bk393
06-16-2008, 10:55 AM
Dear friends. Unfortunately this year I will be forced to cancel the tournament.
After speaking to many divers citing higher gas/charter/flights/accommodations so on and so forth most of the veterans of the tournament want to wait until next year. We had a very disappointing # of entries as of the beginning of the month, and the projected # of entries would be less than the amount needed to cover half the running costs. I began organizing this tournament not for the money, but to teach and promote the excitement of this sport in a conservation minded way by stressing the importance of being selective, an approach that was emphasized for spearfishing by one of my mentors, Terry Maas.
To run the Omer Hatteras Open costs my company more than $10,000 every year between custom t-shirt printing in low quantities, expensive trophies (we always spend over $1K on those alone), catering, awards banquet dinner for the entrants, marketing, prizes, running expenses that unless we can even cover half of breaking even it really stings a small company like ours. It is better to keep the excitement high and wait a year when the economy improves and people have more discretionary income to do this sort of thing.
I'm pretty sure that a one year break will help bring back those divers who come every year. In anticipation of the tournament next year I look forward to your infectious enthusiasm and renewed excitement that is required to make the tournament the success that it has been over the last six years. Have a great season and dive safe and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Clear waters,
Mark Laboccetta
Technosport Inc. - Omer & C4 USA
1176 Jensen Drive , Virginia Beach , VA 23451
www.omerdiving.com
After speaking to many divers citing higher gas/charter/flights/accommodations so on and so forth most of the veterans of the tournament want to wait until next year. We had a very disappointing # of entries as of the beginning of the month, and the projected # of entries would be less than the amount needed to cover half the running costs. I began organizing this tournament not for the money, but to teach and promote the excitement of this sport in a conservation minded way by stressing the importance of being selective, an approach that was emphasized for spearfishing by one of my mentors, Terry Maas.
To run the Omer Hatteras Open costs my company more than $10,000 every year between custom t-shirt printing in low quantities, expensive trophies (we always spend over $1K on those alone), catering, awards banquet dinner for the entrants, marketing, prizes, running expenses that unless we can even cover half of breaking even it really stings a small company like ours. It is better to keep the excitement high and wait a year when the economy improves and people have more discretionary income to do this sort of thing.
I'm pretty sure that a one year break will help bring back those divers who come every year. In anticipation of the tournament next year I look forward to your infectious enthusiasm and renewed excitement that is required to make the tournament the success that it has been over the last six years. Have a great season and dive safe and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Clear waters,
Mark Laboccetta
Technosport Inc. - Omer & C4 USA
1176 Jensen Drive , Virginia Beach , VA 23451
www.omerdiving.com