This note is being sent to the leaders of U.S. Contest clubs. If you
are no longer the right person to receive this, please forward as
appropriate.
As you know, WRTC2014 will be held next July in the Boston area. This
is the first WRTC in the U.S. since 1996, and we want to make the
event as successful as possible in every way. You have probably been
following our efforts to make the competition as even as possible,
through site tests conducted during the IARU contests in 2012 and
2013. We believe that all teams will have an equal chance to win?no
team will have a disadvantaged (or advantaged) site.
In October we announced the Teams. Unlike past WRTC events, every U.S.
call area is represented this time. This week we announced the slate
of on-site referees who will insure that all teams obey the rules and
play fair. Perhaps a member of your club was named as a referee.
The funding for WRTC2014 is coming from a mix of donations and
advertising. Unlike many past WRTC events, we do not have any
government funding or the backing of a large corporation. We have done
well with our fundraising but still have a long way to go.
We first approached the contest clubs of the world to sponsor the
tents from which the teams will operate. We were able to fully
subscribe that program ? all 65 tents (for the 59 teams plus 6 spares)
at $1000 each. Some clubs sponsored more than one tent. The list of
sponsoring U.S. clubs is shown below:
Florida Contest Group ( 5 )
Frankford Radio Club ( 4 )
Potomac Valley Radio Club ( 4 )
Yankee Clipper Contest Club ( 4 )
Northern California Contest Club ( 3 )
Central Texas DX and Contest Club ( 2 )
Mad River Radio Club ( 2 )
North Coast Contesters ( 2 )
Society of Midwest Contesters ( 2 )
Alabama Contest Group ( 1 )
Arizona Outlaws Contest Club ( 1 )
Grand Mesa Contesters of Colorado ( 1 )
Minnesota Wireless Association ( 1 )
Pacific Northwest DX Clubs ( 1 )
South East Contest Club ( 1 )
Twin City DX Association ( 1 )
Tennessee Contest Group ( 1 )
In addition, several clubs and groups of individuals honored these
past contesters whose keys are now silent with Memorial Tents:
I2UIY, K2GL , K5KA, KC1F, KL7FH, KL7Y, N4TO, N6ND, N6ZZ, P43JB, W1BIH,
W1CW, K4OJ, W2AX, W2PV, W3ZZ, W4AI/ZD8J, W4AN, W5ZL and all past
Florida Contest Group Silent Keys (as a group).
The Tent Sponsorship Program helped fund the purchase of equipment for
the teams, including the towers, beams, rotators, dipoles, generators,
tables, chairs, and yes, of course, tents. Overall, our fundraising
is going well, but we still have a long way to go with less than 7
months left until the Opening Ceremony.
A few months ago, WRTC2014 started a new fundraising program for
clubs?the Team Village Sponsorships. This is intended to help us cover
the cost of housing and meals for the 118 competitors, 59 referees,
and judging staff who will attend this event as is customary at WRTC
(a total of 100 or so rooms for a week). As you can imagine, funding
the Team Village is very expensive. Our headquarters hotel is the
Doubletree by Hilton in Westborough, MA, about 30 miles west of
Boston, and centrally-located amid our station sites.
The Team Village, like the usual Olympic Village, is the focal point
for social interactions among the participants, sharing meals, taking
photographs together, and enjoying each other?s company before and
after the contest. This is where friendships among contesters from
around the world will be made and renewed, and memories created. Most
past participants in WRTCs have remembered the week spent socializing
with fellow contesters even more than the actual contest.
The following clubs have already stepped up and contributed $1000 to
sponsor a room at the Team Village:
Yankee Clipper Contest Club ( 3 )
Southern California Contest Club ( 2 )
Bavarian Contest Club ( 1 )
Contest Club Ontario ( 1 )
DFW (Texas) Contest Group ( 1 )
Buzz Reeves K2GL Memorial (1)
I am asking you to ask your club to consider sponsoring a room at the
Team Village. We will try to assign your sponsored room to the team or
referee representing your area on a first-come, first-served basis. If
your club funds multiple rooms, we will try to honor specific
requests.
Some clubs funded their Tent Sponsorships by encouraging donations
from individual members and then matching them with club funds. That
allowed members to get the benefit of the tax deduction available and
lowered the impact on the club?s treasury. We are happy to track Team
Village Sponsorship donations by a club?s members and inform the club
of the total to be matched. If your club can get 20 members to donate
$25 each, and match it from the club?s treasury, that would do the
job. We can accept checks (payable to WRTC2014, Inc., and mailed to PO
Box 444, Hanover NH 03755) or PayPal contributions (
donations at wrtc2014.org or use the button on our Web site). Individual
donors will receive a receipt letter for tax purposes. WRTC2014, Inc.
is an IRS-recognized 501(c) (3) organization and donations are
tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers. We can also accept large donations
in the form of stock, bonds, or mutual funds (there are tax advantages
to the donor).
Please pass this note along to your club?s membership and encourage
them to help us make the WRTC2014 event memorable for everyone. This
will be the first WRTC in the U.S. since 1996, and we want to make it
the best. With your club?s help, we can make it happen.
73,
Doug K1DG
Chairman, WRTC2014, Inc.
www.wrtc2014.org
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