@Glenn Fresch posted:York is a tough meet to do if you’re in school or a younger working adult. It was even tough when it was Friday and Saturday because of the travel, but it was easier to do it in one day and that makes a big difference when you have to use your off time sparingly.
This is true for pretty much anyone that isn't retired or independently wealthy. When I started going to York, I could only do one day due to time and budget constraints, so I got up very early on York Friday, drove 4 hours, hunted the halls until the dealer halls closed, then drove 4+ hours home, stopping to eat along the way. Over time, as my budget and vacation time grew, one day turned into two days and I would drive out on Thursday (and not have to get up at "too-early-o'clock" to do so) and stay in a cheap motel 10-20 miles from the fairgrounds. Then two days turned into three days when I became a table-holder, and then three days became four days so I could start going to the Bandit Meets (and again getting up at "too-early-o'clock" to do so), and now I have expanded my York trip to five days so that the first day is a more leisurely travel day. And this progression may even expand further in the near future.
And while it would be nice to shift the meet to Friday-Sunday and save me two vacation days a year (but, at the same time, taking away two days of rest and recovery), the way I look at this whole matter is that this is the EDTCA's party in the EDTCA's house, and as I am not in the Eastern Division, I am only a guest at that party, so I have no right to even suggest that they make changes to their event, especially since only they have all the facts regarding the financials and logistics involved in making this meet happen (that might make for a good article for a magazine dedicated to O gauge model trains...). It is the responsibility of the individual to fit themselves into the organization and its events, not the other way around (sort of like the point JFK was trying to make in his "Ask not..." speech).
Andy
