Money Question

NASGA Rules 19. Prize money will only be given to professional competitors. Prize money will be determined by awarding money according to placing. Amateur competitors shall not receive prize money for the events listed above. They may receive compensation for travel expenses and any other events competed in such as a Challenge Caber or Farmer's Walk.

I do not run a pro games and do not desire to run a pro games.  Thus, I have never worried about the monetary rules or gave them much thought until I was asked the following question:  

Someone wanted to know if it was appropriate and/or acceptable to give a $20 gas card to the winner of a throwing challenge event (two handed superweight from seven foot circle). 

How about keg toss for distance? for height?

Since the challenge event is a throwing event, I think the NCAA will frown on this compared to a challenge caber or farmers walk.  I advised against doing this.

Was I correct? Does anybody else have any thoughts.

Missed it completely; the posted started as my wife started a two week stay in the hospital.  I was much more concerned about my wife's health, life, and death and keeping my kids on a somewhat normal schedule.

Thank you for bumping it up, some very interesting posts on the first two pages.  I have not finished digesting all four pages.

I sort of agree with Jason Pauli on his first post's second point:

#2. Those of us in organizational roles realize we can get nearly identical performances out of the amateurs that we get out of the pros and therefore decide to go amateur only.

The paying audience does not know and cannot tell the difference between a pro and a top amateur unless they throw side by side.

So why would any games that is struggles each year to make ends meet (is this not the majority of the games?) want to go through the headache of raising money and finding sponsors to run a pro games when the amateur athletes do a great job entertaining the crowd?

I know the pro's will bring in amateur throwers who want to throw in a pro/am setting but will the pro's bring in a bigger gate? (Same discussion as world championship bringing in bigger gate)

The argument for not running a pro games is financial -- The sponsorship and fund raising efforts used to find funds for a pro game could be better used to generate sponsorship money that could improve:

1. the overall family package (better musical entertainment, & kids area) 

and

2. help fund areas that do not generally have a gate draw but are essential to a Scottish/Celtic festival - clans, workshops, history, animals exhibits, traditional musical instruments, ... things that are universal through out the Celtic people.

This is why I am not anamoured with running a pro games.  Besides, it is hard enough to stay a float with an amateurs format without increasing the fixed overhead costs of a pro games. 

Any additional cost of running a pro game not covered by sponsorship must be covered by the gate.  This increases financial risk in that the a larger number of people through the gate is needed to cover the overhead, which in turn increases the chances that a rain out will bankrupt the games.

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I do believe I found the answer to my question in several other posts.