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Re: Yet Another WCW 2002 Speaker
LeeH920226 at aol_com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 10/30/01 8:25:34 AM, jeller3 at yahoo_com writes:
>
> << Tell me why it should be St. Louis. >>
>
> No one will tell you what to do. All you can do is consider the two
> options and make your own judgment. Add to that the fact that you can drive
> to St. Louis in one day and also that you will be at the next higher level of
> killifish people interactions. Finally, compare the auction, speakers and
> workshops, which will be announced shortly for St. Louis. Also, to be
> considered, is that you will be supporting the AKA if you go to St. Louis.
> Best of all, go to both. By carpooling and sharing a room in St. Louis,
> it will cost a lot less.
>
> Lee Harper
Amen!
Besides, BAKA is helping out at St. Louis by taking on the huge auction. We
need the practice that WCW will give us (and a lot of you there to help!). If
those of us living right next to WCW still plan on going to Convention, there
must be something there worth seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling or tasting.
<G>
Seriously, though folks do come to WCW from as far as Europe and Japan, it is
still our local show and conference. Please, if you must make a choice, bias
it in favor of St Louis, as that supports the AKA and will give you much
broader contact with the American hobbyists than you will see at any regional
conference, even WCW.
WCW has grown big for several reasons.
One, of course, is the relative isolation of the west coast hobby. Another is
the hard work for years of certain western members to cultivate contacts and
friendships in other countries. The local club has been willing to take huge
risks by buying fish, both here and overseas, on speculation. We have heavily
supported foreign shows with boxes of good fish, so they reciprocate. That
assures that the bay area has the best selection of species that can be found,
almost anywhere. Other clubs in the region have been highly supportive, and
have taken on major parts of the job, so one club's volunteers don't get too
burned out.
Collectors from our area know they can bring back fish that will be carefully
tended and propagated so they are more likely to make it out into the hobby.
The club has been dedicated to training more of those better breeders and to
helping all who care. Underwriting collection trips and guest-speaker travel
costs to monthly meetings doesn't hurt.
I would suggest that some of those same things could build other regional
events to comparable stature, to the huge benefit of our hobby. If so, we
might be able to permanently have the AKA Convention nearer the geopolitical
center of the continent every year, to minimize total travel. [I vote for New
Mexico.] As Tom points out, west coast conventions haven't always been
financial winners (particularly for the local clubs giving them).
Wright
PS. One-day drive would restrict us, out here, to anything at or west of Salt
Lake City, which a lot of eastern folks don't realize. No way I can drive to
Denver in one day. [Sierras and Rockies with diversions to 9000ft passes make
it farther than it looks on the map.]
--
Wright Huntley 510 612-1467 - 879 Clara Drive, Palo Alto CA 94303
I'm not an officer of BAKA, the local club, so these opinions are just my own.
I do hope we see you in both April (third weekend) *and* May (Memorial
weekend) at WCW and Convention.
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