I fully support any plan that moves Wisconsin towards districts, as I feel that it would benefit all teams in the area and improve our impact by making FRC more financial viable to both current and new entrants. It seems at this point the most direct path to this goal is a Wisconsin District, even though in many ways it would make sense to not divide the midwest along state lines.
With that said, please forgive my ignorance as I ask a few questions that have been running through my head over the course of build season:
1. Where does the mandate that entire regions (states?) move to the district model come from? Is it from FIRST HQ?
2. Is there something preventing a team from "opting in" to a district (or opting out for that matter)? While I believe that districts would be a benefit on the whole, there may be specific teams within the region that may be hurt by the district model. I'll give some hypothetical examples below, mostly as a thought experiment.
A Milwaukee area team is working on their financial plans. After doing the analysis, they find it would be more beneficial (for whatever reason) for them to go to 2 travel districts (assuming Indiana in this case - as they are currently the closest district), rather than the Wisconsin regional plus another travel regional. Is there any way for this team to join the district?
A Chicago area team is located over the Indiana border. They are a bit resource limited, and typically only attend a travel event once every 2-3 years. Before Indiana became a district they attended the Midwest Regional every year, with no travel costs incurred. Now their registration now funds them for 2 district events, but they can only attend 1 most years. Is there a way to opt out of their district in preference of attending just the Midwest Regional?
Again, note that these examples are purely hypothetical to serve as both thought experiments as well as playing a bit of devil's advocate both for and against the district model.
The crux of my question is, why are we tied to the fate of our region? Why can't a team decide what would be best of them, with the opportunities and challenges afforded to them?
I'm fully of the belief that the district model will be the model of FRC moving into the future. It almost seem inevitable, given the rapid growth in the number of teams over the past few years. Until that time however, it seems that teams should be able to make their own decisions, rather than decisions being made for them.
This rambled on a little longer than I intended. Eric, thanks for pulling all of this information together and getting (or keeping -- depending on your view) the conversation going.