Looks like the locations on the ballot for IRC Nats in 2019 are: Saranac, Michigan Oakboro, North Carolina Statesboro, Georgia Anyone have a preference of where they want to go next year?
Oakboro is nice, always had a good time there. Statesboro would be a blast, I am sure Brian and Clark would do a great job.
I always liked Oakboro as second to H&H. I got spoiled in Houston as H&H was in my opinion, the premier location for hosting an event. The last two events we were able to have the banquet at their event hall for no extra charge.. we just had to buy the food from them. I made a list of criteria I like to see at a Nationals site as it is a week long and the more amenities.. the more comfortable and tolerable the week becomes. I have not been to Statesboro but have seen battle pictures. The ones I have seen show the pond and the pit area but for me it was difficult to get an overall feel for the site. I would like to see pics of where parking would be.. restrooms, power, etc. to make an informed decision. I am familiar with NC and it does meet a lot of the criteria below Keep in mind this list is criteria for the ideal, perfect site.. most sites won't be able to do all and does not mean they are not suitable. Personally I wish the bid for Nats listed things like this and a layout when we vote... maybe in the future. 1. Central to the majority of the attendees 2. Pavillion or some other similar structure (included in site fee is best)- preferably one that will support the entire group 3. Electricity available at the Tent/Pavillion sites 4. Permanent restrooms - AIR CONDITIONED is a BONUS!! 5. Paved Parking for all attendees 6. Short distance from tent/pavilion to pond 7. Water faucet is close proximity (potable of course) for making Gatorade etc. 8. Good support from the local municipality 9. Reasonably priced food options.. must be edible of course, delivery is a plus 10. Ice available nearby or deliverable 11. Banquet hall on-site or near hotel (free or low cost) 12. Drinks provided by site (low priority) 13. Suitable battle area in the pond to support all attendees at a depth of 5ft or below - knife fight in a closet is fine with me! 14. Mild temperatures.... (no place in US anymore it seems...)
Not that I matter but michigan us the only drivable location. Flying, car rental, shipping, doubles my nats budget. I imagine the heat in georgia is pretty brutal. It would be nicer in mid june presumably . We know about oakboro and the 15 feet deep michigan pond. Does Statesboro have power, shade, etc? Btw, almost nobody puts their names on this forum . Watzup widat? Wandy
Statesboro has power, tree's, plenty of room to park, about a mile or so from the hotels, and restaurants. And it's cooler than Florida. Pond you can wade across, if your Brian K height.
Don and Rick said they will try to make it if they are feeling better. The car trip is not so far for them.
Michigan so that I save a few hundred miles off my drive, but I'm sure it will be the farthest from me anyway. I'd really prefer to not fly as that limits my ship choices. But maybe I'm the only one who is willing to drive 2K+ miles each way to battle for a week anyway.
If captains facing multi-day drives were willing to ship their ships, that might be an option. When I was tank battling, a battler out in Utah truck freighted his tank to my place and he flew in, stayed at my place for a night, then we both drove up to the battlesite the next morning.
Yikes Steve! Maybe you're OK with Utah tanker battlin freight truck drivin' fellers staying at yor crib. But hey, I've got my reputation to think about! But ontoh, riding with Brandon is white knuckle time. And he talks about guns, girls and ganja raids nonstop! Waannndy
Johnny you have started a great list. Some of your points are easily done at all sites There are always additions : ------ NO weeds Low NATS fee Cheap motel NOT hotel Flat pit area Support of municipality OR OWNER Few spectators (private) Maybe a high vantage point for videos Of course every captain will have to prioritize this list for themselves Kas
I'd say that having a pond that is not 6ft deep 6ft from shore is nice, and no rock wall preventing easy large ship launch with cart are high on my list
NATS has only one real thing that matters. A pond that is battle worth. Low weeds in the battle area, low chance of wind making battle not possible, size big enough to hold the event, depth low enough so my feet touch and I can breath. The rest of the site, hotel, city... is all gravy to me. While I loved the H&H site most of the other NATS ponds have been just fine with me. In 06 the pond was deep but we had Leroy dive and get our ships after they sank, same in 09. The pond in MI was way too deep to battle without a diver, even in the "shallow" part of the pond.
Michigan would be nice. NC is the maximum I will be able to drive. GA would be a total No-Go for me. I moved to Alaska for a reason. Georgia is literally worse than Kuwait or Afghanistan. I would rather go back to Afghanistan.
I've done that too, but it more than doubles my budget. I'd rather have Oakboro than GA. (It's 1 freight zone closer and Charlotte is a nicer airport than Hotlanta)
