Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

I agree that there shouldn't necessarily be as many FLL teams at World Festival as there are at the FRC Championship, but I think the current system under represents FLL.

What's more, the current system makes it impossible for half the FLL teams to qualify for World Festival, and those that do only get to send 1 team out of 100+. All FRC events automatically qualify 6 teams out of as low as 30*.

*Western Canada Regional

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

I've only seen a couple of homeless people in St. Louis and one was being removed by police from the park from across the Dome. I think they are making an effort to keep them away from us.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

Flint looks like the Zombie Apocalypse came and went.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

Yes I get that and understand what you are saying. As I said I grew up in the city and love cities. I might even go back to Atlanta on my own if I had a reason to do so. But I won't ever take someone elses children there again. In my previous post, I failed to mention that someone was shot in Olympic Park the day before the FIRST Finale and I know two different teams that witnessed grab & run bag thefts inside hotels. So I had only mentioned a small portion of the things I witnessed there from 2004 - 2010. That being said this is all anecdotal so make of it what you wish.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

I was thinking COBO center. It's a large building and the area around there is pretty safe.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

Actually I think the shooting occurred a mere couple of hours before the finale.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

It's just plain to small... compare that to the setup in STL. COBO is tiny by comparison. The Joe is only big enough for two fields too. If only there was something closer to ford field, then the D would be a possibility.

As stated before, every city has its bad areas and its good areas. Detroit is actually rather safe... if you know where you're going. It is rather easy to get turned around though and be in a bad spot rather quickly. There is very little of the traditional grid pattern to the city (It's a wheel instead). To those in SE Michigan it's no big deal we just know where to go, but to someone who has never been to the city, it is confusing as all get. Add in the fact that almost every mile rd could be called by a different name than is actually on the street sign and any non-Michigander is lost in a heart beat.:ahh:

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

We don't eat brains that much anymore, only on holidays :)

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

VEX Championships was just announced as April 23-26th...looks like that means next year's FRC Championship will be in May...that just sounds strange...

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

No sir, it's been listed as the same weekend for at least a week here (first time I looked at this page recently)

http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...pionship-event

Interesting.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

FIRST has had their dates and location for the 2014 event since the end of the 2012 Champs, IIRC.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

That makes things even more interesting...also the VEX announcement didn't have a graphic or anything, it was just during president of the REC(robotics education commission? I'm not too familiar with VEX oranizations) giving a speech...

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, they are a non-profit organization that works with VEX.

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

Chicago would be a little bit closer for MN teams...But I do like the idea of East/West Championships, and 400 at each. Where would the dividing line be? I could see it being the "Missisip'" as my Texan relatives call it (:p ) but I would hate the separation from our friends in Wisconsin. Either way the Midwest would probably get cut in half.

In response to the "robots = danger" theory on this thread, MN has one of the highest "robot densities" in the nation (we have 180 FRC teams and not a whole lot of people...probably only second to Michigan) - I didn't realize how dangerous MN was! :)

Re: Championship 2014 Proposal
 

Likely, but there's nothing that says FIRST has to draw the line themselves. They could--if they wanted to--allow a conference system for border teams to opt one way or the other. NEFIRST is/was considering one for their district model, though I don't believe FIRST has ruled on it yet.