Faces Update

My goal is 120 faces and names in 15 minutes. The US Memory Championship gives 126 names in 15 minutes. My score should place me in the top 5 when (not if because we need to remain optimistic) I accomplish it.
Doing the math, that gives me 7 seconds per face; I am not there yet. Currently, using Memory Lock from the Google Play store, I am scoring between 21-22 out of 30 possible points. That is 15 faces and names in 5 minutes, or about triple my goal speed.
I am slowly building a list in my mind of common names and images to go with them. It is important to have distinct images for each so I  don't get confused. Originally, I pictured a seal for both Lucille and Cecile. I would use the wrong  name. So, being from Washington helps this, I picture now Cecile as a seal and Lucille as a sealion.  I have also had good success using children for any last na!e ending in "-son."
I have already noted that I need an object for both the first and last name rather than my first attempts where I attempted object+action for first+last. I then attempt to link them with an action. The app I am using is a good mix of common names and uncommon names. Common names actually are more difficult, probably because I am not working to form the images. I also think I am simply using old methods on these rather than applying new techniques.
I do suffer from some level of face blindness. For this reason, I have been working to not include hair and eyeglasses into an image. These become so common that I confuse all bald white men or all dark haired women. Sometimes getting perfect spelling of complex names, such as Adamczyk, on the wrong person.
I would like to attempt some sort of loci method. But since recall faces are shuffled, I don't know that this is wise. I would be for to send and exit my journey at many points. Still, I will incorporate pairs of people in the action phase to not memory and hopefully overcome face blindness.

Starting Out

I am, by no standard, an athlete, but I do have an agile mind. I plan to put the latter use to becoming a memory athlete. Though the Brothers at my Lodge (I'm a Freemason) would probably say I have a very good memory because I am quick to memorize ritual, my wife would likely disagree. What I ama man of average intelligence, average memory, and above average curiosity. That's all it takes to become a memory athlete. Well, that and a willingness to train.
Just like any physical sport, memory athletes must train. If you plan to run a marathon, you have to learn how to breathe, get a correct stride, and much more. Memory sports also require techniques to maximize potential. And training for a memory competition is as demanding mentally as training for a marathon is demanding physically. Just as someone training for a marathon might keep a log, I have decided to do the same. This is why the title is MEmory Athlete: this journey is for ME. Though I invite you to come along.
Before we begin any complex task, we need to define our goal. We need to ensure it is specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely. SMART. This means we need to be able to control it. I could make my goal to win the US Memory Championship, but that is not in my control fully. I could aim to place in the top ten, but this varies every year. And I may never be able to attend the event, which means I would never succeed. Rather, it is best to simply to set goals in each event which I can measure. However, I have chosen goals that should place me in the top ten. The events are: names and faces, speed cards, speed numbers, poetry memorization (four qualifying events), words to remember, three strikes you're out, and double deck o' cards. As for timely, I am giving myself one year. Johnathan Foer won after only a year of training, which he relates in his book "Moonwalking with Einstein".
My specific goals are:
120 faces and names in 15 minutes
1 deck of cards in 2 minutes
200 points in speed numbers
140 points in poetry
120 words ten minutes
40 facts in three strikes
And two decks in 5 minutes
I have chosen to begin with faces and names and developing my own Dominic System first. I have a very long way to go. Check back, or follow this blog, to track my progress.