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In case anyone cares, here is the text of the message I sent off :

Dear SCCA Staff;

I just received notice regarding the change to the ProSolo Finale dates. I am sure this will just be one of many letters you will receive regarding the negative impact this will have one competitors. I know that there is nothing to be done regarding this announcement now, but perhaps my comments can make a difference in terms of future decisions of this type.

I do not have unlimited time to take to journey over a thousand miles to Kansas for Nationals. In fact, I have three personal days per year, and it is through very special dispensation on the part of my resource teacher that I have been able to take "sick leave" for another day or two to stay out for the full week these last two years. As it is, I must have someone else take my car out to Topeka for me, and I fly in to attend the Finale. Last year, I could not find someone to do this for me, and I had to give up the ProSolo Finale weekend in order to drive my car out on my own.

This change will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for me to attend both the ProSolo Finale and the National Championships. This mid-season change angers me, as I have already made the financial commitment to a ProSolo co-drive that now is worthless to me if I can not attend the Finale due to this scheduling change. On the other hand, maybe I should just forgo looking for a way to get my own car to Topeka, and just skip running the National Championships. I could also withdraw my entries from the DC and Peru ProSolo events and then not have to worry about the ProSolo Finale at all.

I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way, though I could be wrong in that regard. However, it saddens me that a non-competition event has been allowed to affect the ProSolo Finale and the National Championships in this way.

Thank you for your time, and for all that you do for the National Solo program.

Karen Kraus

jcroy66:

lundgren:

While it means a some might have to travel a day early, it's not required

I beg to differ.  Our plan was to leave after work on Thursday, drive halfway, spend the night, drive the rest of the way Friday morning.  So unless we want to miss our first set of runs (or worse, have the entire day's runs be worthless from zero sleep), this change requires an additional day to our trip.  And if we're just going to toss out a third or more of our runs anyway, then we might as well just not go.

If it comes down to a choice between the ProFinale or Nationals, I think I'd vote to skip Nationals instead.  Or possibly just skip the trip to Topeka entirely.  Have a "real vacation" for a change.

I said 'some' not all.  Look at it this way, you can do the warm ups too on Sunday.

They should run two courses for warm ups on Sunday.  They could easily run 500 drivers through with 3 runs each.  Frankly, make both courses as close as possible.

Well, in light of all the work that's been done to accomodate everyone who wants to play and to try to bring new people into ProSolo -- raising the DC entry cap, apparently doing the same for the Peru Pro, the waiving of late fees for Atwater and Mineral Wells, the Marque class -- it's amazing how fast they throw everything down the drain with a mid-season date change for the Finale.

I wonder how many people are now going to figure that doing 2-3 events is no longer worth the effort. I know I've got time to ditch my codrive before I'm too far in, financially, and I'm very much considering it amongst all my options.

Karen

CamaroFS34:

Well, in light of all the work that's been done to accomodate everyone who wants to play and to try to bring new people into ProSolo -- raising the DC entry cap, apparently doing the same for the Peru Pro, the waiving of late fees for Atwater and Mineral Wells, the Marque class -- it's amazing how fast they throw everything down the drain with a mid-season date change for the Finale.

I wonder how many people are now going to figure that doing 2-3 events is no longer worth the effort. I know I've got time to ditch my codrive before I'm too far in, financially, and I'm very much considering it amongst all my options.

Karen

Steve, it's evident that Karen is in that position. I am also in that same position in that that one day is a deal breaker. It takes 24 hrs of driving time for me to get there. With ProSolo events that are so far away from where I live, I have to take at least 2.5 days off each 'local' Pro. 1.5 before, 1 after to drive to the events.

That's one week right there just to hit the 2 required pro events. Then a week for nats... I used to take days off without pay to attend. Then my wife quit her job. That's gone out the window.

--kC

Just change the name to Mirror Solo, it's certainly not "Pro" if it's lower priority than a practice event for people unwilling to make the commitment to travel to the Pro series and make the Finale.

So what if not having a practice event gives a perceived advantage to those who run the Finale.  Maybe it should since those are the people who have made a significant commitment to the sport throughout the year.

It won't change my attendance of the Finale, I'll figure out how to be there even if it means taking a day off unpaid to do it.  But it may very well change my attendance next year if I know that the entire series is such low priority that it can be moved so un-committed people can practice.

STX77:

Just change the name to Mirror Solo, it's certainly not "Pro" if it's lower priority than a practice event for people unwilling to make the commitment to travel to the Pro series and make the Finale.

So what if not having a practice event gives a perceived advantage to those who run the Finale.  Maybe it should since those are the people who have made a significant commitment to the sport throughout the year.

It won't change my attendance of the Finale, I'll figure out how to be there even if it means taking a day off unpaid to do it.  But it may very well change my attendance next year if I know that the entire series is such low priority that it can be moved so un-committed people can practice.

PedalFaster:

STX77:

Just change the name to Mirror Solo, it's certainly not "Pro" if it's lower priority than a practice event for people unwilling to make the commitment to travel to the Pro series and make the Finale.

So what if not having a practice event gives a perceived advantage to those who run the Finale.  Maybe it should since those are the people who have made a significant commitment to the sport throughout the year.

It won't change my attendance of the Finale, I'll figure out how to be there even if it means taking a day off unpaid to do it.  But it may very well change my attendance next year if I know that the entire series is such low priority that it can be moved so un-committed people can practice.

So let me get this straight -- people who aren't willing to spend the six days and hundreds or thousands of dollars necessary to attend two Pro events before September lack commitment, but you're committed although you're not willing to spend on extra day in Topeka for Nationals even if you get an extra practice day out of it?

There are lots of good reasons why this move could be problematic, but yours isn't one of them.

Like others I made my commitment to the original schedule back in November when I submitted my vacation schedule for this year.  I already made my commitment (6 days of vacation time and several thousand dollars for 3 Pros and the Finale) 6 months ago, and now it has to change to accomodate a practice event for people who have not yet committed anything this year. 

Tell me that it will be a Friday-Saturday event back in November and I don't have as big of a problem with it.  Tell me now and it's a significant issue for me and for others.  I could care less about being able to run the practice course.  If I can't figure out the pavement in 12+ runs on Friday-Saturday then 3 more runs aren't going to help me.

New meaning to the term "arrive and drive."  There will be a lot more bleary-eyed people at the event that really counts for them.  If I wasn't already committed (as opposed to "should be committed"), I might think twice about going.

Unfortunately this may hurt more than just ProSolos.  It's easier to rationalize driving a long distance if you can do a Pro and an NT.  If you cannot attend the Finale, why do multiple ProSolos, then why travel 20 hours for an NT.