peering around the room, Taylor takes stock of what they can immediately see. A shelf is lined with trophies that the school has won in Coach H's brief tenure. At the end of the shelf, proudly displayed besides the shiny plastic, is a crudely made clay trophy that reads "#1 DINGUS" at the bottom. There is also a tall bookshelf. It's almost entirely full and has a variety of genres and authors. Taylor notices a selection of Michael Wheeler on one of the middle shelves at perfect eye level. His desk is cluttered with papers, though it looks like it is an organized sort of chaos. He has a couch that sits opposite the desk. It has a soft-looking blanket folded across the back and an assortment of pillows and plushes taking up much of the sitting space.

What catches Taylor's eye is the pin board hanging just beside the door. It is just as covered as the surface of the desk. There are a couple of fading children's drawings, a birthday card with the beginnings of a bad joke on the front, and a bunch of photos of people Taylor doesn't recognize. In the middle of the cluttered board are three photos pinned in a neat, tidy column. The top and bottom are of six people, taken probably 10 or 15 years apart. In the top one, the younger version of the group is standing in a row, arms around each other, grinning at the camera. Taylor recognizes the two in the very center; a young Ms. Buckley and Coach H are leaning into each other, pulling their friends in closer on either side. In the one on the bottom, they are all older but, in a way, the same. They've paired off, each couple kissing dramatically for the camera. On the right, Coach Harrington is being dipped back by a man with long curls pulled back into a messy bun. In the center, Ms. Buckley and a woman with a short bobbed cut each have both hands holding their partner's face. The two men on the left, one with short brown hair and the other with a mane that reaches halfway down his back, are flipping off the camera, hands held out low enough that their audience can still see them kissing.

It's the photo between these two, though, that really draws Taylor's attention. It's clearly a professional picture - six gold rings in a circle, displayed on a gnarled stump with bits of greenery in the background. The rings are three distinct pairs, each set across from each other in the circle. The first pair, the thinnest, set at the top and bottom, have been fashioned to look like vines with impossibly intricate leaves and flowers. Taylor knows Ms. Buckley wears one of these. The next clockwise are of a more medium width and have a spiral seam and tiny frays to make them look like rope. The final pair is the most familiar to Taylor; thick, golden chain links. One of those is Coach Harrington's.

"That one's been nicknamed 'the rings of power'," Coach H says, materializing beside her to examine the photos, too.

"Who took it?"

"Jonathan Byers," Coach H says easily.

Taylor's eyes nearly bug out of their head. "Like, the famous photographer?" Taylor, an amateur photographer themself, discovered Jonathan Byers and his work a few years ago and had loved it all. "You actually know him? For real?"

"I actually know him for real. He's in these other two photos."

Taylor stares at the top photo for a moment before the realization of what that fact could mean hits them. "Are you married to Jonathan Byers?! Is that him?" Taylor takes a closer look at the curly-haired man, trying to remember if they've ever seen a picture of Jonathan Byers.

Coach chuckles and shakes his head. "No," he says with a grin, "but he'd be amused to know you think so. That's Jon." He points to the man on the far right side of the first photo. He's the one with the short haircut. "This is my husband." Coach points instead to the man with the wild curls. "Eddie Munson. He's the front man of Corroded Coffin." He begins to point out the other three. "That's Jon's husband, Argyle. He owns a food truck. You might have seen it downtown. You already know Robin. That's her wife, Nancy Wheeler. Nance is a freelance journalist."

"Wheeler?" That can't be a coincidence. "Holy shit," Taylor says, unable to hold back a disbelieving laugh. "The rumors are true."

"Which ones?" Coach asks with an amused, knowing smile.

"The ones about you knowing a bunch of famous gays!"

Coach laughs at that. "I guess? I knew them before the fame. We sorta grew up together. We all ended up being in the public eye pretty abruptly in the mid-eighties. Lots of interviews and publicity. It all kinda spiraled, and now, some of us are - well." He shrugs. "You can Google it."

"Wait," Taylor says, shrugging their backpack off their shoulder and pulling their notebook out. This is the reason Taylor is here in the first place; interviews with a few of the favorite teachers for the school newspaper. But this is starting to sound like so much more than a simple "fun facts" kind of interview. "Can I just ask you? This stuff is best straight from the source."

"Sure."

"This is so cool. So, what's the real story behind the guitar?"

[glitterge1pen]

Have you ever stood in an empty hallway and been put into 2005-2009?

Rukawa Kaede x reader, sfw, fluff, word count 3,490

guys I've done it again I have wrote something vague and tender

Stadium Operations Manger had not been the job you thought you would find yourself in. At least according to the results of the career aptitude test you took in high school.

Scheduling and preparing the stadium for events was your main job. Working with musicians teams to figure out how their touring stage would fit in your space. What nights were for basketball or hockey or monster jam trucks.

What charity wanted to sing at that hockey game? And there's a new food vendor right? These were questions you handed off to other people, the managers beneath you. With a walkie talkie, clipboard, and google calendar you hoped yourself invincible.

That was of course until Rukawa. His name squeezes its way out of the corner of your mouth, it tingles the tip of your nose and turns the ends of your ears hot. Your staff in aprons, yellow crowd control vests, and black security jackets moves out of your way as you pass.

There is twenty minutes until the doors open and then another hour until the game.

Your shoes clunk on the tiled floor, your legs burning from the fast pace. Where could he be this time? You were almost back at where you had started and there was no sign of him.

Pressing on the walkie you ask if anyone has seen him. They don't have to ask who. But he is still amiss and you don't know if you should be angry or impressed.

Deciding that he can wait just a couple minutes you walk over to the glass wall that overlooks the city. In the summer doors lead to a rooftop cafe, a balcony, but now in the colder months the doors are locked and you can only look.

At night the lights and reflections of the city are like rain. You often find yourself taking in this exact view, either on the first floor or higher up on the third floor where you are now.

Next to you is one of the smaller merchandise shops. The front of the shop also glass. All the local sports teams merch is stocked here and tonight the basketball teams logo is most prominent amongst the jerseys. Especially Rukawa’s jersey. That number of his, 11, seemingly mocking you. Where was he?

The shop door was propped open, you'd have to check the schedule and remind whoever closed last night to make sure to shut it. A sneaker. There behind the cashier counter on your right is a sneaker on the floor.

You leave the door to investigate. There is Rukawa on that blue shop carpet. His arms crossed over his chest and his breathing even. You kick the bottom of his shoe.

"Come on," he groans, "Get up, game time is soon,"

"You're lying,"

"I'm not lying you got to get your ass up and back downstairs,"

He doesn't say anything. You huff, knowing that the next part of this charade is trying to yank him off the floor. Rukawa is tall and mostly muscle, you tug on his arm but never get him very far. Today he is limp dead weight. You set your clipboard down to use both hands, in a misstep you tangle your shoes with his. Your hands loose grip on his forearm and you're tumbling backwards.

This is what seems to wake Rukawa up. His own hand grips onto your wrist pulling you in his direction just as he’s standing onto his feet. You bump into his chest and are momentarily in a whirlwind. Rukawa smells nice, his cologne faint but there, beneath the vague spicy citrus is the gentle sweat of sleep. His jersey isn’t pressed to flat clean lines but it is clean, it smells fresh. He’s looking at you not saying anything and you can feel his gaze but do not meet it.

“Your boss is going to kill me,”

“He’s not my boss,”

“He's your coach and that’s close enough, come on we have to get you down there,”

Rukawa follows you out of the store and into the massive stadium halls. He keeps pace with you, employees eye him but don’t ask for pictures or autographs. Around the bend is the employee only elevator and your shoulder brushes against him on the ride down to the basement floors.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,”

You say with a nonchalant tone, your eyes feasting upon your clipboard trying to find when the medic team is supposed to arrive tonight.

“I didn't mean for you to trip,”

This time he can't look at you while you look at him. You don’t know what to say, your mind trying to find some other instance where you’ve heard him apologize but can't. It's the thing that twitter accounts, sports journalists and other players say about Rukawa. That his head is too high, that he can't admit when he's over stepped but instead will say what he plans on doing next. The elevator dings open and you tell him that it's alright.

༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

Your office is tucked away in the basement. It's barely big enough for the desk, couch and shelf of binders that hold it together. Rukawa is there on the couch, his back to you as you type away on your computer. Players were required to arrive at the stadium at least forty five minutes before the games. Most came earlier than that. Rukawa's teammates were lounging in the locker room with take out, in the seats below the announcers box playing Xbox on the jumbotron and listening to music on the court.

Rukawa was napping. You wondered if he had some sort of sleep disorder. Since finding him in the shop several weeks ago Rukawa had stopped napping in various places around the stadium and taken up your offer to sleep in the office. You turn to look at him now and find that he is already looking at you.

“You're awake,”

And he nods, sitting up.

“You ready for the game,”

He scoots the couch closer to the desk.

“I’ll take that as a yes,”

“We’re weak on defensive because Miller is out. Their good scorers, and so are we but our weak point is shining,”

“You can still win,”

Rukawa is close to the desk so that he can rest his head in his arms. His breath itches your skin as your attention battles to focus on the computer screen in front of you and not him.

“And you have to move the couch back when you leave for warm ups,”

༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

The team was on a losing streak. You did not bring it up to Rukawa. He sulked in your office before games, twisting in his sleep. He had been spending even more time in the gym. The training center was only two blocks away from the stadium. He parked his car in the same lot as yours, you saw him in there sometimes before you had to clock in, the training center not open yet. Most often he was napping, but sometimes you caught him watching game highlights. You always made sure to bump your fist on his window as you passed by.

Today, in the cold night air, he was there again. The trunk of his car slamming shut as he tossed his duffle bag inside. His eyes widened when he saw you, having caught him off guard. Another thing that you had not been able to do before. You see the bags under his eyes, the red creeping around his pupils.

“Rukawa, what are you still doing here, its really late,”

He shrugs, “I could ask you the same thing,” you were carrying a box full of posters. The new ones for the holders had come in, you liked to keep the cool ones of bands you liked. Rukawa held the box for you as you unlocked the car. Your breath came out in white clouds, the air slithering around you, Rukawa put his hands in his pockets.

“Hungry?”

He asks. The restaurant of Rukawa's choosing was at first surprising. Empanadas served over a counter. Traditional ones, and ones with more flashy fillings like Vegan Caprse and Spicy Bbq Chicken. The place is small with few tables, it's on the mall strip downtown and has doors on either side. People filter in and out easily, their empanadas wrapped in wax paper, steaming hot as people head back outside. Most seem drunk, rosy, and loud as they wait for their food.

You order first and snag the window seats, gliding onto the high stools. It's Friday so even though it's late the street is still buzzing. When Rukawa slides into the seat next to you, he hands you a cellophane wrapped pastry.

“For letting me use the office,”

“Oh you didn't have to do that,”

“I did. I have to do something for you,”

He's so matter of fact about it that it makes you want to roll your eyes. He's serious and dead set on small things like this, it makes you grin. You watch the people on the street, your reflection mixing with the lights, the people behind you in the small restaurant just blurry shapes in the window. The food is good and warm, the bread flaky and filling.

“Are you okay?” He doesn't answer but instead just looks at you. If he was going to be stubborn about it you supposed you could be a little mean, “I know you don’t like losing and…” You trail off hiding a smile behind your empanada. He twists around in his stool, propping his elbows up on the counter. You don’t stop looking at him and eventually he sighs and swivels the stool to face you.

“Fine. I don’t like it. And I can't do anything about it,”

“And have you done other things?”

“Like what?”

“What you've never taken, like a spa day or something?”

“I’m not going to a spa,”

“I’m not saying go to a spa I just mean when you aren’t playing basketball what do you do?”

༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“When I first moved here this is where I would come,”

It's the next day and you had spent more time than you'd like to admit thinking about what to wear. Only to find that Rukawa was bringing you to a bridge looking down at the freeway. It was the massive freeway too, the one with ten lanes and the toll. The bridge had nothing but chainlink, that enclosed the concrete path, and a single iron railing keeping people from throwing rocks and themselves down at the cars. It connected a neighborhood of houses to a strip mall.

“And why would you come here? There's like nothing here,”

He shrugged, “This path connects to the river, the one down by the stadium. I used to run it every morning and sometimes I’d stop here at the bridge.”

There's stairs you have to descend, they seem clunky and odd next to the freeway. Drivers slow down as they approach and merge from the ramp onto the lanes. The city is still in view and you find your eyes wandering to the skyscrapers and glistening windows. Rukawa nudges your shoulder with your own.

“This is the part I like,”

A car gets on the exit ramp.

“What about it?”

“Look at the drivers,”

The next car comes, a blue honda, and the girl driving looks over her shoulder to see if she can merge. Almost everyone does this, the peek over the shoulder. Of course everyone does this, but it is charming to see that Rukawa has picked a spot just to watch people do this mundane task. You try to think of other things like this that everyone must do but your mind comes up blank, too busy watching the cars pass by.

There are easy things to think of, like breathing, drinking water, sleeping, that all people somehow complete. But smaller things, like having to check over your shoulder, escape you. But you know still that other people exist in the same way you do.

“I get why you come here,”

༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“That just isn't going to work sir,”

The grody man in front of you was trying to convince you that his musicians stage set needed another rig for lights.

“There has to be some way you can do this for us, we’ll downsize if we have too,”

“You're going to downsize over some lights?”

All the pleasantries between you two had been used up. The past ten minutes had been very tense, the forty five minute meeting was entering two hour meeting territory and you were jittering with nerves. Not because you couldn't handle this man but because there was a game tonight and you still hadn't made your first round of check-ins with your team.

“Hell yeah we’ll downsize over this. This is money that you’ll be losing,”

“It's not possible, we simply don't have the room for it,”

“Then make room!”

The door to your office swings open, Rukawa is there, duffle bag slung over his shoulder and frozen as he takes in the atmosphere.

“Oh, I didn't know you had a meeting today,”

He’s about to turn away but you usher him in.

“No, no, its alright we were just finishing up,”

“No we aren't!”

Rukawa’s eyes dart between you and this man, he tosses his duffle bag onto the couch, stepping aside to let the man pass. But the man is still in the chair across from your desk, his face red and his palms up like can catch him an explanation for this interruption.

“I’m sorry but we are done. I've explained several times that we don't have room for another rig, and even if we did I couldn't let you use that space because the amount of lights you're suggesting is a fire hazard,”

“Other places have given us the space so why can't you?”

“Because we don't have it!”

You are practically yelling and the man's mouth is open in shock, his hand on his chest like he has the right to be appalled.

“You have to leave,”

Rukawa says. You don't take your eyes off the man in front of you.

“You don't have any say in this matter!”

“They told you to leave, leave,”

Finally, after a long, long beat of silence the man gets up and leaves. He slams your office door hard. Your fists balled up at your sides, you jump at the door. Opening it only to slam it shut even harder than he had. You stand in the middle of your office unsure of what to do now. Your whole body burning hot, your eyes brimming with tears, and your hands still clenched tight.

“Come on, you have to get out of this office,”

You run your fingers over the lines in your forehead, the ones that appear before you're going to cry.

“No, no, I have to check in with security and-”

“Do you think it's a good idea to do that when you're not calm and ready?” “But I have to,”

“Just ten minutes,”

You follow Rukawa to the elevator and find yourself retracing steps to the merchandise store you had last found him in. To your surprise Rukawa walks past that and to the doors that lead to the patio, and he opens them. He somehow has a key and though it's chilly out you still stand on the rooftop. It's afternoon, the sky a strong blue, clouds fluffy.

“Thanks,”

You say as Rukawa tosses you his warm up jacket.

༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“Can’t you go talk to him,”

“Isn't that your job,”

Rukawa's coach, a balding middle aged man who wears too many rings, sighs, and shakes his head.

“Your better at it, he likes you better,”

“Which is it, am I better or does he like me better,”

“You know it's both,”

You hum and continue typing on your laptop.

“I’ll go with you if you're scared,”

“I’m not scared!”

“Then why aren't you going?”

“Beucae Rukawa is a professional athlete and I trust he knows what he's doing,”

“And I’m his coach and I’m saying he's doing too much, get him out of the gym, hes pissing everyone off,”

“Why do I have to do it? It's not my responsibility,” 

“I already told you, he likes you best”

This is the conversation you had with him in your office that led to you braving the night and walking to the training center. You show your stadium badge to the secretary behind the desk and she does not let you in. So you call coach and he doesn't answer, which leads to you calling Rukawa.

“Can you come down to the front desk,”

He's breathless as he speaks, “The front desk where?”

“Here, like where you are, the training center,”

Suddenly you are scared and nervous and don't know exactly what you’ll say to Rukawa. When he gets down to the lobby he bursts through the doors, head whipping back and forth to find you.

“Did something happen?”

“What? No? Did coach not tell you I was coming?”

Rukawa's shoulders drop, and he shakes his head no.

“He wants you out of the gym,” He runs a hand through his hair, “he says you're stressing everyone out,”

Rukawa hunches over on his knees, he huffs.

“He couldn't tell me that?”

“He says he did and you didn't listen.”

He flops back onto the couch that's in the lobby. You stand there holding the strap of your work bag. You aren't sure what's supposed to happen next, are you supposed to sit down with him? Is he actually going to leave? He wraps the healthy leaf of the house plant that's next to the couch around his fingers. It shines underneath the lights, green, vibrant, of life.

“Have you ever been inside?”

༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

Since Rukawa had given you a tour of the training center he was more prone to dropping by your office on days that he did not have games. He had also begun inviting you to practices. You had only been able to make it to two but they were interesting to watch. You didn't sit in the bleachers but rather in this hallway with windows that looked down onto the court. There were hardly any people there, and they appeared to be other employees.

You were not in your office though when Rukawa had popped in. He saw the drink on your desk and the light of the computer screen. He went wandering the basement offices in an attempt to find you. He grabbed his lunch too, he had come from a practice and was starving. He knew the building pretty well from his adventures in napping. He checked the water fountain, the break room but found you in the office supply closet. Which is where the big xerox machine was.

“Hey,”

You said to him as he entered the small room.

“You weren't in your office,”

“Well, yeah I had to make copies of these,”

Rukawa hoisted himself up on the cabinet next to the printer. He clipped the stacks of paper you were making with paper clips and set them aside for you as he munched on his food.

“Is that a whole bag of tomatoes?”

You asked, lifting up the scanner lid. Rukawa had brought a ziploc bag full of tomatoes to eat. He nodded.

“Do you want one?”

None of the tomatoes were of the same size or color, but most of them were small. He handed you one of the bite size ones, and you don't know what compelled you to do this, but you put it on the scanner with paper. You pressed the start button and bright light illuminated the room. With the lid open you could see the bar of light as it whirred left and right.

Rukawa took the paper off the glass and dumped the rest of the tomatoes on. You scanned dozens of different piles of the tomates. Flipping them over and rearranging them on the glass. All the images were being sent to your computer but also being printed out. Rukawa assisted. Moving the red bulbs this way and that.

“When we’re done can we go to the roof?”

“Sure,”

You say to him. Many weeks later you will visit Rukawa's apartment and find the printed tomatoes framed in the hallway of his house.

༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

A/N;  @z_adeh on tiktok has this video of them scanning tomatoes and it zapped my brain

[stateofsport211]

The Challengers Are Real: An Introductory Post to the ATP Challenger Tour

A more compact version in the form of a Twitter thread can be found here.

Mike Faist (left) and Josh O'Connor (right) play Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig in Challengers, portraying New Rochelle Challenger 2019 (📸 Challengers official trailer on YouTube)

If anyone comes here from the Challengers movie starting Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, which plot centered on a former Grand Slam tennis champion who registers to compete in a Challenger-level tournament and is somewhat drawn against the former lover of his wife (and coach) after a losing streak, even minus the romance part (which might or might not be true off-court), the plot is reminiscent to the real-life occurrence as a player’s career might have winded down due to a lot of factors (that could even go hand-in-hand), most notably injury and loss of form.

The ATP Challenger Tour was established in 1978 with 18 tournaments (in more limited locations than today) to serve as a feeder system for the ATP Tour, where it often operates 24/7 with more than 180 events in 40 countries nowadays, with the potential to increase this year. Being likened to the Minor Leagues in baseball, with players playing better than the club players (including us), it is characterized as the place where people try to transition from juniors/college to the professional Tour, hanging on due to enormous factors that do not allow them to break through (just yet), and regaining the form they once had (especially for former top players), which are the reasons the Challenger Tour is often dubbed as “the real deal” instead of the main Tour itself.

Beware of the length. This is a possible long read as this fan article aims to introduce non-tennis die-hard/hipster fans or even casual/non-tennis fans to the real-life ATP Challenger Tour. It might be essay-ish, but it can be useful!

How Are the Events Organized?

The tennis tournament hierarchy (📸 self-illustrated)

As an intermediary between the players who are starting, hanging on, and approaching retirement, the ATP Challenger Tour is in the middle of the professional tennis tournament hierarchy. It is the second-tier tour to the ATP Tour tournament structure, hereby referred to as the main Tour, and the ITF World Tour Tennis (formerly Futures). In this regard, the Grand Slams, whose scale is higher than the main Tour tournaments, are overseen by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the aforementioned ITF World Tour Tennis and the tennis field in the Olympics organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Challenger Tour itself comprised as many as 196 tournaments in 2023 held in 46 countries in comparison to the main Tour's 64 tournaments in 29 countries, while the ITF World Tour Tennis tournaments had a whopping 571 tournaments in 73 countries as of 2023, strengthening its position as the fundamental pillar of the professional tennis for the development of the future tennis stars with the Challenger Tour as its in-between.

On another note, the rankings system in tennis is updated almost weekly (except for the 2-week-long tournaments both in Tour-level and Grand Slams) compared to golf, for example.

The ATP Challenger Tour logo banner that was placed in the net during the Lille Challenger earlier this year (📸 Lille Challenger official website)

Back to how the Challenger Tour works, even though it is frequently averaged between 1-5 tournaments per week, with the least being in the week of the Roland Garros/French Open qualification rounds (1 in 2023, which was the Skopje Challenger), they are currently divided through 5 tiers depending on the points won by the eventual champions according to the most recent reform starting in 2023, which are:

Challenger 50 is the lowest tier;

Challenger 75;

Challenger 100;

Challenger 125;

Challenger 175, usually held on the second week of the 2-week Masters 1000s (the highest Tour-level event after the ITF-sanctioned Grand Slams) and often likened to a 250 (the lowest Tour-level tournament in scale) for their heavy draws.

Compared to the Tour level, the Challenger-level calendar is revealed periodically (usually every 3 months) and is accessible through the ATP’s website. To add, a Challenger season lasts slightly longer than the Tour-level calendar, for example in 2023–which main Tour season concluded with the Nitto ATP Tour Finals on November 20 and the Davis Cup Finals Knockout Stages on November 27–where there are 4 Challenger tournaments in the week of November 27-December 3, which are located in:

Yokkaichi, Japan (outdoor hard)

Maspalomas, Spain (outdoor clay)

Maia, Portugal (indoor clay)

Temuco, Chile (outdoor hard)

Clement Tabur (left) and Marco Trungelliti (right) as the runner-up and champion of the Kigali 2 Challenger, respectively, which took place in the Rwandan capital in the beginning of February 2024 (📸 Imvaho Nshya)

The tournaments themselves take place in a variety of locations, which will be dubbed as "their own swings" by taking into account its frequent differences between the main Tour events, either by location or by surface. For example, looking at the past few years:

2024's Indian swing (a string of Indian Challenger events, in this context) started weeks after the Australian Open with the Chennai Challenger, followed by Pune, Bengaluru, and New Delhi;

Challenger's own indoor (hard/clay) season is separated into two, which are the beginning of the season on par with the Tour's pre-Middle East swing European indoor season (e.g. for 2024, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Quimper, Koblenz, Nottingham 1, Cherbourg, Glasgow, Pau, Lille, and Lugano), with an addition of indoor clay Challengers like in Szekesfehervar (usually in March) and Maia (usually year-end), and toward the end of the season on par with the year-end European indoor season (as of 2023, e.g. Orleans, Bratislava 2, Hamburg, Ortisei, Bergamo, Helsinki, and Danderyd).

In addition, the North American circuit is notably divided into indoors at the beginning of the year (e.g. for 2024. Cleveland; and add Rome, GA Challenger in 2023) and after the US Open (most notably Charlottesville, Knoxville, and Champaign Challengers), and outdoors season with the concluded Indian Wells Challenger between the end of January and the beginning of February 2024, and while the Tour-level grass season came into a close, the outdoor hard-court in Palmas del Mar kick-started the summer hard-court season in 2023, but the Phoenix Challenger stood in between the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000s held in the former's second week;

Challenger Tour's own clay season, both European and Latin American, which will be explained in a separate section considering its prevalence and impact to the current tennis landscape;

Other than Tunis, another notable tournament held in Africa was the Kigali Challenger in Rwanda from earlier this year, which became the seventh African country to organize a Challenger-level event;

Challengers' Mexican swing, which differed from the 2 tournament stops on the main Tour as this featured several clay-court and hard-court tournaments;

The Challengers used to have some carpet tournaments based in Eckental and Ismaning, the former which was folded in 2022 due to budget and support constraints, with the latter being the sole carpet tournament of the Challenger Tour since then despite carpet tournaments still being played in the ITF (former Futures) level;

The Challengers' own Asian Swing, which spanned between the South Korean swing spread before the French Open (around April), with parts of the Chinese swing being added to the timeline in 2024 before its second chapter in between/after the US Open (September-November) in line with the main Tour's Asian Swing, added by the Japanese swing to close the year (per the 2023 calendar).

Speaking of the Tour being 24/7, there will be several weeks where tennis visibly never stops. For example, in the second week of April 2024 (Apr 8-14), there are tournaments in:

Busan, South Korea (outdoor hard, which commenced the first half of the Asian Challenger swing);

Split, Croatia (outdoor clay);

Madrid, Spain (outdoor clay);

Sarasota, Florida, United States of America (outdoor green/HarTru clay, which kicked off one-third of the US green clay court circuit pre-French Open);

Morelos, Mexico (outdoor altitude hard, which continued this half of the Mexican Challenger swing, which succeeded the clay-court tournaments of that swing).

Furthermore, there is also a possibility that the 4-5 tournaments held that week will be played on 3 different surfaces, mainly clay, hard, and grass, with the grass-court tournaments being a preparation for the Wimbledon Championships; however, all of the grass-court Challengers solely take place in the United Kingdom. For this year, an example of those weeks is the week of June 3 (the 23rd week of the year), where there are 5 tournaments played on 3 different surfaces, which are located in:

Surbiton, United Kingdom (outdoor grass);

Heilbronn, Germany (outdoor clay);

Prostejov, Czech Republic (outdoor clay);

Zagreb, Croatia (outdoor clay);

Tyler, Texas, United States of America (outdoor hard).

Challenger Tour's Own Clay Season

One of the most prominent Challenger-level clay tournaments in Buenos Aires, with a packed home crowd (📸 ATP official website)

Even though the main Tour events have their own clay swing during the Golden Swing (the South American clay-court events usually held in February before the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000s, the latter that is famously called the "Sunshine Double") right after the two said hard-court Masters 1000 tournaments (starting from the end of March until the beginning of June), as well as a mini-clay season after the Wimbledon Championships before the North American summer hard-court swing (between July-August), the clay-court season never stops in the Challenger Tour, especially South America.

Parts of the Challenger Tour in South America were initiated by former World No. 31 Horacio de la Peña called the Legion Sudamericana in 2021 as he pointed out the lack of opportunities for Latin American players to develop their game on their home soil. From there, he brought the South American tennis federations together (such as but not limited to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay) that not only comprised the clay-court Challengers as they mostly grew up on clay but also featured the hard-court Challengers, such as the Brasilia and Temuco Challengers by the end of the last season (2023), leading up to the Australian summer hard-court season to start the following year. This generated a huge impact on the growth of Latin American tennis as this was supported by the immense passion of the local fans as proven by their well-attended events. For instance, in 2022 alone (a year after this initiation), Argentinean players won 23 Challenger titles and 14 South American players partook in the Australian Open qualification rounds, which increased three-fold compared to their 2021 Australian Open qualifications participation rate as there were 20 players from the region in 2023 compared to only 7 in 2021. The number also grew into 10 South American players inside the Top 100 as of April 29, 2024, in a group of 35 Latin American players inside the Top 300 by that time, and could possibly be higher as the year progressed.

On the other hand, the clay season in the other parts of the world (mainly Europe) spanned from before the French Open until almost the end of the year. For example, most of the 24 Challenger-level tournaments held in Italy were clay-court tournaments, which explained the steady rise of Italian tennis as they invested a lot in their players' development from the availability of the lower-level tournaments until the coaching department to add to their passion of sports in general. Some others took place in different parts of Europe, including another possible tennis powerhouse in the Czech Republic, where Challenger tournaments held there are mostly clay-court ones, thanks to their grassroots development as well that cultivates the passion for the game in them (including having tennis courts almost everywhere), hence there are (young) talents from almost everywhere in the country.

Detailed writing about the South American Challenger's clay-court circuit as part of the entire pre-Roland Garros/French Open qualification build-up article, dated from the beginning of the 2023 clay season, can be found here.

Broadcast

The Challenger TV advertisement on the ATP official website (📸 ATP official website)

The ATP Challenger Tour is broadcasted in a dedicated part of the ATP official website, free of charge and repeatable as long as there are no technical problems on their website. People could rewind and document their moments, from the most hilarious ones to the hottest tennis shots and points the players constructed. Starting at the beginning of this year, compared to what is commonly said as the “dodgy CCTV camera” stream that was used back in the day, the current streams have HD cameras, making the moments even more visible.

Interestingly, these past few years, several Challenger tournaments have also been broadcasted on the local televisions of the country (or a specific place) where the competition takes place despite only the main courts or the later rounds. For instance, the tournaments in Latin America are often broadcasted by ESPN (Star+), DirecTV, or TyC Sports (in Argentina), ORR in Austria, L’Equipe TV/BeIN Sports for some French tournaments, and recently, Tennis Channel 2 broadcasts the Phoenix Challenger as part of their attempt to broadcast more US-based Challenger tournaments.

Some upcoming sections might have contained the outline of select players' journey to the author's best knowledge and how the Challenger Tour and the recent enhancements from the ATP play a part in their careers. Out of plethora of tennis players, they are just (tangible) examples of the influence of this circuit before or during breaking through/coming back to the ranks.

Top Players and Emerging Talents

According to the ATP Rulebook, it is stated that within the top players, the Top 10 players 21 days before the first Monday of the ATP Challenger Tour tournament are prohibited from entering by all means possible, be it through direct entry, wild card, or Special Exempts, especially in the 75-175 categories. For those ranked 11-50 by then, they could enter the 175 category per their ranks 3 weeks before the said tournament, and the ATP also has to approve their wild cards should there be a proposal, receiving a limited amount of wild cards depending on the Challenger Tour and the Tour-level schedule for that week. However, those players ranked 1-150 by then are not allowed to enter the 50 category, with the players ranked between 51-150 can receive a wild card upon approval (especially 50-100, where they must have the same nationality as the tournament).

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray (left) with his Surbiton Challenger title (📸 LTA) and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori (right) with his Palmas del Mar Challenger Title (📸 The Japan Times), all won last year

Usually, former top players partake in the Challenger Tour for numerous reasons, mainly returning from injury (or suspension, if any) and grinding to regain their form back, which often takes forever–or, in some other instances, it's the nearest tournament to say farewell (as a professional player) to the sport that raised them. One of the most prominent examples from the first category was from former World No. 1 Andy Murray, who made his return to tennis with a metal hip in the summer of 2019, where he also rebuilt through the Challenger Tour until he became a permanent fixture again several years later, including his participation in the grass-court Challengers to prepare for the bigger-scale tournaments, as he won the Surbiton-Nottingham Challenger double in 2023–and somehow found himself winning the Aix-en-Provence Challenger on clay months prior, and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, who returned from his injuries in Palmas del Mar Challenger 2023 as an unranked player receiving a wild card to partake, winning the whole tournament afterward to mark his comeback to the sport despite his inability to catch a break in between once again. Former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini, who was sidelined for more than a year due to various injuries, came back to become the runner-up in the Phoenix Challenger weeks before winning his first ATP-level title in two years in Marrakech (250). Recently, Frances Tiafoe hit a rough patch since the end of last year, which extended to this year's clay season, where he takes a wild card to rebuild in the Cagliari Challenger (which is a 175) for the week in hopes of rebuilding the confidence missing from his game, starting his campaign in the next few days as he received a first-round bye.

Ugo Humbert (left) with his Metz (250) 2023 title (📸 Tenis Magazyn) and Jan-Lennard Struff (right) with his Madrid Masters 1000 2023 runner-up trophy (📸 Sport 1 Germany)

There were several other notable stories where they reached new heights after being unable to catch a break regardless of age (for the older players, they are often called "late bloomers"). Ugo Humbert, who repeatedly ended up injured within the past years, marked the beginning of his resurgence with the Rennes Challenger 2022 title, followed by surviving an almost 4-hour match to win the Pau Challenger 2023, as well as the Cagliari Challenger at the same year before making stronger runs in both summer grass and hard-court seasons, ultimately winning the Metz (250) title on his home soil to out-perform his previous career-high ranking of 25 attained back in 2021, now having the best ranking of 13 from April 15, 2024. While it might have been the end of the road for Jan-Lennard Struff, he picked up where he left off last year by reaching 3 Challenger-level semifinals before re-entering the Top 100 thanks to his Monte Carlo Masters 1000 semifinal appearance as a qualifier, followed by becoming the runner-up of Madrid Masters 1000 as a lucky loser. Proving the doubters wrong once again, he finally won his maiden ATP-level title in Munich (250), where he became the third-oldest first-time champion since the ATP Tour was established in 1990.

Pierre Hugues-Herbert (top) won the Quimper Challenger 2024 (📸 Ouest France) and Benoit Paire (bottom) won the Puerto Vallarta Challenger 2023 (📸 Noticias AL Mexico)

However, not everyone had a successful comeback story. While former singles World No. 36 and doubles World No. 2 Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who also completed his career Grand Slam in doubles with Nicolas Mahut rebuilds as this was written, his comeback was plagued by some setbacks and injuries until the middle of 2023, as well as some other issues in between. Right as he started to get the knack again after winning the Quimper Challenger 2024 and becoming the runner-up of the Naples Challenger, another setback occurred in taking care of his youngest son who had just undergone surgery. The struggle can also be felt for former singles World No. 16 Benoit Paire, who fell as low as being ranked 217 on February 2, 2023, due to several losing streaks. Even though he found some knack after winning the Puerto Vallarta Challenger 2023, followed by the San Benedetto del Tronto Challenger months later before closing his season by being the Maia Challenger runner-up, his rollercoaster results comprised the rest of his season, including another string of early exits to start 2024 that prompted speculations of his retirement after the Rome Masters 1000 and the French Open/Roland Garros based on his latest updates.

Patrick Kypson with his Cleveland Challenger 2024 title (left) and Steve Johnson with his Bloomfield Hills Challenger 2023 title (right) (📸 ATP Challenger Tour's official Twitter–1, 2)

Often, which is also applicable to emerging talents, these Challengers are also part of the reciprocal Wild Card Challenge for the countries holding a Grand Slam, for example how the green clay trio of Sarasota-Tallahassee-Savannah Challenger in the United States became an addition to the other red-clay events spread in the different parts of the world for the players from the United States to compete to earn Roland Garros/French Open wild cards as a reward of their performance (as well as for their French counterparts within their system made by their federation) or an equivalent challenge for their summer hard-court season to form the US Open Wild Card Challenge in addition to counting their performances in equivalent surfaces corresponding to the Grand Slams. For instance, this paved the way for Patrick Kypson, who earned both the French Open 2023 and the Australian Open 2024 wild cards thanks to his exceptional performance in the mentioned series of tournaments, backing the latter up with a title in Cleveland Challenger, as well as solid runs in Delray Beach (250) the week after to finally enter the Top 150 for the first time. In contrast, after winning 2 Challenger titles in Bloomfield Hills and Lexington, former World No. 26 Steve Johnson won the US Open Wild Card Challenge last year and received a wild-card to the US Open last year, which turned out to be his last appearance in his home Slam (since he is from the United States), as he decided to hang his racquet during the Indian Wells Masters 1000 earlier this year.

Today, young talents also benefit from the College/Junior/NextGen Accelerator Programs that speed up their rise, which will be explained right in the next section.

The College/Junior/NextGen Accelerator Programs

The Junior/College Accelerator Program diagrams (📸 ATP official website)

For some people who had outstanding junior careers or even collegiate careers (for the latter, it is now for those who attended the US universities, notably playing in the NCAA), they are rewarded with the College/Junior Accelerator Program to try their hands against the best of the game as early as they transition from junior/college to the professional Tour. This partly answered the previous concerns about players having difficulties transitioning between the junior and professional circuit while recognizing their immense potential at times, thus the necessity to promote the rise of young talents to build through these accelerated opportunities.

In this case, the stand-outs from juniors (mostly between 1-30 in the ITF junior rankings, as well as the junior Grand Slam champions and finalists), college (ranks 1-20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association/ITA rankings), and NextGen (for players aged 20 and under inside the Top 350 ranking range) by the end of each season will be allotted certain occasions (and select tournament levels) to play in the main draw of both the Challenger Tour (in this case, it is for junior and college) and the main Tour-level (which applies to the NextGen players), as well as the ITF World Tour Tennis-level (for the up-and-coming juniors in a certain ranking range as illustrated). This hopes to nurture their talent and improve their pathway to develop their game, thus elevating their progress through the higher ranks of the game.

Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez (top left, 📸 International Tennis Federation), Joao Fonseca (top right, 📸 ATP official website), Martin Landaluce (bottom left, 📸 Tennisnet.com), and Ben Shelton (bottom right 📸 On Running Switzerland) as one of the examples of rapid rises through or influencing the Accelerator Programs

Outside of these, making it more tangible, some people in this category notably received wild cards in their local tournaments that could also help their development as they only allotted limited occasions to use their junior rankings. This might be the case for former junior World No. 1 Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, who received numerous wild cards in Mexican Challenger and Tour-level events within the past 2 years before finally making his Challenger-level quarterfinal debut this year in Acapulco, or another former junior World No. 1 Joao Fonseca, who also benefited through a combination of his junior rankings/wild-cards/direct entries between 2022 and 2023, paving him the way to become the Asuncion Challenger runner-up and in the main Tour, the Rio de Janeiro (an ATP 500-level tournament) quarterfinals on his home ground before forging his college eligibility (right before starting his academic year) to turn professional. In addition, another former junior World No. 1 in 2023, Martin Landaluce, who notably trained in Rafael Nadal Academy, also has his Challenger and main Tour-level participation a combination between most of the wild cards and direct entry apart from the direct entry when his ranking is sufficient, which started to pay off when he reached his maiden Challenger-level quarterfinals in Alicante last year before reaching his first Challenger-level semifinal in Tenerife 2 just several months ago.

For college, this might not be possible without Ben Shelton's rapid rise, who became a runner-up in 2 Challenger-level tournaments and won 3 back-to-back tournaments (Charlottesville-Knoxville-Champaign) in 2022, some of them through wild cards thanks to his potential being spotted after being crowned the champion of the 2021/22 NCAA Singles Championship when attending the University of Florida, solidifying his rise through his fourth-round appearances in the Australian and US Open before winning his first Tour-level title in Tokyo (500).

Behind the Scenes of the Real-Life Challengers

Billy Harris in front of his van, the vehicle he used to travel between tournaments for three and a half years (📸 The Times)

As of 2017, there are more than 14,000 tennis players (male or female) who tried to make ends meet. However, only a handful of them could make the cut in the world's best, undergoing an arduous journey to the top, and most were unable to continue due to travel and financial difficulties. The latter is crucial not only for them to participate in a tournament (and its related logistics) but also for them to be able to practice (with a coach or more), to recover (e.g. through physiotherapy), as well as numerous other necessities while on Tour. Often, some could not afford traveling coaches for this reason, and finding sponsors could also be a struggle for them to keep moving forward. These are some reasons tennis players are often regarded as independent contractors.

Generally observing, there are various examples from players to manage them, but not everyone can live the life depicted in the movie. Some might have ended up playing select tournaments a year, sleeping in a van for the nearest tournaments compared to any other accommodation options, or regrettably, resorting to match-fixing (which also became an extensive issue for tennis in general) due to the little points and prize money they receive in the lower-level tournaments before the ATP institutes the prize-money-related reforms as part of the Challenger restructuring in 2023, as well as the Baseline initiative (with the financial stability for the Top 150 being the goal) later that year.

Some who could not catch a break, for instance, suffering from continuous injuries, took ages to (re)build from where they left off, and those who could not take it any longer gave up playing the sport due to the "demands" needed to reach the top. In the latter's case, some turned out to be a coach (like Zendaya's character, Tashi Duncan), a real-life case for the example of Gianluigi Quinzi.

These days, thanks to platforms like YouTube (and other social media platforms), some players document their experiences through their vlogs (video blogs) starting from how to win their first ATP point, how to travel in between tournaments, as well as preparing for the said competitions, until analyzing their own matches. Some prominent examples came from such as but not limited to:

Simon Freund

Federico Coria (look up: Fede Coria)

Juan Pablo Paz

Fabien Salle

Felix Mischker (look up: Tennis Brothers)

Karue Sell (look up: My Tennis HQ)

Challenger Doubles

Marcus Willis/Christian Harrison, the winner of this year's Savannah Challenger (📸 WSAV-TV)

In addition to the singles sector, the Challenger Tour typically has a doubles sector. Interestingly, this is another cross-line between up-and-coming doubles specialists, who are the players who only play doubles for several reasons (which also includes doubling the joy, doubling the fun, and doubling the chaos altogether), and those who frequently play singles but frequently/occasionally play doubles as well. While sometimes the consideration comes from the extra prize money they could earn from the latter kind of players, some turned out to have equal potential in doubles just like in singles or vice versa (having their potential also spotted in the doubles scene before singles), often having higher doubles ranking than singles despite playing both (which could be the case for those like Orlando Luz and Daniel Cukierman). Speaking of doubling the fun and mess, the Challenger-level doubles matches can be as hilarious as exhibition matches, which was exemplified by the Little Rock Challenger 2023 semifinals between Alexis Galarneau/Nicolas Moreno de Alboran and Callum Puttergill/Kelsey Stevenson.

Somehow, some rising pairs also started their way here and made their waves, often by winning multiple titles. For instance, before their doubles break-up at the end of the US Open 2023, Julian Cash/Henry Patten notably won 11 Challenger titles, 10 of which were won in 2022 (including the year-end Maia Challenger), the last one being in the Sarasota Challenger 2023. There are also some notable up-and-coming pairs, with some also having their collegiate roots, such as Ryan Seggerman/Patrik Trhac, who won 7 ITF titles before winning 3 Challenger titles since they paired up last year, or Sadio Doumbia/Fabien Reboul, who became more prominent as they partner more often these past few years as proven by their 15 Challenger-level titles since 2019 and 3 ATP Tour-level titles since winning their first title in Chengdu (250) 2023. There is also a “rebirth” lore in former singles World No. 322 Marcus Willis, who announced his retirement in 2021 and decided to give the professional Tour one more go a year later as a doubles specialist, winning 3 Challenger titles by the time this was written with 2 different partners to kick off this season.

Harri Heliovaara/Lloyd Glasspool, one of the most notable Challenger doubles breakout (📸 LTA)

One of the other remarkable doubles breakouts from the Challenger Tour came from Harri Heliovaara/Lloyd Glasspool, who won 4 Challenger titles in 2021 and became a runner-up in 2 other tournaments before breaking out as an alternate in Rome Masters 1000 by reaching the third round before reaching the quarterfinals in the French Open, partnering for at least one more year before splitting after the Shanghai Masters 1000. Currently, Heliovaara plays with another rising doubles player in Henry Patten (who came to the scene with Julian Cash before their split), as Lloyd Glasspool plays with veteran Jean-Julien Rojer. Since watching Challengers is free, it is time to watch more (Challenger) doubles, just like Tennis Tribe campaigns for the main Tour as well.

The Challenger Fandom and How They Stan Players #OnTheRise

The full-house stands during the ATP Challenger Tour tournaments in Shenzhen (top) and Buenos Aires (bottom) (📸 ATP Challenger Tour, the latter via Buenos Aires Challenger)

The tennis fandom extends from the main Tour-level fans, which most people usually are, and the "die-hard" fans, some of whom are dubbed as tennis hipsters, which is a group of passionate fans who adore the players' grind in the lower-level tournaments (Challengers and ITFs), often preferring to watch or follow matches in that level, some of which being unstreamed, than the main professional Tour-level matches. They even have their own definitions of talents (= potential players) and goats (= greatest of all time), where the potential of these players is revealed as the year progresses and as the circuit runs regardless of age.

However, parts of the fandom are still being shadowed by people who occasionally/frequently bet on the outcomes of a game/set/match, some of which influenced match-fixing practices as mentioned in the previous sections. While betting seems tempting, as many warnings on responsible betting as there are, it is not encouraged (especially at the places where it is illegal) not only for financial reasons but also affects self-esteem, relationships, physical and mental health, work performance, and social life, which can harm family, friends, workplace, and communities, as evident in the broader tennis issue.

Interestingly, some tournaments are well-attended, with even the Challenger-level players and tournaments gathering more fans to appreciate the game and the grind. Some such examples are the Latin American events (e.g. in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil, among others), the French tournaments (where a famous chant “papapapapapapapapapa ole” is chanted, it must be either in French tournaments or involving French players), the competitions held in Italy and the United Kingdom as there are a handful of fans also watching the Challenger tournaments all the way in Japan and South Korea, as well as the recently-concluded (by the time of this draft) Kigali Challenger in Rwanda. Some tournaments have “free entry” in most parts of the day, while some tournaments have (at their local rates) more affordable tickets to attend the later days of the tournament. Some become passionate fans of a particular player/some players they followed or regularly attend the nearest Challenger tournament near them, and some can also be inspired to pick up the racquet and play several years after their attendance.

From this, the lower-level tennis fandom might not be as prevalent as the main Tour, but even without the gambling element, some become legitimate avid fans for their love of the game. They chase talents, find joy in their respective journeys, and are pleased should they break through or break even after hanging on for several years. This is in line with the ATP Challenger Tour’s #OnTheRise campaign, where they championed what is seen as a repetitive process of grinding, which represented hard work, perseverance, and discipline, paving the way to greatness. This is sometimes overlooked due to the (statistical) comparative nature between one player and another since there is also a perception that life is not a race, and everyone has their own path to the top, which tennis opens the gate to. Ultimately, for some “die-hards,” following the players from the start, all the effort, until they rise or become one of the legends is a pleasure. Sometimes, these fans also made sure “they are there for/until their last dance” when the player’s last-ever professional tournament played to honor their incredible careers, which marked their retirement from playing tennis professionally, took place in their nearby Challenger tournament, or those that made a significance in their careers. All those reasons are believed to be also behind the #WatchChallengersFolks campaign, which has been widespread on Twitter these past few years.

Important Links

ATP Challenger TV (free broadcast of the Challenger Tour matches)

ATP Challenger Tour annual calendar, updated periodically

Entry Lists (for Challenger-level and above to check on the participants of each event)

Live Rankings (real-time ranking estimates before the official rankings come out) (1, 2)

[toomuchracket]

d word matty and long distance relationship with you? like him being on tour, while you are still in london working for dh?

combining with thinking about d word matty on tour and reader has to stay back/can’t be with them for some of the tour… smutty phone calls

i think it's never as bad with the two of you and touring as it would be if you had any other job - as jamie's assistant/second-in-command, you're always with the boys for at least part of the tour, if not the full thing (like you might do the entirety of the shorter legs). and i won't go too much into the ins and outs of you being on tour with matty, because i feel like that's a separate blurb in itself lol. but it's good, and you both definitely miss each other when you're apart. it's a lot of voice note monologuing in lieu of extensive phone calls in wildly different time zones (i feel like you're very much both on the vibe of "babe you have work tomorrow you need to sleep" lol), although you do have at least one little phone call a day; a lot of you sending matty pics and vids of you and the dogs and the flowers he gets delivered to you and cool things you see throughout the day, and him sending selfies and pics of places he visits with captions like "you'd love this. i'll bring you here for a weekend when i'm off"; a lot of "work is good, but i miss you. i love you. i'll see you in two weeks". if timezones allow, you try to do a facetime food date once or twice a week - matty calls you with his dinner while you're having your morning coffee, or vice versa, just to keep a sense of "togetherness" while you're apart and operating on different timescales. it's hard, but it works, and the reunions are always extra sweet.

in addition to the facetime food dates... phone sex moments when you're both in bed, even if one is morning and the other is night. never too long, and never as good as when you're together, but it does the job; you know each other's bodies so well that dirty talk hits, and you can talk each other into rapid orgasms, which is kinda amazing. while i don't think there's a lot of sending nudes - there's some, but i fully think you'd have a polaroid nude photoshoot before matty leaves and he takes the resulting pics with him (he leaves you some of him though), so he tends to opt for them for like ease/safety reasons - the phone sex is still dirty; the d word is sometimes used, and matty's definitely bought you toys specifically to use while he's away and he coaches you using them over the phone (but his favourite phrase is "i know you wish it was me. nothing and nobody can make you feel as good as i do, right, princess? wish i was fucking you and not my hand, god, i can't wait to come home and make you feel good myself"). yeah... the phone sex is good <3

[buglercoaches]

Exploring Bristol's Best: A Guide to Coach Tour Operators

Bristol A city with a rich history, a vibrant culture and a vibrant energy is a magnet for travelers from all over of the world. From the iconic suspension bridge to its bustling harbor there's no shortage of attractions to take in. What better way to discover Bristol's essence Bristol than with a carefully planned coach tour? This guide will go into the world of Coach Tour Operators in Bristol with a focus on Bugler Coaches, the gateway to unforgettable travel.

Uncovering the city of Bristol's Gems with Coach Tours

Explore Bristol on foot is definitely beautiful However, if you want a full and enjoyable tour, an experienced coach trip is the best option. No matter if you're a single traveler or a couple, as well as an entire group of friends and family members, coach tours provide comfort, convenience, and expert advice.

The Role of Coach Tour Operators

Tour operators for coaches are the creators to Your Bristol adventure. They carefully create routes, identify places to visit, and provide the smooth running of your trip, allowing passengers to unwind and relax while immersing your self in Bristol's incredible sights.

Why Choose Coach Tours?

Efficiency When you take the help of a coach you will travel further in less time. You can say goodbye to the hassle of navigating difficult streets and worrying about parking. Just take the coach on and let the professionals handle the rest.

Insider Info Local guides will bring Bristol's rich history and culture to life, filling you with intriguing stories and other lesser-known details about Bristol's famous most famous landmarks.

Comfort Modern coaches come with comfortable seating, air conditioning and onboard facilities that ensure an enjoyable journey for passengers of all different ages.

Safety Coach tours comply with strict safety standards that provide you with peace of mind while you navigate Bristol's busy streets and beautiful routes.

Bugler Coaches: Your Premier Choice

In the plethora of tour guides that operate in Bristol, Bugler Coaches stands out because of its commitment to quality, reliability and customer satisfaction. With a track record that spans 30 years Bugler Coaches has earned an enviable reputation as the premier Bristol-based guide tour operator.

What Sets Bugler Coaches Apart?

Local expertise: Bugler Coaches boasts a group of experienced guides, each of whom has an intimate understanding of Bristol's famous landmarks as well as hidden gems and lively neighborhoods.

Customized Experiences: If you're looking for historic landmarks, delicious meals or picturesque countryside views, Bugler Coaches offers a variety of tour options to meet your needs.

Personalized Service: Beginning the moment you reserve your trip to the last drop-off point, Bugler Coaches prioritizes customer satisfaction and provides a smooth and unforgettable journey for all passengers.

Commitment to sustainability: Bugler Coaches is committed to reducing its impact on the environment, through initiatives like eco-friendly vehicles along with carbon offset program.

Explore Bristol's highlights with Bugler Coaches

What should you anticipate from the Bugler coach tour? Let's look at the most well-known tours:

The City Highlights Tour Start your tour through Bristol's rich past and exciting present stopping at landmarks like the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Cathedral and the bustling waterfront.

Countryside excursions Get away from the bustle and hustle of the city by taking an idyllic countryside tour which is where rolling hills, quaint villages, and breathtaking views await you.

Culinary Adventures Enjoy your palate with culinary tours of Bristol's most popular culinary spots, from traditional pubs that serve hearty food to trendy eateries that serve new dishes.

themed tours Explore the rich history of Bristol through themed tours that focus on themes like the history of maritime, street art and literary myths.

Book Your Bristol Adventure Today!

No matter if you're a newbie or an experienced traveler, Bristol is never able to resist capturing your attention by its enchanting charm and allure. With Bugler coach services as your guides you'll be sure to have a memorable trip filled with adventure as well as adventure and lasting memories. Why wait? Take advantage of today your Bristol bus tour through Bugler Coaches now and set off on an adventure that will last the life time!

If you know more about Day trips by coach from Bath so please visit here: https://www.buglercoaches.co.uk/day-trips-by-coach

[jeeyuns]

writing poll game

tagged by @disasterbuckdiaz @housewifebuck @devirnis 🌙

rules: make a 24 hour poll with the names of your wips and then for whichever wins, write one sentence for every vote it gets

been trying to focus on slouching towards bethlehem, but i do have other wips floating around with sad word docs created i'd love to work on as the mood strikes or when i get sick of focusing on one thing. what are you guys interested in seeing more of during writing games?

story summaries below the cut (click read more below the poll)

operation celestial blue: date evan buckley

romcom where everyone thinks ana flores and eddie are dating but she's actually the long-suffering teacher turned friend turned life coach for one eddie diaz who is rolling her eyes and pushing and shoving him at buck. like DATE HIM ALREADY DO I HAVE TO PICK OUT YOUR OUTFITS AND HELP YOU ASK HIM for the love of godddddd

laundry and taxes with you

everything everywhere all at once inspired, buck rips apart every parallel universe he can to find one where his parents love him unconditionally the way he always wanted. he encounters different iterations of eddie along the way

break in case of emergency

buck is really trying to make it work with natalia. everything sounds so good on paper. but being a good boyfriend involves making his girlfriend a priority. which means his relationship with eddie and chris suffers a little bit. but that's normal, and eddie's got marisol, right? things come to a head when he gets a call from the hospital, because, of course, he's still eddie's primary emergency contact. makes sense with the will and all. and speaking of, he somehow needs to explain the will to natalia

hold your tonic like a crux

eddie joins station 6 instead of the 118. he keeps running into buck, who he had an ill-advised, ill-timed, and short-lived couple of hook-ups with during his LA fire academy days. he keeps running into the 118 on calls. if that wasn't awkward enough, Chris keeps talking about the really awesome volunteer aquarium tour guide he keeps wanting to see again

loose lips sink (friend)ships

chim drags buck out to the liquor festival for prospective wedding couples, since maddie can't make it that day. buck gets so drunk that he entreats poor chimney to his edmundo diaz soliloquy, or 10 reasons why he's secretly in love with eddie and can't tell him. buck doesn't remember the next day, and chim just wants to get through wedding planning in one piece. and now he has to keep his mouth shut about this disastrous big secret too. couldn't buck have told hen instead?

a home you carry with you

xmen-type alternate universe where it's not rare that some people have mutations. buck's is super strength with enhanced tracking and self-healing. he believes he can only access it through deliberately causing himself pain each time he wants to help people on a call. as a firefighter, this happens often. eddie notices immediately, and attempts different ways of preventing it. he wants to get to the bottom of buck's understanding of himself and his powers to change it

if you want, or because i'd like to know your opinion: @shitouttabuck @alyxmastershipper @diazblunt @forthewolves @giddyupbuck @transboybuckley @wildlife4life @911onabc @pirrusstuff @lesliesknopes @ice-sculptures @daffi-990 @consumedbyfeels @fcntasmas 💞

[mumbaitouroperator]

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[houseboatisland]

Operation Nestled Dragon

Even before the passage of its iconic Transport Act 1947, the first Attlee ministry had been laying the groundwork for what we would today call a strategic steam reserve. Operation Nestled Dragon, which went into effect as early as December 1945, called for “at least 4,000” steam locomotives to be stored and kept in constant readiness in the event of “any cataclysm which could strain supply.” This was a somewhat arbitrary number; the LMS alone had 8,000 locomotives on the eve of Nationalization. It was believed that a majority of the country’s engines would survive attack during a wartime scenario, the most likely reason to activate the reserve at the time. 4,000 engines kept as a backup to unscathed stock was deemed sufficient. (It has to be said there were no strategic reserves of coaches or trucks, whether planned or even merely discussed!)

These engines and the necessary facilities would be dispersed as needed throughout the country. Bigger towns would have more engines and more MPDs (motive power depots) allocated to them, London having the most. The number of engines kept in a single “strategic MPD” was always limited to 20. In this way, an attack such as an aerial bombardment would be less likely to take out a population center’s entire locomotive stud at once.

To “activate” the reserve, the Minister of Transport was required to approach the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, and a vote be held on the matter.

Strategic MPDs could be crude or elaborate. By design they were severed from the nearest railway, so that no tracks were visible for any overcurious trespasser, potential spies or reconnaissance aircraft to follow. Every MPD had to be able to have these missing rails laid back in “within or under three hours” if called upon. Often, abandoned mines and tunnels were used and their insides fitted out. These ‘naturally-occurring’ locations were codenamed “dragon’s lairs.” Other times a location had to be built from scratch; these artificial MPDs were codenamed “rabbitholes.” Always was there emphasis on keeping the MPDs dry, ventilated and fireproof. Each MPD needed a turntable, a reliable water supply, coal bunkers, storage space for rails, sleepers, a small number of spare parts, adequate headroom and an overhead crane for heavy repairs like boiler swaps, and of course bunks for crews should the reserve be activated and they be based there. Otherwise bunkrooms were vacant, although men on duty for maintenance of stock and depots did find use for them during their shifts.

There was little methodology in place for which engine classes were preferred for the reserve. Great Western engines were less favored as they were built to run on high-quality South Welsh coal, and it was assumed the quality of coal sourced during a crisis would be poor. In any event however, some still “found their way in.” In general however, Eastern, Midland and ex-WD locos formed the majority of the workforce. Every engine belonging to the various military railways such as that at Longmoor were considered part of the reserve too, so it could be said that several pieces of the reserve’s stock were out in the open all along. Also joining their ranks as they came about were BR Standard classes, some built specifically for the reserve. These had neither BR nor serial numbers, being built “off the books.”

At first, engines reserved were simply stored and maintained in the livery they wore at the time of their “reassignment.” As time went on, (and their maintainers became bored,) a semi-official livery of black with white and navy blue stripes was settled upon and applied, one engine at a time. Quickly a crest for the Strategic Reserve was designed by one anonymous artistic crewman, and the reserve’s motto agreed: “Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit,” a superstitious British phrase.

Attlee and Churchill were both said to have toured a strategic MPD at least once. “Here we are in the belly of the beast. You lot have done some splendid work; Britain thanks you,” Attlee had said on his visit. “Men will do anything to play trains away from the wife without interrogation,” Churchill remarked on his, perhaps half in jest.

Thus was the system. As steam on the public or “civilian” British Railways was phased out, further freshly withdrawn engines were added to the reserve stocklist. Much speculation was made as to why coal bunkers and hoppers and water towers continued to be maintained even as the steam engines finally vanished from the national network in August 1968. This was explained away as infrastructure left in place for railtours by preserved engines, and in hindsight must have sounded ridiculous.

As generations of enginemen retired, they had to pass on their skills to the fresh blood. The years then went by without significant cause for alarm. The closest the reserve came to being activated was at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis in late October 1962; declassified materials confirm that as many as half of the reserve was in full steam awaiting the call, and track gangs were ready and waiting to lay in rails. The crisis ebbed of course, and by the second week of November, the number of engines idle was back to “Normal.”

Margaret Thatcher’s Government planned to shut the program down, but this was averted… just. John Major however couldn’t be dissuaded. Privatization was in full swing, and the Soviet Union had dissolved itself. The reserve suddenly seemed very redundant, (but per its own 1945 definition, not completely,) and the winding down of it all began. On the 1st of December 1998, some 53 years after the beginning of Operation Nestled Dragon, all 4,855 locomotives and their associated depots and crews were demobilized by the Blair ministry and most of the reserve’s documentation declassified. Everything became public knowledge, including the engines themselves, quite literally overnight.

At once, the locos and their facilities were up for auction. Dozens of Strategic MPDs were made into living museums demonstrating how the reserve worked. Many of the engines belonged to classes otherwise thought extinct, such as the LNER Thompson L1s and the LMS Garratts, and here were surviving specimens being pulled out of the metaphorical wardrobe like nothing. The British preservation scene was in a matter of hours awash in perfectly functional engines no one expected to still exist, which coupled together in a line were longer than most if not all of the railways themselves! Several also were sold abroad to the United States and Canada.

The public couldn’t be blamed for this all being such a shock. They hadn’t been prepared.

Their predecessors however certainly were.

[laresearchette]

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES? THE FIRM (Paramount+ Canada) RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (Paramount+ Canada) AN UNFINISHED LIFE (Paramount+ Canada) WIZARDS BEYOND WAVERLY PLACE (Disney Channel Canada) 8:00pm/8:30pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA ONE SHOT: OVERTIME ELITE (Season 2)

NETFLIX CANADA OLIVIA RODRIGO: GUTS WORLD TOUR TOM PAPA: HOME FREE VANDERPUMP RULES (Seasons 3-4)

MLS SOCCER (TSN3) 6:45pm: Columbus vs. New York Red Bulls (TSN3) 8:50pm: Real Salt Lake vs. Minnesota

NHL HOCKEY (SN1) 7:00pm: Flyers vs. Bruins (TSN2) 7:00pm: Kraken vs. Habs (TSN5) 7:00pm: Blues vs. Sens (SN1) 10:00pm: Kings vs. Sharks

MLB BASEBALL (SN) 7:30pm: Dodgers vs. Yankees - Game 4

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN/TSN4) 7:30pm: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves (TSN/TSN4) 10:00pm: Pelicans vs. Warriors

CHUCK AND THE FIRST PEOPLES' KITCHEN (APTN) 7:00pm: Chuck visits the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba where bison are being reintroduced after millions were slaughtered during colonization.

THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES (CBC) 8:00pm

TODD TALBOT BUILDS: THE PASSIVE HOUSE PROJECT (Cottage Life) 8:00pm

THE GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE (Makeful) 8:00pm: It’s Week 2, and there are three challenges inspired by sport. The sewers are asked to create a half zip fleece, an outfit from cricket kit and a national strip fit for the world stage.

STILL STANDING (CBC) 8:30pm: Windsor, NS: When Nova Scotia Textiles Ltd closed its doors after 106 years in operation, Windsor, NS embraced its reputation as the home of massive pumpkins and its claim as "the birthplace of hockey."

CHURCHY (BET Canada) 8:30pm/9:00pm/9:30pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Corey Carr Jr. faces a major setback when he's passed over for a leadership role in his dad's church, and he boldly announces his departure and plans to lead a ministry in Lubbock, Texas. In Episode Two, Corey adjusts to his new role at Bethlehem Temple, consulting an elderly couple on intimate issues and a young man about lust, while also processing his grandmother's declining health. In Episode Three, with Pastor Stinney on vacation, Corey struggles with preaching and managing a chaotic funeral; Keisha's career success and her sister's advice cause her to doubt her relationship.

LITTLE BIG COMMUNITY (APTN) 9:00pm: On the Island of Hawai'i, Kānaka Maoli have revived an ancient way of life, where caring for the land brings mutual benefit. Meet Alika and Lacyann, who have renewed family traditions, creating a meaningful legacy for future generations.

THE NEW WAVE OF STANDUP (CBC) 9:30pm: Canada's new comics gather for one night of standup at the Just For Laughs Vancouver festival; featuring Faris Hytiaa, Sam Sferrazza, Jordanne Brown.

A GOOD GAME (APTN) 10:30pm: Nathan Shirley coached teenagers in Bosnia for Hockey Without Borders. Today, these players are living the dream of representing their country at the IIHF's under twenty world championships being held in Istanbul, Turkey.

[azvolrien]

Ireland - Day 4

Today took me out of the city for the first time, as I’d booked a coach trip, so I got up a little earlier to give me plenty of time to reach the pickup point. The day dawned cloudy and cool again, and unlike yesterday it generally stayed that way.

I met up with the rest of the tour group outside the euphemistically-named Ned Kelly Sports Club (actually a casino, as far as I could tell) to wait for the coach, which arrived to pick us up right on time. On board we were greeted by the tour guide, who clearly runs her tour business herself rather than via an agent as she was who I booked with directly over email. She is, usefully for a tour guide, significantly better at talking than she is at typing, as she spent the entire drive from central Dublin to the Hill of Tara filling us in on all the relevant background of Irish history and prehistory, from the very first Stone Age settlers all the way forwards through the Bronze and Iron Age Celts, the golden age of monastic settlement after the fall of Rome, the arrival and settlement of the Vikings, the Anglo-Norman invasion, the Great Famine and the mass emigration that followed, the struggle for independence and the economic boom of more recent decades, and all the stuff in between. Most of this probably wasn’t strictly necessary for understanding the context of the day’s largely Neolithic sites, but it was still interesting. The Battle of the Boyne also came up in passing – as our guide put it, ‘a Scot and a Dutchman fighting in Ireland over the throne of England’ – but mainly because the drive took us past the battlefield site.

As mentioned, the first stop on the tour was the Hill of Tara, capital of the ancient kings of Ireland. The site covers a pretty huge area and we only had about an hour there so I didn’t have time to explore it in detail, but I was still able to look around the old burial cairn called the Mound of the Hostages and see the ancient henge-like earthworks around the Lia Fáil, the Stone of Destiny (not our one, a different one) at the highest point of the site. It was a breezy day and I almost lost my hat before I tightened the chin-strap, but I got a great view out over the surrounding countryside including an old tower on a distant hilltop that our guide said was the remnant of St Columba’s pre-Iona monastery.

We got back in the coach and drove a little further to the Brú na Bóinne (‘Palace of the Boyne’) visitor centre, the access point for the famous passage graves of the area. The visitor centre houses a good exhibition about the Neolithic history of the sites as well as the later excavations, and also has a gift shop and cafe where we stopped for lunch before walking over the bridge across the Boyne and boarding the little shuttle bus to Knowth. This site isn’t quite as famous as Newgrange, but I thought it was even more impressive. It consists of one huge central burial mound, completely surrounded by richly-carved boulders and with two passages in from opposite sides of the hill, both ending in burial chambers without actually meeting in the middle. The Great Mound only makes up part of what must have been a high-status cemetery, as it sits among many similar but smaller burial mounds, some complete and others with their burial chambers open to the sky. The site reminded me a lot of Maeshowe and the other Neolithic cairns of Orkney, and when I brought this up to the guide (a different guide to the tour operator, in the employ of the visitor centre) she agreed that it was probably much the same culture, with a lot of similarities both in the structure of the cairns and the abstract, geometric style of the carvings.

We also got caught in a brief but heavy and almost horizontal shower of rain, but were able to dry off a little watching a short film about the excavations at Knowth before we moved on to Newgrange.

Unlike Knowth, the mound at Newgrange stands alone, surrounded by similar but mostly uncarved kerbstones and, a little further out, a ring of standing stones. Also unlike Knowth, which was reused as the base of a hillfort in the mediaeval period, Newgrange survived largely intact since the Stone Age, possibly due to its local rep as a fairy mound scaring people away from raiding it for building materials. The Fair Folk did not, however, scare off the archaeologists, and later excavations uncovered the entrance stone – a huge boulder carved as elaborately as any at Knowth with its famous triskele designs – and the entrance itself. The white stones that face the tomb today are a modern reconstruction – the stones were found at the site, but whether they made up a facade back in the Neolithic is anyone’s guess – but the long, low and narrow passage and the cruciform chamber at the heart of the mound are almost untouched from their original status, and that ‘almost’ is only there to cover a few extra braces and the addition of electric lights.

The ancient burial chamber is tall enough to stand up in, but pretty cramped area-wise, so we split into two smaller groups to file down the entrance passage. I know people were a bit shorter back in the Neolithic, but I think even they would have found it a tight squeeze; there were a couple of points where I had to stoop and twist sideways to get through before reaching the chamber. Once inside, three alcoves opposite the entrance and to either side hold more carvings and basin-line stones whose purpose we can only guess at. The chamber is cool, utterly silent save for the visitors’ breathing, and pitch-dark with the lights off except for once a year at sunrise on the winter solstice, when the passage admits one narrow shaft of light to illuminate the chamber floor. The actual solar alignment is only accessible via an annual lottery, but a lamp in the passage provides a reasonable simulation.

I’m not one to believe in the Otherworld, but after the chamber at Newgrange, I can see how people could feel close to the gods down there.

We headed back to the visitor centre, where I bought some postcards and my usual pin badge, t-shirt and fridge magnet in the gift shop (the dark powers of the Sidhe are no match for the lure of the gift shop) and got back on the coach to Dublin. I bought some stamps in the General Post Office on O’Connell Street – I actually hadn’t realised it was still a working post office, having assumed it had been converted into a museum to the Easter Rising – and returned to the hotel to write up my postcards before venturing back out for something to eat. Tonight’s choice was a little pizzeria I’d spotted called Wallace’s Taverna, which served a good margherita a lot like the recipe they use at Matto in Edinburgh with a hazelnut mousse in a crisp chocolate shell for afterwards.