Delay SS Seminar?

[HammerTime]

I have signed up for the June 10 seminar. I am a 49 year old male who started a novice LP on Jan 15. On April 1 I hurt my back in the sacrum - L5 area. After resting 3 days I reduced the load 20% but my back twinged on the 5th workout. Rested another 3 days and reduced the load 40% and again twinged on my 3rd workout. Took a week off and on Monday hurt it again at work lifting a 50 lb piece of equipment at work. I am now leery of trying to lift through this inury as each additional time I hurt it the pain level increases. My question is do I take a month off to rest my back and show up to the June seminar or should I delay my seminar date to ensure I can participate?

Sorry for the hand wringing but this injury has me frustrated and June 10 is fast approaching.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I don't know why you're asking this here, and I don't know what's actually wrong with your back. But just so everybody knows, here are the terms and conditions as seen on the payment page:

Event Services Terms and Conditions

Seminar Registration Agreement (Starting Strength Seminars)

----Seminar Registration Agreement 2015-06-14 (Last updated 2015-06-14)---
Payments are processed as they are received. Order confirmations/order numbers serve as tickets to the event.Registrations reserved by partial payment must be paid in full by 4 weeks from the seminar date. If payment of the full fee has not been completed by this date your reservation at that seminar may be cancelled and made available to other parties. If this occurs, your partial payment tickets are eligible for transfer to other seminars with payment of the applicable transfer fee.
If payment is by check or money order, your payment to complete partial reservations must be received by the payment deadline. Once payment is processed, your receipt serves as ticket to the event.
Registrations made within the 4 weeks preceding the event can be made via full payment only.
Payments received are not refundable. They will be applied to the seminar selected, or in the event of your transfer, a subsequent seminar. Transfers from the original seminar to another can be made before the partial payment deadline, 4 weeks before the seminar begins, with the payment of the $100 transfer fee. After that time, the transfer fee increases to $250. No transfers may be made within 48 hrs of the beginning of the seminar event.
Instead of requesting a transfer, the owner of a seminar ticket may choose to sell it to another party. Please notify customerservice@aasgaardco.com of the transferred ownership and provide the name, email and phone contact information of the receiving party.
If you do not transfer and fail to attend the event, your ticket is expired and no refund is due.
To transfer a registration, contact customerservice@aasgaardco.com.
By clicking "I Agree", you acknowledge that:

• You will be charged the cost of the event as you finish the checkout process
• You agree to the Terms and Conditions of the Site
• This event ticket is non-refundable

Please print this agreement and keep for your records.

[MrTambourineMan]

It's worse than Ryanair.

[Mark Rippetoe]

What's worse than Ryanair?

[Brodie Butland]

It's worse than Ryanair.

You should see my waivers for personal trainers and gyms.

[MrTambourineMan]

I suppose there is a very good reason for the way the seminars are charged but I for one would be very hesitant to pay that amount of money (almost as much as I have in the bank right now) and not be able to attend, independently of how much I admire the elegance of the ways things are explained here.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The seminar payment policy has evolved over time, and is based on the fact that if you cancel, we still have to pay the staff we brought to the seminar to teach your absent ass. We'd much rather you were there than to deliver our services to an empty chair. Hammer can always sell his spot.

[CKehoe]

Greedy capitalist!!

[stronger]

Unfortunately I had to sell a spot once, so it can be done.

[HammerTime]

I had already taken the transfer fee into account. My question was do I attend with a compromised back or delay until I healed? Currently my rehab seems to be going well so I figure on attending as planned. I am just excited that these seminars are offered. Quality instruction is such a rarity that when found one doesn't dicker over price.