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Originally Posted by mistersands
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As for centrally located, what about Binghamton? It's actually somewhat easier to get to than Albany for a lot of places
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Binghamton? We're still here
Binghamton University put in a decently sized events center a few years ago that might be suitable, and I imagine the University cuts deals with non-profit entities; Odyessey of the Mind State Championships are also at Binghamton, and I can't imagine they have any sort of cash outlay.
There's only one team here though - everyone else is at least an hour away. I assume most other teams will have a district event where they don't have to travel and stay overnight: (Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, NYC, LI); I assume we will travel and do overnights at all district events.
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Originally Posted by Sperkowsky
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Most of the upstate teams issues
1.travel distance to nyc
2. I don't know what they are doing up there but i haven't heard anyone from upstate say they didn't have enough money to travel
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Politely, that's a broad statement on funding. We struggle to get sponsors and fund-raise in this area. We had one of our most successful years, but could only afford one regional this year; having two regional events would have let us iron out everything in the first and do better in the second.
From my understanding of the differences between regionals and districts, the shorter events keep travel costs down, and we could probably afford two district events at about the same burden of a single regional. That still leaves paying for the championship event outstanding. (And paying for Worlds! Or pseudo half-worlds as the case may be...).
With all that said, I'm not at all sold on districts being the right thing. As noted above, I think people in more team-dense areas will make out better in saving money and getting more game-play. More importantly, from what I've seen (which is a few regionals and never a district in person - but some video), I'm highly underwhelmed with what I've seen and read about districts, I don't think it's as engaging/inspiring an atmosphere for the students. The story that you can still attend a extra-regional events by choice doesn't hold water when FIRST has forced us to spend all of our budget on attending the district events we would belong in.
Not that anyone would ask me or that it isn't inevitable anyway, but I adamantly don't want districts in NY.