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Re: Should teams be allowed to attend multiple regionals?
My only real comment to add to all of this, is that going to multiple regionals is ALL about budgeting. We got our team to 3 regionals and nationals, with the same amount of money that I know most teams use for one regional and nationals. If you make really good estimates, keep close watch on your budgets, do some major deal hunting, suck it up and do some fundraising, you can make it to multiple events. It takes a HECK of a lot of organization, but it can be done.
And our kids/parents have raised almost $7,000 this year, and we only started at the end of october 04 (imagine what they can do with a whole summer!).
Now I know there are a lot of little teams out in the middle of nowhere, and this isnt as applicable to them... but there are ways... NASA offers grants for your first event, so take that, and fundraise more for a second event. One of our carwashes yielded $500... 8 of those would put us at a second regional. Stay with other teams!! There are 16 teams in the rochester area... im certain our great rochester teams could find a way to house another team if it helped that team get to another competition. AND more teams need to look at traveling together... we sent a 49 passenger bus to Cleveland with 15 people on it... granted we found a really good deal, but we EASILY could have split that bus with another team.
But to answer the question in this thread, I am obviously for multiple events. Our team has grown in leaps and bounds over the last three events... especially for a rookie team. I see the kids taking in something new every time, learning a little bit more about it... There is just something about competition that solidifies the entire experience. And traveling together often helps the team bond... when you can all run to your own rooms in the school its a lot different than being locked on a bus together!
And can anyone answer, does anyone know teams who actually use the "drive team meathod"?? I know I've heard teams talk about it, and oftentimes teams will bring reduced numbers to one event, but ive NEVER seen a team send 3 kids and 7 mentors when its a team of 40 normally.
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