[nfhammes]

One possibility would be an Upper Midwest district of Minnesota and Wisconsin, with inter-district play rules that allow teams in the nearby states to attend whichever district they choose. I'm guessing between having several teams within driving distance in Minnesota, there would be enough interest in having a district event in Southwest Minnesota, maybe Marshall, depending on the resources available out there. That could be attractive for teams in SD, especially to seed rookies in SD, but maybe Denver or GKC makes more sense otherwise. If out-of-district teams are allowed to act like in-district teams, they could make the choice right for them. North Dakota teams, I would imagine, would have a Moorhead district event, and any of Duluth, Alexandria, or St. Cloud would be no worse than their current first-event options. They may even want to be part of this Upper Midwest District.

The reason I leave Iowa out, at least for the time being, is that with the recent experience of hosting FTC North, in Des Moines and Iowa City, there are definitely venues available, and with Minnesota, Wisconsin, and (probably) Illinois going to Districts, there could be huge demand for a regional where all of these teams could play with their out-of-state friends, without commitment to a second travelling event. This extra demand might give them capacity for a regional, where a district event might just barely be tenable. I've heard varying estimates for the minimum of teams in a state before HQ will sign off on a regional, but Iowa might not be too far off.

But I've been out of the Midwest for most of a year. Maybe I'm a bit disconnected. I think I have the Minnesota perspective, but I'm curious what Wisconsin and Iowa teams would think. Maybe it makes more sense for Wisconsin to forgo joining Minnesota, and focus on expanding their program into more high schools. Maybe the financial aspect of joining with Minnesota, and its relatively large base of teams would make it easier for them. There are just so many unknowns.