Two years ago I spoke with the same two gentlemen as well as Mr. Brewster from the Goddard Club. They were not interested in boosting attendance, making it easier to enter, going online with more information, improving safety, or any ideas from the outside. I told them that it appeared they were clearly not in it for the kids. I was verbally beat up and having already lost $5,000 out of pocket for elbow surgery, I decided it was time to permanently part ways and find a better big time tournament for Kansas. Hays was on the cusp last year as their attendance exceeded that of the Classic but a date snafue derailed their momentum this year. Next year I will work long and hard with Bryan Schumacher to try to get Hays up to a status where it might be known as the Prairie Nationals! It is close to Colorado and Nebraska and there is commercial air service available. I would hope we could pull in some more entrants from out west and get the Okies to drive a little extra. The fact that doesn't lie is that the numbers have been declining at the classic. They didn't even have 1,000 entrants the past two years. Pompousness and arrogance will get you no where in a world where the customer is always right. Wichita Classic may very well rest in peace in the very near future.
