Going to Multiple Regionals

[rebelreyek]

As a member of a team who has gone to two regionals for the past couple of years (with our home regional being Buckeye as well), I would suggest registering for Buckeye first, and then Pittsburgh. It’s always good to secure a slot at home before working on other regionals. The only reason why it could possibly be beneficial to register for Pittsburgh first would be if the fill rate was higher than Buckeye.

I’m probably being repetitive in saying this, but always account for your team’s budget when registering for more than one regional. I don’t know how your team is planning on handling the financial stuff, but you want to make sure that you've got adequate funds for a second regional.

Once your team is registered, figure out how many members on your team will be able to go, and then plan accordingly. Stuff like transportation, lodging, and the always important food should be priority. If possible, plan ahead for traveling from hotel to competition location and back, as well as where everyone (as a group) is planning on eating breakfast/dinner. Also, make sure everyone has food during the lunch hour of competition. Make sure the pit crew knows when they will have a chance to eat. The only reason why I say this is because sometimes communication can get hectic at away competitions.

A benefit of going to Pittsburgh before Buckeye is that your team gets a chance to bond on the road, and then hopefully things will be a lot more streamlined and relaxed back home. My team has agreed on the fact that there is always a lower stress level at our second regional, and everything seems to run much better. Hopefully the same will apply to your team as well.

Downtime during away competitions is also cool. Just saying.

Good luck on your registration, and can’t wait to see you again at Buckeye!