Watching the ups and downs of the early progress raiding race....

I assume you're all tracking it, too--the ups and downs of raid progress at the top. Not all of us are raiding yet but we're close to starting, even if we're not quite there yet. But some of us are already making our way through the heroic modes (well, technically only four guilds have done that so far...). I have to admit I've been quite excited by the progress so far; I keep checking the Web site and sometimes gasp at the dramatic shift over the course of the day! I like seeing the old faces and new ones staking their claim too. Like a predominantly Australian guild doing so well and a couple up and coming Russian guilds... and a few other guilds improving their performance over the WotLK ranks. And I'm super pleased to see the regular "dropped names" of raiding fame (Ensidia, Paragon, Premonition, etc.) still sustaining their level of achievement. It tells me that we have consistent skill at the elite level, not just luck. I do know it's very early days yet and the guys who are in the top right now will probably see some changes over the course of progress raiding, but it's impossible not to watch! This is our own, virtual kind of Tour de France with its teams, in-fighting, strategic placements, early "leads", and different types of jerseys! And never mind the injuries--wrists, hands, bums and eyes are all susceptible! And don't even get me started about the sheer amount of energy drinks being consumed... I hate to imagine what that does to our bodies.

Excitement aside, I still can't believe we're already getting into heroic content TEN days after the new expansion, though maybe I shouldn't be so surprised considering how fast we burn through everything else. And it looks like it's the drive for competition that makes us so hungry. The current poll I've got going seems to be suggesting that with the slight majority of us (40%)  stating that the competition is what they enjoy most about progress raiding.

Do you agree? Take the poll on my research site if you haven't yet and add your comments. Are you following things as closely as I am? Do you have a favourite? I've got my underdog guild that I'm rooting for and my "shining star" guild that I always expect to do well. :) Maybe you do too?