SEN 2757 USA 2020 Finals are Postponed
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SEN 2757
USA 2020 Finals are Postponed
From: William Booth
Good Evening Everyone,
It probably does not come as a great surprise that the Free Flight Team Selection Committee has decided to postpone the 2020 Finals. Free Flight by its very nature is pretty well geared to social distancing and the logistics of running the meet were not a big factor. Certainly some participants would prefer not to travel, but that too was not a major factor in the decision. The concerns focussed mainly on uncertainty. We had hoped to see positive trends, but the pandemic is not slowing significantly. I have been watching for quite some time and it seems to spike with new records every few weeks in California. Kern County is on the Governor's watch list for possible greater restrictions & closures. Kern County has the second highest number of cases per capita of all California counties and reported 442 new cases today. Considering the time we would all spend in an area where Covid 19 cases are still high, spikes are alarming, motels, restaurants & gas stations are exposed to literally thousands of people who pass through every day and healthcare is both an hour away and openly expressing their concerns about being able to keep up with demand, there really is no choice that does not include too many "ifs" and "maybes".
So what do we do next? We don't have an answer for that, but we do have some time. It is time to start discussing this in detail. For now, we are moving forward assuming we will need a Team and the World Champs will be held as scheduled and that we will actually be able to get there. More "ifs". Please contact your District representative and discuss options that have already been raised or perhaps offer a new suggestion. Most of us can give you pros and cons of the most logical suggestions we have heard so far.
We are very sorry it has come to this, but I think we could all see it coming for a while. We will figure this out in the next couple of months and hopefully select another great team for the 2021 World Championships in France. We will get through this.
Bill Booth
Chairperson USA Free Flight Team Selection Committee