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Originally Posted by robochick1319
With 41 teams we are close to what IN had when they started districts. And a cheaper model may make it easier to start new teams and bump our numbers. And Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston have hosted regional events before the big show was moved to Myrtle Beach. I can't speak for other cities but I know Greenville has universities and high schools large enough to host a large district event.
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Right, but 41 and no momentum; we've been stuck there for two years, and I don't hear any big pushes underway to grow that number. The past Palmetto Regional venues--Colonial Life Arena, Littlejohn Coliseum, and North Charleston Coliseum--are all their cities' big, hold-a-concert-or-a-sporting-event venues and priced accordingly; you could get one, but you would not get all four without a ton more support (which I'm not hearing about either). To my knowledge, the Columbia area does not have access to such a suitably-sized venue in a high school; even the new-construction schools like River Bluff out in Lexington don't have that kind of room for pits. (River Bluff hosted the FLL state tournament when we went season before last, but it was TIGHT.)
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What is wrong with discussing how to prepare for districts and how to implement the model NOW? If it takes years to prepare for a regional, it will probably take years to prepare for a district model. If we START the discussion in 2017, 2018 or later, we run the risk of losing teams in SC.
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I'd say we're discussing it now. If someone wanted to bend the ears of the Palmetto Regional committee and reiterate how this is a good thing, they're free to do so (I can say with certainty you won't have been the first). In my head, you'd prepare for districts in a state like ours by addressing the deficiencies relative to other states that have or are getting them; team count is just the most quantifiable. When you look at states like Indiana and Georgia, they've assembled the people and resources to organize things far beyond one regional tournament--off-season events, workshops, practice fields, things that are scarce or missing in South Carolina, where the committee stages Palmetto and the Local Kickoff and that's pretty much it. (SCRIW has no ties to the Palmetto Regional committee; we inquired when we started, they weren't interested. When I pressed for us to have field elements at this year's Local Kickoff, they were funded by FRC 4901 and fabricated by help we recruited on campus.) When they decide they want to raise their ambitions, I'll be first in line to offer my support.
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If TN and FL move to districts before we do, every team in SC will have to travel 8-12 hours for a second event (many teams already do). Which means most teams may only be able to afford one event (a large and competitive Palmetto), may become severely discouraged, and see team participation diminish. SC could easily go from 41 active teams to significantly less.
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Florida will likely duke it out with New York to be the last state along the east coast to go to districts; aside from the frequent international presence and bus-unfriendly geography, they're actually -12 net teams since 2012. (Was 76, now 64. 63 in 2014.) Our team loves going to Orlando, but I'd be happy to see somebody in South Carolina working towards a second official event in either format.