[Michael Blake]

Originally Posted by JB987

Doesn't your school district allow your team to fly (allowing you to save classtime in your case). So very many of the rest of us are forced to fly regardless (just check out the terminals at the St Louis Wednesday or Sunday of Champs). Many times a bus can cost a team more overall than airfare or if airfare costs more it's just a matter of some additional fundraising on kid's part to manage the cost increase. Many of the rest of us will never benefit from an in-state or nearby Champs bus drive trip opportunity. That said, if your district doesn't allow for alternative air travel, it would be a shame to see you miss out should you face the travel inequity so many of us will continue to face in the coming years. Many teams (like us) don't take the whole team to Champs in large part because of the cost burden on kids and team...

Joe... we could fly.

In fact, _ I FLY_ because I'm an adult with some money in my checking account... you won't catch me on a charter bus (did it _once_ at 2011 CHAMPS)... ;-)

But for the rest of the team taking the bus versus flying it is a case of higher cost, substantially higher, than taking a charter bus with an all-inclusive cost of $10,000.00 because we bring 35-45 people--EVERYBODY involved with the team goes.

--Michael Blake