Some other chapters have started refreshing their Marshal Teams and we talked to them and they found:

This gives team members a chance to look at the next year of their life and determine if they should continue on as a marshal. If not they can step back without any social pressure simply by not re-applying. This is also applicable to anyone who may be burnt out/close to burning out.
Allows Directors to make sure that all of the social groups of a community are represented by the team members.
Allows non-team members to feel like they have a shot at gaining a spot instead of ‘if there’s a slot available’.
Allows team-members who have cross-trained to select a new primary assignment as a marshal during the new application process.
Allows members of the community to come forward and report if they had an experience with a Marshal if they felt uncomfortable doing it due to the authority that comes with being a team member.

So, we’re going to try it and see how it works for Arkansas. November will be the last game for our current team. (Don’t worry, we talked to them about this before making this announcement! <3)

Want to be a marshal next year? Check out the new handy-dandy form page: Marshal Application

Our goal is to have the new team selected no later than Nov 31.

As we said, we’ve spoken to our team and addressed their concerns, but in case you’re curious - here’s a few of the big ones.

We’re not doing this to get rid of Marshals who aren’t working out without addressing the issue. Dave and I are very direct communicators and we will always address a problem as part of resolving that issue.
What if no trained marshals apply? Training takes time! We aren’t anticipating that being a problem, but if it becomes one we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
What if someone not being rehired causes drama? Again, Dave and I communicate a lot - but we also respect a person’s privacy. So if Bobby Sue didn’t apply because their real life has gotten a little rocky; it’s up to Bobby Sue to tell people that. However, if Bobby Sue tells us it’s because of the rocky road and then tells everyone else it’s because we’re meanie-heads…well we’re likely to talk to them and then say something publicly to resolve the misunderstanding.