Re: [Philmont]: 2006 Waiting List Status

An excellent insight. I think we forgot that the online lottery changed
the paradigm, and the standing wisdom that the waiting list won't get
past about 125 Crews on non-Jambo years no longer applies.

Another factor is the slowly but surely creeping total cost. Based on
my Advisor tenure (9 treks starting 1989), the expense goes up about 50
bucks per attendee per year. In my case, that includes the inflation
for all our Colorado pre-activities as well, but the Ranch fee has been
creeping right along too. I told my parents that the estimate for our
2007 trip, if we make it (WL#147), will be around $1600. If I cut it to
the bone, I could maybe get down to $1100 - $1200 (varying on airfares),
but the fact remains that it's getting to be a pretty significant
expense. I suspect a fair number of folks are getting priced out (but
won't accept available camperships for whatever reason).

Yet another factor may be the various standards of learning being
implemented across the country. I have no hard data to back this up,
but (here in Virginia) I seem to have an increasing number of Scouts who
are looking at summer school. We had to cancel one of our Troop High
Adventures (a SCUBA trip) for lack of deposits (32 signed up on the
interest forms; 6 put the money down), and several withdrawals from
usually very committed Scouts came right after the fall semester grades
arrived. I don't believe I have somehow suddenly ended up with a bunch
of dumber kids! - but the bar has been raised, and some haven't adapted
(yet).

So many factors may be at play here. But certainly the ease of the
on-line versus telephone lottery systems looks to be one of the major ones.

- Dr. Bob

Jeffrey W. Knoll wrote:
>
> I'm guessing that the depth into the wait list is an effect of the online
> sign-up. The ease of entering the lottery online is probably encouraging
> units who are not totally committed to sign up, where in the past only the
> very very committed would endure the phone-in process.
>
> -- Jeff
>

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Received on Sun Feb 12 02:18:36 2006