Originally Posted by DareDad (Post 1494734)

Minnesota would need 15 district events just for the teams in Minnesota. If only Minnesota teams were allowed it would orphan the teams in North Dakota, northern Iowa and north/western Wisconsin. Add those teams into the district and there would need to be 17 to 18 districts minimum. Minnesota would be running 3 or 4 events per weekend during competition season.

You can't expect the key volunteers to work for six weekend straight. To make districts work you need six or more event leads, FTAs, FTAAs, Head Refs, Lead Queuers, Pit Admins, Lead Robot Inspectors, Judge coordinators, Lead Safety inspectors and probably a couple more I'm forgetting. That's fifty plus people all making a commitment to train and work four weekends during competition season.

Minnesota has some really committed key volunteers. But it's a small group that's maybe a third of what would be needed. Right now its a group of people who do Duluth's double regional and then Minneapolis' double regional. I've already committed to Iowa next year and I expect there will be enough of the core group that the key positions there would be covered.

It's the minor volunteers that are where Minnesota has trouble, and that I suspect has to do with the size of the events which have all of the teams in the area competing, so most of the natural volunteers are already occupied.

Originally Posted by Mr V (Post 1494723)

The problem with MN's constant maybe in a couple of years is that as every year passes it gets harder and harder to make the transition. Every time another 16-20 teams is added it means another event is required. The 195 teams they had last season is already past the point that I consider a good size for start up. With 195 teams you need 390 plays at a minimum. So 390/36= 10.8 events and 11 events is the most I would want to do the first season so that you can have a single event week one to work all the bugs out. Now if you can find enough venues that can hold 40 teams you can get away with a start up number of 220 teams but you are preventing any additional plays at that point. Once you exceed 240 teams you will need at least one week with 3 events.

Because they are only 2 day events and there are fewer volunteers needed at a 36-40 team event than at a 60 team event it is about as easy to come up with enough volunteers to run 2 district events as it is one large Regional. Because there will be more dates to choose from your base of potential volunteers increases significantly. No the volunteer count doesn't scale perfectly since there are a number of positions that need the same number of people no matter how big the event is, for example you need 1 LRI no matter the number of teams but you need fewer RIs the smaller the event. Assuming that as others have speculated that a lot of the MN contingent is going to cross the boarder for the new 5th event in the general vicinity and you are basically there with your volunteer base. Getting volunteers at DCMP is relatively easy because a huge number of the people who did a district event want to be at the big show.

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1494735)

By having your smaller events spread out you are also able to tap into a larger volunteer supply. It's more difficult to convince people to travel and pay for a hotel to go volunteer for an event than it is to get them to volunteer for one in their own back yard.

According to the MN numbers last year you'd need 11 events based on a 40 team max per event.

Originally Posted by DareDad (Post 1494734)

Minnesota would need 15 district events just for the teams in Minnesota. If only Minnesota teams were allowed it would orphan the teams in North Dakota, northern Iowa and north/western Wisconsin. Add those teams into the district and there would need to be 17 to 18 districts minimum. Minnesota would be running 3 or 4 events per weekend during competition season.

You can't expect the key volunteers to work for six weekend straight. To make districts work you need six or more event leads, FTAs, FTAAs, Head Refs, Lead Queuers, Pit Admins, Lead Robot Inspectors, Judge coordinators, Lead Safety inspectors and probably a couple more I'm forgetting. That's fifty plus people all making a commitment to train and work four weekends during competition season.

Minnesota has some really committed key volunteers. But it's a small group that's maybe a third of what would be needed. Right now its a group of people who do Duluth's double regional and then Minneapolis' double regional. I've already committed to Iowa next year and I expect there will be enough of the core group that the key positions there would be covered.

It's the minor volunteers that are where Minnesota has trouble, and that I suspect has to do with the size of the events which have all of the teams in the area competing, so most of the natural volunteers are already occupied.

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1494735)

By having your smaller events spread out you are also able to tap into a larger volunteer supply. It's more difficult to convince people to travel and pay for a hotel to go volunteer for an event than it is to get them to volunteer for one in their own back yard.

According to the MN numbers last year you'd need 11 events based on a 40 team max per event.

Originally Posted by DareDad (Post 1494741)

You are assuming that each district events will host the maximum 40 teams. I'm assuming 30 as an average. Have you located 11 venues that have the space and power needed to host 40 team events?

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1494735)

According to the MN numbers last year you'd need 11 events based on a 40 team max per event.

Originally Posted by ehochstein (Post 1494738)

Number of Events Needed
12.35

Number of spots (13 events): 520

Originally Posted by notmattlythgoe (Post 1494735)

By having your smaller events spread out you are also able to tap into a larger volunteer supply. It's more difficult to convince people to travel and pay for a hotel to go volunteer for an event than it is to get them to volunteer for one in their own back yard.

According to the MN numbers last year you'd need 11 events based on a 40 team max per event.

Originally Posted by bigbeezy (Post 1494704)

I keep hearing Illinois will eventually. I think ideally Indiana, Illinois, and southern Wisconsin should join up.

Originally Posted by ZehP (Post 1494748)

At R2OC this year Dan Green said they're pushing for Illinois to switch for the 2017 season, but that they want more teams first. I think he said the goal was to grow IL's current 58 teams to 65 before they switch.

I think it would be great for southern/eastern Wisconsin to join IL, but it seems like FIRST doesn't want states split like that anymore. Realistically, though, splitting Wisconsin diagonally so the northwest joins MN and the southeast joins IL is the only real way we could enter the district system, unless we add something like 20 teams. Wisconsin only had 41 teams last season, and the team distribution doesn't really help.

Originally Posted by Monochron (Post 1494746)

Does anyone else worry about the effect felt if a region goes from having 4 regionals that you could "win" to having one main champion style event that you can "win"? I guess you get 12ish events that can be "won", but, as I have not yet played in a district, I wonder about the different in experience when winning these events.

Originally Posted by DareDad (Post 1494734)

Minnesota would need 15 district events just for the teams in Minnesota. If only Minnesota teams were allowed it would orphan the teams in North Dakota, northern Iowa and north/western Wisconsin. Add those teams into the district and there would need to be 17 to 18 districts minimum. Minnesota would be running 3 or 4 events per weekend during competition season.

You can't expect the key volunteers to work for six weekend straight. To make districts work you need six or more event leads, FTAs, FTAAs, Head Refs, Lead Queuers, Pit Admins, Lead Robot Inspectors, Judge coordinators, Lead Safety inspectors and probably a couple more I'm forgetting. That's fifty plus people all making a commitment to train and work four weekends during competition season.

Minnesota has some really committed key volunteers. But it's a small group that's maybe a third of what would be needed. Right now its a group of people who do Duluth's double regional and then Minneapolis' double regional. I've already committed to Iowa next year and I expect there will be enough of the core group that the key positions there would be covered.

It's the minor volunteers that are where Minnesota has trouble, and that I suspect has to do with the size of the events which have all of the teams in the area competing, so most of the natural volunteers are already occupied.