[Wichita-SCCA] A new thought or two...

[Greg Laws]

"Here's reality.  Scheduling conflicts are going to happen."   --Brian Meyer

That pretty much says it.  There are only so many good weekends available and each region is trying to schedule as best they can without stepping on too many toes.

The situation is that most regions are in trouble for solo sites.  The existing sites are deteriorating and no new ones (except for HPT) are being built.  Soloists are becoming willing to drive further and further to reach a good site.  They will often forgo "club loyalty" to select the best lot when there is a scheduling conflict between adjacent regions.

Here's a new thought: perhaps the solution can be found in a different direction than just fussing about avoiding scheduling conflicts.  I see two possibilities:

The first is for each region to purpose-build an automotive sports pad specifically tailored to host solo events.  I am chair of a Wichita Region committee to do just that and I have absolute faith that this will be on the ground somewhere in Sedgwick County within three years.  That's the goal anyway.  We haven't had our first meeting yet but the members of this committee have been selected: myself, Brian Meyer, and Marcus Hidvegi.  Although he won't be an active member of the committee, George Morrison will act as our political advisor, business expert, and reality check.  It is obviously much too soon to discuss proposal details in public but our initial business plan is solid enough that in my opinion it has an excellent chance of success.  Stay tuned.  If we can turn this trick then full documentation of exactly how we did it will be made available nationwide.

The second is that it may be time to consider consolidating some regions.  Salina Region, for instance, might think about coming back into the welcoming arms of the Wichita Region from whence they spit off years ago.  There are other regional consolidations here and there that may make sense too.  The benefits would be to have fewer scheduling conflicts, better lots to run on, bigger events with more participation, genuine competition within classes, and surviving regions that are more financially stable.  If soloists are willing to drive distances to play their game then small regions based upon local convenience cease to make sense.

The above two solutions are not mutually exclusive.  I suspect that both will happen in time as appropriate to local situations both across the division and the nation.

Enjoy,
Greg Laws





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