[rpaulsen]

I've driven 87 a lot, and whether it is 2.5 or 3.5 hrs, it realistically doesn't make a difference in terms of the feasibility of participation. The issue isn't the drive, it is the overnights. Unless our budget changes in a dramatic way, I just can't see the rationale of spending so much money on hotels. My greater point is that it wouldn't make sense to deny the realities of the concentration of teams in the NY Metro area and try to force them into events way upstate. Looking down the list of events, there are close to 5 events closer to Troy than the city, that are part of either the NE District or Western NY, and 4 District events in Northern Jersey and Connecticut that are closer to NYC than Albany. Make a Tri-State District that includes New Jersey from New Brunswick and north and east of Parsippany, Long Island, NYC, Westcherster/ Rockland/Putnam, and CT south of Danbury and west of New Haven.