Builder Article: William Shaw - Class of S60
Joined: March 8, 2014
Position Held: VHL Commissioner, Simmer, VHL and VHLM General Manager, Grader, Portal Designer/Coder
I was roughly in the middle of my ten-season stint as commish when Will, then known as Draper, joined the league. It's a safe assumption to make that no one at the time would have expected him to replace me in the blue team and certainly do it so well. Thinking back it's remarkable what a bold move that was and it speaks volumes on a broader level that in truth there was not much opposition to a first-gen being promoted so early to commissioner. Even on what was, really, a gamble, the VHL showed quite an open and accepting face.
As for the gamble paying off, that goes without saying. One key feature we were looking to add to the commish team was activity and energy and perhaps that was the guiding factor in opting for quite a raw member in Will. At the time, he delivered that in abundance, but perhaps just as importantly, despite gradually becoming less active than before, Will has evolved his own role in the league to make some of the most unique contributions of anyone in the VHL ever. From dealing with the high volume of admin tasks which come with being a commissioner, Will then took on the role of back-up simmer and over time has become the league's main simmer as well. It is perhaps the single most important job in the league and has traditionally been both demanding and not particularly rewarding. However, that has now changed for the better with one of the biggest innovations in VHL history: the portal.
Although I am not entirely sure whose brainchild the portal actually was, it's probably fair to say that even if it wasn't Will's, it has long since become Will's project. I readily admit that I was sceptical about the portal at first, having seen failed and underused iterations on the VHL before, but have been quickly won over by the possibilities it affords. The portal is now a hub of stats, awards, updates and has much more to offer and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it single-handedly takes the VHL from its humble beginnings in 2007 to being a truly modern and interactive website. Without Will, I don't think that link to the portal at the top of the forum would be there today, if it ever appeared at all.
It would be impossible to write this article without mentioning the portal, but it has to be noted that even without it, Will has done more than enough to warrant induction as a Builder. As commish, he was the constant across a slower period in VHL's history, weathering the storm of contraction, second players, and other background noise as we hit the 60-season mark. A good measure of a commissioner's success in the VHL is the member base's trust that the league will still be around in a year's time and despite hitting some lows, it certainly never came to the point during Will's tenure that there was a feeling of the end being near.
There also doesn't appear to be a way to write this without anything other than the commish role feeling like a footnote – and that makes some sense, given Will has been one for all but 4-5 seasons of his time here – I can't ignore some other note-worthy roles. Helsinki Titans GM stands out for sure, with Will accelerating through a rebuild, landing three lottery picks, and quickly winning the first back-to-back cups in 20 seasons. There was also a stint as VHLM GM and, I am fairly certain, in the now defunct position as grader and although all pale in comparison to his role in the league since, it's fair to say Will has excelled in every position he's been in and deserves his induction as Builder even if he has much still to offer, if only for helping the VHL stay in a position where the future is ever bright.