Dave – I am new to this side of the deal, you know that. Like I said, you have a very valid point. Lets not b*tch about it, but work on getting this included for next year.
I do not know if Rich C. will make another grant available next year, but he has pointed out that there are many resources to get grants from. Someone here alluded to Trilogy possibly getting grants, so maybe they can point us in the right direction.
Yes, it seems like the right thing to do: give a jersey to everyone who qualified for and raced the state championship. But, you have to put a limit on it somewhere. I believe the P-cup allows the top 15 in an age group to race that race. So if we make the assumption that we are growing this sport in hopes of one day having more than 15 people in a class at the championships, then maybe thats where you draw the line:
If you qualify for and race class at the state championship, and finish Top 15, you get the State Jersey at no charge, whether you race the P-cup or not. You can not just give it to everyone or then you take away from the accomplishment of earning it. If, however, you were not qualified at the state championship, but still were considered “Top 15” AND you go to P-cup, then we’ll cover your jersey if you go and race. (keep it as a re-imbursement program, of course)
Remember, this is racing. Look at any other racing sport and you will see that you bring out the best in folks by making them earn their awards.
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Just to clarify, what I wrote above is something that needs to be proposed at the next state meeting for the coming year. It is not the current way of doing things.