Bringing Food into Competition Venues

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Ken et al,
The arenas that are in use often have contracts with vendors in the arena. Those contracts must be followed regardless of the event. The vendors establish their profit margins and ability to make a living based on an expectation that they will be able to sell a specific amount of food and drink over the year. They take the chance that the venue will be able to sell the space for the number of days they need to reach their goal. We should not interfere with the ability of someone to make a living. Bringing food to the venue and eating outside is a great way to reduce costs. But it reguires a volunteer group other than the team to take care of the logistics. At the Championship, we have a group of parents who purchase the food. Students then take turns transporting to and from a common area for the group each day. For a small fee we provide a breakfast, a bottle of water and some snacks for the day. Lunch and dinner on then on the students.