pic: FIRST USA MAP

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by AGPapa

So would any future teams in Alaska have to join the PNW district? Doesn't that seem like a completely terrible idea? What schools would want to pay the costs for two trips to Washington/Oregon in a new program?

It is more than a three hour flight from Anchorage to Seattle!

As I understand it, there are a number of ferries that go from Seattle to various locations in Alaska. The time is obviously longer, but perhaps the cost is lower. It's been a while since I've been up that way. I took the USNS Silas Bent from Seattle to Kodiak in 1989 (was it really that long ago?), but I was surveying, not just a passenger.

[MikLast]

Originally Posted by mwmac

Jury is still out on Idaho....

Why isint Idaho a part of the PNW district? Would add a few teams to Events in eastern washington and help grow some teams in eastern Oregon (if a event was put in Boise) where there are not many teams (due to how far the events are for them.)

[Navid Shafa]

Originally Posted by MikLast

Why isint Idaho a part of the PNW district? Would add a few teams to Events in eastern washington and help grow some teams in eastern Oregon (if a event was put in Boise) where there are not many teams (due to how far the events are for them.)

This has been a debate for quite some time. From a geographic and financial standpoint, it would be difficult to transition all of the 20 teams in Idaho into the district at the beginning. Some of the Northern teams pushed pretty hard last year to have the ability to opt into PNW for the 2015 season and it nearly happened. Many expected it might come to fruition this year.

Even with a potential event in Boise though, the Northern Idaho teams would likely have to stay overnight at both of their district events. Had the District Championship stayed in Spokane, it might have been more viable for them. With the DCMP being held in Portland, some of those teams would have a 6-8 hour drive...

Southern Idaho would have the luxury of a home district (assuming a Boise event), but would have to travel significantly to go to either the West Valley event or one of the Oregon districts. There just aren't enough Eastern Oregon teams yet to justify a far East event.

Now you'd be asking said teams to potentially stay overnight at 3 events (2 at best), and you create significant travel costs for those teams. All of this before potentially traveling to Worlds.

Eventually PNW might have the capacity and the density in the outer region to hold events and fill the spots at them further East, but they have had enough trouble with West Valley as is and Boise would be no different. It's important to maintain similar size events and that is one thing that PNW has had to juggle pretty carefully, but has done well so far. With a region expanded that much further, PNW would struggle to find a centralized location for a DCMP, it's already been an issue that the region hasn't been able to solve the past few years.

While everyone wants there to be inclusiveness, there are so many dynamic variables when thinking about holding events, how many events to run, how to geographically place them based on density, how to maintain (roughly) equal team capacities...

I definitely would like to see our Idaho friends again, but I'm not convinced the current outcomes would be that much better than the predicament they face right now. In the mean time though, their situation isn't very great and it's only going to get worse as district borders tighten up around them

[MikLast]

Originally Posted by Navid Shafa

Now you'd be asking said teams to potentially stay overnight at 3 events (2 at best), and you create significant travel costs for those teams. All of this before potentially traveling to Worlds.

Eastern Washington and (especially) Oregon teams already do this?

Besides that, That does make sense. Hopefully northern Idaho can join, give them (less) of a hassle to go to events.

[Navid Shafa]

Originally Posted by MikLast

Eastern Washington and (especially) Oregon teams already do this?

To some extent, yes. Eastern Washington teams have a home district in Spokane, which allows many of them to avoid travel and lodging for at least one district event. Last year with the DCMP in Spokane as well, many of those teams only had to travel once.

You're correct though, Southern Idaho would face just a slightly worse scenario as the Eastern Oregon teams have already been dealing with.

Originally Posted by MikLast

Besides that, That does make sense. Hopefully northern Idaho can join, give them (less) of a hassle to go to events.

Agreed. I really do think it should be an Opt-in though. The entire state may not be ready for an annexing into the district, at least until more accommodations can be arranged for those teams. For the meantime, many of those teams get by with a single regional event. That may be all the time and money they can invest into the program at this point, until better options are available.

I just wish USFIRST would allow the state, the district, and those individual teams the ability to make that choice and figure out what works best on a case-by-case basis.

[MikLast]

Originally Posted by Navid Shafa

I just wish USFIRST would allow the state, the district, and those individual teams the ability to make that choice and figure out what works best on a case-by-case basis.

While this would be the best idea, i can see why they would not want that on a full scale, 2500+ teams that would go through that process may be a nightmare for them. Maybe if they had it in concentrated areas (Northern Idaho, Pennsylvania, Teams near the border of other district area, etc.) to keep the opt-in/out may be a better idea.

[Navid Shafa]

Originally Posted by MikLast

While this would be the best idea, i can see why they would not want that on a full scale, 2500+ teams that would go through that process may be a nightmare for them. Maybe if they had it in concentrated areas (Northern Idaho, Pennsylvania, Teams near the border of other district area, etc.) to keep the opt-in/out may be a better idea.

All teams register through FIRST's online system already. I can't imagine it would be too difficult to give certain sub-regions the privileges needed to register for events in a specific district.

[JB987]

Not sure why Nevada and other similar stated are classified as a district/ regional states?

[Hallry]

Originally Posted by JB987

Not sure why Nevada and other similar stated are classified as a district/ regional states?

I think you're confusing purple and pink (I did the same thing at first). The only state that's purple (with Districts and a Regional) is Pennsylvania.

[InFlight]

I'd like PNW to find a way to get Idaho as a whole included. Driving distance and hotels costs are an issue. But missed school days are another factor as well. Slightly smaller district events with Friday Load-in and long Saturday / Short Sunday might be a better balance. Seems like the Tri-Cities might be an option as well, reasonable drive for most East of the Cascade Teams, and plenty of Hotel options.

[logank013]

I'm not sure how teams like the big districts but the small district in Indiana was great because no team ever had to travel real far. We stayed overnight at 2 of 3 event but, there were some teams that traveled greater distances and didn't stay overnight. In the small district like Indiana's, it creates an even lower cost for teams. Plus, every team pretty much knew each other after each event due to only 49 teams in Indiana. I'm not sure how teams like the big districts like NE District but the IN District is great.

[wilsonmw04]

What this map shows is that making district boarders based on states isn't going to work much longer. We are going to need to look at forming districts based on common sense and ease of travel. For example, many teams outside of Metro DC would do better in the NC, WV, or TN area group than being attached to DC.

[Clem1640]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

What this map shows is that making district boarders based on states isn't going to work much longer. We are going to need to look at forming districts based on common sense and ease of travel. For example, many teams outside of Metro DC would do better in the NC, WV, or TN area group than being attached to DC.

Which is why Pennsylvania is purple on the map. The Philadelphia side of PA fits logically into MAR without creating huge travel issues for teams. Western Pennsylvania on the other hand is served by the Pittsburgh Regional. Most PA teams are geographically clustered around these two cities.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Clem1640

Which is why Pennsylvania is purple on the map. The Philadelphia side of PA fits logically into MAR without creating huge travel issues for teams. Western Pennsylvania on the other hand is served by the Pittsburgh Regional. Most PA teams are geographically clustered around these two cities.

I wish this common sense was more wide spread.

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Clem1640

Which is why Pennsylvania is purple on the map. The Philadelphia side of PA fits logically into MAR without creating huge travel issues for teams. Western Pennsylvania on the other hand is served by the Pittsburgh Regional. Most PA teams are geographically clustered around these two cities.

Not surprising, given the population distribution: