Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Mitchell
You mention a second field increasing costs: a second day of a venue also increases costs, probably a lot more than a second field would cost. A field costs 1300 dollars, and different groups borrowing each other's fields makes a lot of sense to negate that cost.
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So "Yes", we agree. One way to make success more likely in a 35-team, 7-match, one-day, inexpensive, "small" event is buying or finding, fetching and returning a second field, and then having enough volunteers in place to keep both fields humming during the event.
I never said it couldn't/shouldn't be done, I simply pointed out that some folks in some locations might not immediately identify that approach as a small or inexpensive approach....
Same goes for attempting to stay on a schedule that attempts to fit 35 teams times 7 matches per team into 6 hours. I never said it couldn't be done. I just said that if the next few seasons contain dramatically more "small and inexpensive" 35-team, 7-match, 1-day events than this last season held (as a hypothetical consequence of both significant and rapid growth, and hypothetical FIRST encouragement of that style of tournament); then I predict that a lot of the tournaments are going to run long. I don't say this becuse running on time is impossible; I say it because I predict that there will be a lot of "newbies" running and participating in those events.
My true, big-picture, bottom-line is that these sorts of topics are never black and white. The only realistic "answers" are always compromises. A clever governing body will encourage the compromises that align best with their long-term objectives and will not get distracted by transient conditions that can be overcome by a little patience.
I would love to hear those official long-term FVC objectives for three reasons.
1) I could align my local league efforts with the vision (either to contribute to it, or to complement it).
2) I could offer positive feedback and constructive criticism based on my local experiences. These could be combined with the experiences of other locations to help establish what the FVC governing body has to make common across all locations, and what it can leave optional or unspecified.
3) I could pass the objectives/vision on to my peers, local financial sponsors, local team sponsors, etc. so that they aren't surprised (in some bad way) as the program matures and so that they can plan their long-term investments.
To return to the thread's topic... The subject of "the length of a typical FVC event" is right smack in the middle of any conversation about how FVC might chose to pursue its long term objectives. I have profited from the discussion so far.
Blake