Need Help Organizing a Competition

[UnsolvedCypher]

I am thinking of organizing a cubing competition, as I would like to see one in my area. I know about MIT and Harvard's competitions, but I think it would be nice to have one in the summer. Unfortunately, I seem like a bad candidate to organize a competition, since I haven't ever been to one before. So, what I would like to do is to contact my town (Lexington, MA) and then get some more experienced cubers from that area take over. My question is, who do I contact? I think the high school might be a good place to host this, but I'm not sure who I should contact. Any suggestions?
Thanks!

[JyH]

The only delegates in the area already have all their competitions scheduled for this year -- try for next summer (and attend some competitions, too, as well as help out with running them). Even if the delegates were available, it would be a bit too late anyway.

[UnsolvedCypher]

OK, thanks. Where exactly did you get this information? I'm looking at the upcoming competitions on the WCA website, and it doesn't show anything for Massachusetts.

[JyH]

http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/sh...338#post743338

There are only three delegates that would come to any competition in the northeast area, and they have planned out the entire summer. Most of the competitions they have planned to delegate already aren't announced yet because competitions sometimes aren't announced that early. Not to discourage you, but even if the delegates were available, they probably wouldn't agree to come due to lack of experience. Try holding an unofficial competition (example) first to show that you have the ability to run a competition smoothly, but even before that, definitely attend some competitions and help with running them.

[UnsolvedCypher]

Thanks for your help so far. My main issue so far is how to ask the town. But an unofficial competition sounds like a great idea, so I can figure out how it's done before (if) I decide to do an official one. If I am doing an unofficial competition, should I say anything to the WCA?
Thanks!

[qqwref]

You can tell someone in the WCA if you want - if you are hoping to hold an official competition in the future, they'd be interested to see how you do with this one. It's not necessary, though.

[UnsolvedCypher]

How do I tell the WCA? Do I email a delegate? The board?
Thanks!

[JyH]

Kian Barry (NJ) - KianDBarry@gmail.com

Tim Reynolds (MA) - timbreynolds@gmail.com

Bob Burton (NY) - bob@cubewhiz.com

[UnsolvedCypher]

Ok, I'll email them and let them know. Thanks for all your help!
~Unsolved Cypher

[Bob]

Are you planning on organizing a competition in the Boston area? There are typically four competitions per year in that area. Do you not think that is enough? ...and you haven't even been to any of them?

We have two competitions planned in that area for Fall 2012. History will be a good clue as to what they might be. They will be announced within the next month or so.

<RANT>

Seriously, I don't understand why some people want to host competitions. I have been seeing a lot of posts from people saying that they want to host a competition in Area X, when Area X has lots of competitions already. Not to be a jerk, but when we have at least a dozen experienced organizers on the East Coast already, why would we agree to allow somebody with no competition experience at all to organize a competition? Tim, Kian, and I have better things to do in our lives than to spend hours of traveling and then do a bunch of work because somebody else who wants to host a competition doesn't really know how and we have to intervene so that the competition doesn't turn into a complete failure.

It's one thing when somebody has been to competitions before and offered to help judge and scramble (especially judge...yeah, everybody offers to scramble, and when we ask those people to judge instead because we already have 3 scramblers, they usually just go back to their tables to play with their cubes) and has actually seen what it takes to make a competition progress, but it's something entirely different when somebody just decides "Oh, yeah, 15 minutes to travel to a competition? TOO FAR! I want to host one in my backyard so that I don't have to drive! Ooh, that would be great! It doesn't matter that I don't have any timers or displays, I will just use Bob Burton's and make him travel 4 hours because he has no life!"

Summary: Show up to a few competitions, help out so that we actually know who you are and have some faith that you are competent and actually know how a competition works, and then ask about hosting a competition. In general, I prefer new organizers to have been to at least 10 competitions and have helped out and judged at most of them. If somebody's not every helpful, I am disinclined to even read an email from them about hosting a competition.

</RANT>