TrashFest '08 - Oct 4th

[PvilleStang]

I'm positive I've made this known... I mentioned it in last years thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/texas-swamp-divers/143538-trashfest-2006-oct-7th.html
But I also sent a more detailed email, which I may or may not have signed with the USC tagline on it since I wasn't necessarily speaking on behalf of the club, but speaking as someone who'd have a team if the time was right...

Pville, I don't know why you have so much animosity but let me clear up some of the blatant false accusations.

- Registration fees have been cut in half for this year. Don't think of it as paying to clean up trash. Think of it as a contribution to your BBQ dinner and FREE BEER. Your entry fee barely covers the banquet costs. Our goal is to transform this into a fully sponsored event with free shirts for everyone. See post #2.

- Entry fees do not go towards door prizes. Every single door prize was a donation from a sponsor.

- Trashfest organizers (I operate the website) are not paid one penny, nor even reimbursed for our motel room or travel expenses. The persons organizing the event change every year or two.

- I recall seeing no emails from you or anyone on the matter of which day to hold the event. Figuring you would include "University SCUBA club" in your signature line, I scanned for the text in every mailbox/folder we have with no results.

- If you consider our emails to be SPAM then PM me your email address and I will ensure it gets removed. Every participant email address we have was obtained voluntarily from the registration forms.

- The event date will not change this year. Too many materials have been sent out. We would be willing to hold the event on a Sunday if it produced better results but I think it is obvious that Saturday is much better. For one thing, over half of our participants come from Houston and holding it on Sunday would mean either skipping the awards banquet, making a 3 hour drive late at night after the awards banquet (and FREE BEER, I don't think so), or staying over Sunday night and needing to miss time from work on Monday.

Personally, I would like to see it be an all weekend event with some type of activity on Sunday.

Todd Hasken
TGCC Vice-President

 

[Mack Diver]

I wonder if UT would consider rescheduling the game????

 

[ReefHound]

OK, Kevin. I did find your email dated 4/23/2008, which was one paragraph and three lines long which simply said for us to host it on Sunday, that your scuba club has a lot of members out of town for the football game. And your post in last year's thread simply said "Why does it have to be the same day as the Red River Shootout?!?".

Hey, we are open to suggestions and ideas but I'm not sure why you even expect us to make dramatic changes simply because you want it on Sunday. Present a rational and logical argument as to why Trashfest would be more successful on Sunday than Saturday. Show us convincing statistical data that attendance would be higher on Sunday. However, don't expect "it conflicts with my favorite football game" to carry much weight. Most of us do not live in a university environment and our lives do not revolve around a college football game. We are not going to change the date because it is inconvenient for one person or even one team.

Trashfest is an event deeply rooted in tradition. It has been held since 1974, the longest running river cleanup in the nation. It has always been held on the first Saturday of October. There is something to be said for consistency. While we should always be open to improvement, you don't mess with tradition lightly. The burden of proof lies with the one wanting change. There has to be clear and convincing evidence that a change is for the better. I'm sure you understand this. It is precisely why Texas and OU hold their game on the same day every year.

-Todd

 

[PvilleStang]

We do have one of the most successful cleanups in the state hosted on a Sunday. I would provide statistical proof, but that would require hosting an identical cleanup on a Sunday, the same weekend, without another option for divers to deviate to (i.e. you would have to host ONLY on Sunday and not on Saturday). This would be clearly the only true way to provide statistical evidence. But then you have to take into account that people change their preferences year to year, divers stop diving, new divers are admitted into the system, etc. So if you were to switch back and forth annually and record specific attendance, those who chose not to come due to conflicts, the habitual tendencies of the conflict, etc., then we could come close to something that would be statistically viable. Until then, well, a poll on the TSD forum could be an option, but even that pool of individuals contains a lot of statistical error (since we tend to be more informed of diving events more than those outside the thread's realm). Other good statistics to have would be: cities from which the divers come from, demographics of the participants, number of years certified, amount of food and alcohol consumed by each, travel methods, reasons for attendance, and I'm sure I'm forgetting many more here.

By no means is Texas v Mobilehoma my favorite game of the year, nor am I asking you to move the event to benefit me solely. I'm suggesting that you consider this because in Texas, football consumes many a Saturday. It is a carnal sin to be married on a Saturday during football season amongst many people. Saturdays are often spent by many fans, young and old alike, tailgating, watching a game or five, and tailgating until you can't drive home, then attempting to anyways. Most teams in the state play that day, and others watch those games, amazingly, too. So if a Sunday was chosen, do you think that these people would show up? Even if it's 10 more people, it's ten more people that are showing up for a charitable cause.

On a side note, Thank you Todd for actually answering. At least I know that I've gotten through to two of you, and I'm not falling victim to the dreaded trash can. But as for your statistics, well, can't help you much there.

 

[ReefHound]

What is this successful cleanup that is hosted on a Sunday? How many participants attend and how much trash is collected?

We have some (not all) of the statistics you mentioned. As I said, over half of our participants come from the Houston area. A significant number come from Dallas and some from other distant places. That is why I raised the issue of if and when to hold an awards banquet if the event were held on a Sunday. You couldn't keep it on Saturday night since it awards winners based on the cleanup performance and is a reward for the efforts of the participants. If you held it Sunday night, people would have a long drive back home after possibly drinking alcohol or staying overnight. I don't have stats but common sense tells me anything that requires missing time from work will seriously affect attendance.

If we held it on Sunday I am sure there are people who would attend that cannot make it on Saturday. And if we held it on Tuesday there are surely people who would attend who have to work on weekends. That doesn't make it a good idea to hold it on Tuesday. If a Sunday date attracts 10 more people but we lose 50 who needed it to be Saturday that's NOT a good thing.

Frankly, I don't foresee us changing dates just as an experiment. There is going to have to be clear and convincing evidence that an alternate date is highly likely to result in greater attendance. And not to be complacent or cocky because we've been really fortunate in many ways, but Trashfest has been successful beyond our expectations the last few years. Anyone who has been at the banquet recently knows the venue was packed to the brim. Most river sections have been assigned 2 teams, some even had 3 teams. Changing the date would be a risky move with little to gain but a lot to lose.

I think it's much more likely that we would add some kind of activities on a smaller scale on Sunday in addition to the main event on Saturday. We almost did two years ago when we were approached days before and asked to remove some large trees that had recently fallen in the river. Not wanting to mix it in with the trash cleanup we considered having a special "heavy debris removal" session on Sunday morning but there just wasn't time to adequately work out the details. Last year there wasn't the need or interest.

 

[Sushi Boy]

Kevin, just to make you feel better, I did receive your email that echoed your displeasure at the date TrashFest is scheduled.

There's never going to be a date that works for everybody. Sure, some people like to watch college ball on Saturdays. Some people like to watch pro ball on Sundays. Not everbody shares the same passions and 300 divers showing up to do something good tells me that it's a date that works for a whole lot of people. I'm sorry you can't make it, but it's really not a reason to get worked up. I promise it's not a conspiracy against the fine folks from Austin. The odds are pretty good that TrashFest will be on the first Saturday in October for a long time to come.

TrashFest appreciates those who can make it and understands that not everyone will be able to.

We do thank all of the volunteers (and it is 100% volunteer driven, with all door prizes being donated) who help make it happen.

As Todd mentioned, we have cut the entry fees in half this year. We hope this encourages a lot of people to come out and help clean up the river.

Thanks,

Roger Veteto
Chairman
TrashFest '08
Texas Gulf Coast Council of Dive Clubs

 

[PvilleStang]

This cleanup I speak of is none other than the Lake Travis Underwater Cleanup...

 

[Foo]

We drive over 7 hrs to this event. If it were on a Sunday in October, this schoolteacher couldn't make it and another truth is that there are still many people who would rather go to worship on Sunday morning than be at a trash pick up. Roger & Reef (sounds like a law firm) make a valid point regarding tradition, also.

We all have choices to make regarding how we spend our time, right? I wish the trashfest were not on an important date for you, Pville. I know how frustrating that is- we choose our annual karate state championships over a festive December family event that we would really love to attend. My husband chooses his grandson's birthday weekend over another karate event every year, etc. We can't have regrets, just use your time wisely as possible.

 

[Mack Diver]

This cleanup I speak of is none other than the Lake Travis Underwater Cleanup...

In all honesty, It would be nice if this event were held on a Saturday. I think it might increase attendance from the out of towners. However, it has been and will continue to be on a Sunday. As far as worship goes, I make a choice to skip church service that week in lieu of serving to clean up some of the mess we humans have made on God's planet. Besides, as a retailer, I can still be open for business on Saturday and perform my public service on Sunday.

 

[ReefHound]

In all honesty, It would be nice if this event were held on a Saturday. I think it might increase attendance from the out of towners.

I think LTUC can get away with having it on Sunday because it is located within a large metro area making it local for hundreds of divers. New Braunfels is a small town that probably couldn't field a complete team, and even though San Antonio is nearby that is not really a diver's town either.