[CQ-Contest] Why did YOU not sign up for WRTC-Style Team Competition in IARU 2003?

[Ignatenko, Dennis A]

May be I'm simply a LID, but I was really excited to hear the
announcement of the WRTC-style championship this year!  I thought it was
the greatest idea: let's see what everyone is REALLY made of, without
the 200' towers stacked with yagis, KWs, the
infamous-and-so-controversial packet (...but let's not get too carried
away, we'll keep the computers for logging ;-).  And I'll definitely be
willing to trade-off an airplane ticket to Finland for the W5
propagation.

I thought people all over the world would really jump on this idea.  A
month or two later...  There's one team of two people signed up from all
of Texas;  of the 104 competitors in OH from last year, only TWO have
signed up this time; only two of last year's 52 referees, who also went
to the trouble of traveling to Finland, have also signed up...  I'm
perplexed.  In disbelief I hit the refresh button on my browser over and
over, but the number of sign-ups on the announcement web-page is still
the same.

What happened to the other 102 operators who wanted to compete and test
themselves last year?  What about the countless others who WISHED they
could go and play on the same, leveled field with the big dogs?  

Was everyone just watching and waiting (as with all new ideas)?  Seeing
if those big dogs are going to sign up?  Or is this just a lame idea,
attractive only to those little pistols like myself, who have never
built up a super-station?

I'll answer the question in the subject for myself:
I'm not participating in this category this year, simply because of the
110,000 people in our city, there's not another contester (yet.  I'm
working on that one).  I will, however, operate from W5AC (Texas A&M
Radio Club) Low Power, Tribander + G5RV and no packet, just to have fun,
and to see what skills I need to work on before I even start building my
own station.  Right now that's the only improvement I can make...

Bummer, but I still think it's one excellent idea!
73, 
Dennis, NT5TU

PS:  If anyone does want to get on my 'team' for full 24 hours in
Bryan/College Station area, pleeeeeze let me know within next thirteen
hours.