Michigan, be honest, how is the district model?

[Joe Ross]

A good place to start would be the Brandeis evaluation of FiM after the 2009 season. http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles...Summary_09.pdf

90% of the respondents thought the cost of participation was the same or better than 2008. 86% thought the logistics were the same or better.

Team leaders and mentors estimated that the average team cost for the District Tournaments in 2009 was approximately $9900; costs for teams attending the State Championship averaged an additional $5900. Total estimated costs for all teams in 2009 were $12,000. Teams that participated in prior years estimated that their team budget in 2008 was $25,000.

There were lots of other topics covered also, all overwhelmingly favoring the district system.