Hi John,
The biggest consideration for travel next year for me is when and where the
team selection will be.
If the team selection is at the NATs, I'll be there. If the NATs is at a
high ceiling site like Kibbie or West Baden and not scheduled on top of of
team selection, I'll be there. If the NATs is at a smaller site, and the
schedule doesn't conflict with team selection, and Romash is giving away
joy rides in his Lotus, I'll probably be there.
Just my two cents worth...
Nick
On Tue, Dec 2, 2014 at 1:43 PM, john_kagan_at_hotmail.com
[Indoor_Construction] <Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
>
> Nats status
>
> aka We’ve got some decisions to make for 2015
>
>
>
> There is good news regarding Johnson City. The basketball program has
> been moved to a new location, and there is a strong possibility that the
> minidome may become available again.
>
>
>
> In addition, the site contact and the local parks and recreation Director
> are very happy with us and anxious to welcome us back.
>
>
>
> The somewhat bad news is that the athletic department wants to run the
> basketball program in the new venue for a year before making any changes to
> the old site. That means that while Johnson City may be a site again in
> future years, it won’t be ready in time for 2015. I am staying in touch
> with the local contacts to make sure we keep our foot in the door.
>
>
>
> In the meantime, we need to choose a site for 2015. The options include:
>
>
>
> - The “safe bet”: a return to the Kibbie Dome. This is a known
> quantity. We know what is involved in hold the Nats there, and we have
> already run through the process with all the participating parties. On the
> downside, attendance was down from Johnson City (expected), and wasn't
> significantly greater than the usual Kibbie Annual (not as expected).
>
>
>
> - The outdoor Nats tie-in: there is an effort in progress to find
> a site near-ish to Munie. It might not be a very tall site, but I have
> made it clear that any candidates need to be of a reasonable quality. Ball
> State University has been mentioned several times because we have an
> established relationship. Unfortunately we have not yet identified any
> suitable venues on the campus – but there does appear to be a relatively
> new recreation center (Leo, got any info on it?). The Colts Stadium is on
> the long list, but we don’t yet have an inside contact. Mike, how far away
> from Muncie is the hanger you were looking into?
>
>
>
> - Thinking outside the box: an established site that is smaller
> than recent Nats venues, such as Kent or the like. It might involve
> changing the Nats format to fit into a smaller time span, at least for
> 2015. There is also some level of risk involved with holding a contest
> like the Nats at a new location. For example, the parking situation at
> Champagne took a little while to sort out, and may or may not have
> contributed to our not being invited back. In another example, soccer
> players from the next timeslot began filtering into the Pontiac venue while
> models were still in the air a couple of years ago. Not anyone’s fault,
> but just a detail that needed to get sorted out.
>
>
>
> - Thinking outside the box 2: a site that might not be suitable
> for all the usual events. I’m thinking of West Baden here. The site is
> historic, stunning, and record worthy for the light stuff, but it is
> probably not a place where we could fly DLGs or Coconuts. I wouldn’t want
> to be the one who had to explain why the bottom of the dongle had been
> sheered off (I’m told it has the consistency of Styrofoam)
>
>
>
> There are some other options that I’ve shelved, at least for the time
> being. Lakehurst has entry requirements that would be challenging for some
> potential attendees. Round Valley Dome is a great experience that I highly
> recommend, but due to its remote location, attendance would likely be even
> lower than Kibbie. Pontiac is more than we can afford until we get our
> numbers up.
>
>
>
> So, how many people would attend a Nats at Kibbie in 2015?
>
>
>
> Who would be interested in a smaller, but still flyable venue that is
> close to Munie and the Outdoor Nats?
>
>
>
> Who would attend an abbreviated Nats in an excellent Cat II site like Kent
> (I haven’t spoken to Don S about Kent yet, so I’m just using the site as a
> theoretical example)?
>
>
>
> Who would attend a sub-set Nats at an epic site like West Baden?
>
>
>
>
Received on Tue Dec 02 2014 - 12:17:55 CET
This archive was generated by Yannick on Sat Dec 14 2019 - 19:13:48 CET