Glen,
You guys (Hawaiian teams) have an obvious argument for special assistance from FIRST. Last time I checked the option to drive to any competition outside of your island was absent. I would hope all mainland teams would support any steps needed to make sure teams coming from Hawaii and abroad received the help necessary to provide them with some of the same competition options we have on the mainland. Have you formally submitted a rationale to Frank and company to help resolve the unique issues you face?
In the meantime, have you considered booking hotels that have the ability to hold your crate until you arrive and rent a truck with lift gate to store and transport your crate to the event? Speaking on behalf of our team we can guarantee receiving/storing/transporting your crate any time you come to Vegas
Or is the biggest issue prohibitive shipping costs?
There is too much at stake here to just ignore the situation... What would we do without the wonderful boxes of macadamia nut chocolates your teams have shared in the past?