Quote Originally Posted by lawtonglenn View Post
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I am concerned.

While we have in Pro-IT a great series, organized by terrific and caring individuals, and attended by enthusiastic participants, I do not think we have adequately concerned ourselves with the bigger picture.
By design, the Pro-IT series is parasitic. It requires a host to put on the event, schedule the track, organize the volunteers and paid workers, etc. etc. etc.

par⋅a⋅site [par-uh-sahyt] –noun 1.an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment.

While the word parasite has a generally negative connotation, that is not the point I am trying to make. What I am concerned about is that we have many people supporting the development of the parasite, disproportionate to the comparatively meager support of the host.
Without a healthy host, the parasite eventually dies.

To illustrate this, I need only point out the current preregistration numbers for the October Pro-IT and Regional event at NJMP:

...... Reg ....Pro
SM..... 1...... 3
ITR.... 3...... 8
ITS.... 2...... 9
ITB.... 1...... 3
ITA.... 1...... 1

....... 8...... 24

I know many of you have read at least a few of the other threads regarding the future of IT. While much of the talk is of rule changes, there is still a considerable amount of discussion about the current recession driven overcapacity (ie too many events, not enough participants).

Some make take my remarks as "Glenn calling the baby ugly", but they are meant to encourage discussion that will make the host healthy, to continue the success of the newly popular Pro-IT series.

For example, I support the suggestion that future Pro-It races not be scheduled on the same days as a regional event at a different "nearby" track.

Also, in reference to the chart above, I suggest that in future Pro-IT races that are held with Regionals, paid participation in the Regional should be a requirement for the Pro-IT.
To this idea I know that some might say "I cannot afford to do both the regional and the Pro-IT"...to that I respond that you are asking others to carry the load for you, and those others are not forthcoming.

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Glenn,

The Oct Pro-IT/Reg is Fri/Sat/Sun. I think that having 2 races back to back with event participation on Fri may be part of the problem. I'll go to the Oct Pro-IT but not the regional for this reason. I can only give my employees so many unpaid fridays off before they asked me to pay them!! For all the self-employeed folks out there having to take another day off really adds to the weekend costs.

R