Are there any upcoming competitions in the Chicago area?

[TheMachanga]

I would like to go to a competition in Chicago but I can't find any. Any help?

[kjcellist]

There are none, trust me. I live around Chicago and I looked for a competition in the area. The closest ones are in Indiana.

Some people were trying to get a competition together in Aurora but that never worked out I guess. Here is the link for that thread: http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=10826

[JBCM627]

When someone in the Chicago area is motivated enough to find a venue, me and Bryan will probably be willing to help organize one there. To date though, nobody there has even been willing to secure a venue.

[Bryan]

Rochester, MN is also fairly close to drive from Chicago. There's a competition there on July 11th.

[Mike Hughey]

Our competition in Indiana is only 3 hours and 8 minutes away from Chicago, according to Google maps. Doesn't that count as pretty close? Most people in the USA don't have competitions as close as that to them.

[kjcellist]

Our competition in Indiana is only 3 hours and 8 minutes away from Chicago, according to Google maps. Doesn't that count as pretty close? Most people in the USA don't have competitions as close as that to them.

Yes, but when you are 14, that is a long way to convince your parent to drive you.

[Mike Hughey]

Our competition in Indiana is only 3 hours and 8 minutes away from Chicago, according to Google maps. Doesn't that count as pretty close? Most people in the USA don't have competitions as close as that to them.

Yes, but when you are 14, that is a long way to convince your parent to drive you.

I understand that, but I still hope you might try to convince them.

It seems like there are a lot of cubers in the Chicago area; I was really hoping our competition would attract a bunch of them. Then maybe those of you from the Chicago area can get together while you're there and start planning to run a competition of your own.

[Bryan]

When someone in the Chicago area is motivated enough to find a venue, me and Bryan will probably be willing to help organize one there.

I'm thinking between Jim and myself, we could basically organize something on our own once someone gets the venue. But finding a venue remotely is a huge pain. But here are some suggestions:

Hotel meeting rooms - Perhaps they would give you the meeting room for free if they were the "official" hotel of the competition. Otherwise, this might cost some money.
Libraries - Just make sure it's a big enough meeting room. Some have restrictions on who can rent a room.
Science Museums - Some will donate a meeting room, others will want the full rental fee.
High Schools - depending on the red tape involved, this could or could not be easy.
Malls - A competition would be a great draw for a toy store.
Churches - This is what I use for the MN Open, because it has no cost for me and no red tape.

Every place is different. The Science Museum in Minneapolis wanted to treat us just as another customer and didn't care what publicity we would bring. The mall in Rochester wanted $1,200, but the Mall of America would be free. I can't get a room at a school because I'm not a student.

Another option is to just throw money at the problem and finding a venue becomes easier. How much money would you be willing to donate for a competition? If you're willing to pitch in $30 and you can find a bunch of other cubers that are willing to do the same, then you might have enough money to just rent a hotel meeting room. If you say you can't spend any money, then you need to put in time to find the venue.

[Logan]

Go to the MN open 09. We could always use new cubers here.

[kjcellist]

There is a community center/library near me that rents rooms. Rooms of various sizes can be rented for $25 an hour. How long do competitions usually last?