Friday, March 23, 2018

Join the Team Today and Pay Less to Run the Relay!

Last year we did not have a team and I had to deal with tongue cancer. This year the goal is to switch that around! Help me reach my goal by signing up for the team. As an incentive to do so I am starting a new cost allocation system. Before you procrastinate read on!

In year's past many people put off joining. They figured that they would wait until the team was nearly full or just hoped that somebody would get hurt and they could sign up at the last minute. No doubt, there was something to be said for this strategy. But it left me scrambling to get 12 runners. Plus it left me on the hook for the whole team's registration and hotel costs, both of which I need to pay up front. All in all, my life is a whole lot less happy than it need be. This year if you help me fill the team early I am going to help you. 

Here is this year's cost allocation structure. When it comes time to split the team's costs for the registration fee, van and hotel how much you owe will depend on when you sign up. The earlier you sign up the less you pay. As a bonus, if others procrastinate and you do not you pay even less! 

Cost Allocation: Depending on when you sign up you will have a certain number of points. The fraction of the bill for the registration fee, hotel and van that you owe will equal your points divided by the sum of the points of everyone on the team. So fewer points on your part mean you pay less. Also, the more points others have the less you pay. As an example if you have 300 points and everyone else has 400 the fraction of the bill you would be responsible for is 300/(300+11*400). In this example that would be 6.4% of the bill. Everyone else on the team would owe 400/(300+11*400) which comes to 8.5% of the bill.

Point Accumulation: If you sign up between now and April 1 you will be allocated 300 points. If you or anyone else signs up after April 1 they will be allocated 300 points plus 2 points for each day after April 1. For example, you would get 304 points if you sign up on April 3. 

Once we have 9 team members I will put down the money for the registration fee and hotel under the assumption we can fill out the remaining 3 slots. Help us cross the finish line with 12 team mates! Sign up today!!!

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