Greetings. We’re excited to announce that registration is open for The Gales 2021! But as with everything else this year, it’s complicated, and we want to share with you some of the changes we’ve had to make and may still need to make because of the pandemic.
First, the costs have gone up for nearly everything, but especially food and housing. As you may know, The Gales is unusual in that we actually pay our coaches and provide them with housing during the event. That’s how we get high-level, professional coaches. And the cost of your meals is built into the event and part of what makes The Gales, The Gales. Because we run this event during a cold and blustery season, gathering together indoors for meals and meetings is essential.
Second, we can’t predict what will happen between now and October. As we write this, Covid rates are low in the Upper Peninsula and breakthrough cases among vaccinated people are rare. But either could change, and the pandemic could cause us to postpone The Gales until 2022.
Finally, we have some fixed costs that we will sacrifice if we cancel The Gales, so we’re asking you to take a risk along with us. If we have to cancel the event, our intention is to refund as much to participants as possible, but we have to put money down for housing, insurance and a few other essentials now. That could mean refunds of up to 80% instead of 100% if everything goes wrong, and we want you to know that up front.
With that, we’re opening registration! The cost is $675 (with meals) for The Gales Classic, which is Friday, Oct. 1 through Sunday, Oct. 3, and includes three meals on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday. For $775 (with meals), you can get The Gales Deluxe, which includes all of the above plus a currents day on the St. Mary’s River on Thursday, Sept. 30.
The Gales’ Covid Precautions
With the Delta variant causing a resurgence in Covid cases nationwide, the Gales is requiring all coaches and participants to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. This will allow us to feel comfortable in close proximity outdoors and eating indoors together, and protect the Marquette community.
We will ask you to attest to your vaccination status prior to The Gales along with signing the usual ACA liability waiver.
It’s still possible that the pandemic will cause us to reschedule this year’s Gales to 2022, but we are hopeful that, with your cooperation, we will be able to hold the symposium this year.
We are limiting registration to 25 participants for reasons of safety and quality, so sign up soon. We can’t wait to see you in Marquette!