BIG!!! Championship Location in Question
 

Look at FIRST's event listing page...
http://www.usfirst.org/frc/public/FM...s.htm&-findany

Enough said...

holy cow, i did hear last night from a very reliable source that Disney was raising the prices of the already rediculious packages that they try to make every team purchase. maybe FIRST has finally decided to dump disney and go with a more financially suitable venue. i think this is could be a positive. we'll just have to wait and see.

Okay, okay, I'll spill the beans.

The championshps are being held in my barn as soon as certain Members of teams 151 and 237 get up here and take out all of the old tools and metal junk they want.

Accomodation will be B.Y.O.T. (Bring your own tent). Teams will be assigned camping areas devided evenly over the ten acre wooded area.

Please! no defecating in the stream!


Oh yeah, bring lots of bug repellant.

<===============================>
This message brought to you by the coalition to make the Mosquito the New Hampshire state bird. (Dang, they're big out here!)

I would but I have no idea how to get to your barn. PM your Address to me and then I'll be there with a huge trailer and take it all away.

Eeep! Could it really be the end of the FIRST/Epcot love affair? Dare we hope...? Not like it matters to me. Only way i'll end up at nats this year is if they decide to have them at Disneyland instead.

Nate,

Thanks for that update..... to bad it's not good news. As a team that has to travel across the nation to get to Florida we were hoping for a date today, not a possible relocation, so we could make travel arrangements.

With offical sign ups for your 1st regional and the championship event starting Tuesday (thats four days from now)hopefully it will be resolved soon.

Its hard to get the school district to approve taking students to an undisclosed location, at a undecided date.

Will be watching all weekend for updates.....

....they put the nyc regional back same weekend as the long island....why, why...

at least FIRST still has the championship listed as being in the USA.....thats a good sign :p :D

Well, that eliminates Dean's island, then.

Ewwwwwww.


Maybe they're moving us to the Magic Kingdom? ;)

I'd be really surprised if things with Disney went south (rimshot?), but it's not outside the realm of possibility. Is Greg Hale working between Disney and FIRST still, or was he 'promoted' out of that position?

In the end, though, I think losing Disney wouldn't be a very good thing for FIRST, at all, ever. Yes, I'm biased, but that's not why I'm saying that.

I hope things get worked out. If they want to raise the prices of the package, that's okay, I guess, but maybe they can make other provisions that'll allow for flexibility in team travel arrangements.

Holy cow, thats crazy. I hope they find some other place to do it which is just as entertaining though. Although it being held in some isolated place would eliminate the motivation for students to work just for the trip, it just wouldn't be fun. Aside from that, where could it possibly be held? I'm at a loss for ideas besides Disney Land. I mean, theres really no place else in the us that could be equivalent to Disney World. It's Disney World!

@!#@!#@!#@!#....If they're going to raise the price of the package that really sucks for us with budget cuts and all....

Mabye in Miami? There is no city...or state for that matter! Mabye it will be in Michigan!! YEA!...

I gotta stop dreaming....:rolleyes:

The Magic Kingdom? They're having it at Dean's house?

maybe they are gonna move it to disney in ca, that would be pretty cool

Ive been told multiple times that Disneyland in California does not have the capacity to hold that many people and they dont have a venue that was as good as epcot...

Time to revive the alternate championship location thread??

In the middle of Arizona desert. With scorpions. Mmmmm, scorpions.

Leave Orlando
 

I for one truly want the championship moved elsewhere. This really had to be a no-brainer for FIRST, since as costs of attending the national increase, the number of teams that can attend decrease. That simple fact stands against FIRST's mission to reach all students. While you could argue that a team can attend just a regional, I think all teams should have the opportunity to participate in the excitement of the national.

That being said, where could this year's championship wind up. The way i see it, there's two requirements, a giant empty parking lot and a lot of hotels nearby. The latter of the two requirements lead me to believe it would have to be in a major city. While I'd love to have a hometown national in NYC, having an outdoor field here would be tough, since April can still be a little chilly here. But I have this strange feeling we might end up in Washington DC. Theres a lot more media centered in DC, then in the swampland of FL, so I think media coverage would be greater, which seems to be a big concern to FIRST in all their writings as of late.

Now's the time for FIRST to say goodbye
To all our company
M-I-C - See ya never again!
K-E-Y - Why? Because you're so expensive!
M-O-U-S-E!!

-Mike 375

Its funny....
 

Its funny you should mention DC as this was my first thought when seeing the 'Orlando' location removed from the website. I'm ready for a change... Can't wait to see the Smithsonian......:)

Disneyland does not have any room at all. DJ's right.

Disneyland's former parking lot is now Disney's California Adventure, The Grand Californian Hotel, and and Downtown Disney. Parking is handled by several smaller satellite lots and a large "Mickey & Friends" parking structure.

However, the Anaheim Convention Center is across the street.

Again, I'll restate that I strongly believe that moving the Championship Event to any generic city, arena, or site will be severely detrimental to FIRST's 'mission'.

To involve as many students as possible, and especially as FIRST continues to grow, the organization needs as much exposure and support as possible. The scope of this isn't entirely evident to most everyone I've ever spoken to, and I'd anticipate that to be the case throughout the rest of the population. You can throw around numbers all you'd like, but there's very, very little that paints a clear picture of the true scope of the competition.

When you say, however, that FIRST is the largest event housed at Walt Disney World, you send that message loud and clear. Everybody knows where Walt Disney World is, everyone knows what it looks like, and everyone knows of the reputation (albeit faltering) for high quality, family-oriented entertainment and programming.

When you say that 450 teams from high schools across the nation (or world, for that matter), gather at RFK Stadium for a Championship event, it doesn't hold the same impact. Silverdome what? The Phoenix Convention center? Woop-dee-doo. There aren't many names that you can drop that are bigger than Walt Disney World.

Name alone is good. I had a chance to go to DL and let me tell you that 10,000 kids there would mean utter gridlock. All of Disneyland Resort can fit neatly on the MK, Contempoaray, and the Seven Seas Lagoon.

How about holding it in Salt Lake City or Atlanta where the Olympics were held? They have the hotels and the space for ALL the teams without limiting the Championship to 290 teams.

Saying the Championship was held in the Olympic Village would definitely show how big FIRST is!

Just my 2 cents

I think we should have them @ Dean's house.

<space>Hrm.. what if it was just a typo? I don't really care where they decide to hold the Championship Event, as long as its not in May. There you go, Joel being selfish..</space>

2003 Championships in Indianapolis....

enough said........


What other city has held people for the 3 largest and most famous races in the US and the Final 4, on multiple occasions....

o and not to mention the 2002 Host of the World Basketball Championships

...did you want to evict the people that are currently living in the Olympic villages?

Usually, Olympic venues are designed with the future in mind, and housing is demolished or used as, erm, housing. It doesn't sit vacant.

FIRST, as much as we'd like to think so, won't fill a stadium. Even the Championships.

I for one is hoping that it is held in FL but in another way hoping that it isn't. Yes its a rather expensive trip from SI to FL. Then Food and Hotel Accomodations etc... but in a way your getting your monies worth b/c u get to go to all the Disney amusement parks.


But in the long run I agree with Mike375. The championship should be moved from FL to either Salt Lake Utah Home of the 2002 Olympics or the what I call Media District Washington DC.

I to would like to see it held in NYC but... we don't have a huge parking lot anywhere and our hotels are scattered across the city.

Deans got a nice size amount of property. Lets have the Nationals in the home of the Kick-Off Event.

Kick-Off was held in the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manch-vegas, not Dean's home. It used to be in his hangar, which, while impressive, isn't even large enough to house a regional; or a mini-competition, for that matter. His property is on a hillside :/

all dean has to do is pave a a nice size parking lot about half the size of NH put up a stadium for about 6 stages and put up nearly 300 30 story hotels.

Too much money huh. asking for a wee bit too much.

still I say move it some where, where theres alot of media coverage. or move it to a near empty state. North Dakota or something. hehe.


I am the most selfish person when I see change. I like the way things were.

YIPPEE!!! Change the venue! NO more FL! Sorry, I don't like FL, northerners aren't fond of the heat, well at least not me. I could think of many places I would rather go than FL. I wouldn't mind a lot of them that have already been mentioned. I would even go to California if it meant I could see the Pacific and Disneyland!

Everyone is saying that they should move it so it's cheeper. WRONG! It won't be. Everyone flies to FL for vacation, so the fairs are cheep. Nobody flies on vacation to here or there, or if they do, it will still be expensive. DC, although good, is still a huge city that would be jamed if 10,000 kids ran through it.

WDW is cheepest and handles the croweds the best period. No more questions.

Everyone is saying that they should move it so it's cheeper. WRONG! It won't be. Everyone flies to FL for vacation, so the fairs are cheep. Nobody flies on vacation to here or there, or if they do, it will still be expensive. DC, although good, is still a huge city that would be jamed if 10,000 kids ran through it.

Agreed

I think DC would be a awsome choice, transpertation is Dirt Cheap (metro) and there are plenty of places to stay. Although I think 10,000 kids would be a BIT much I dunno.


Anyway, I CALL THE LINCON BEDROOM!

I also think it would be easier for more teams to drive, from Manch-vegas NH its only 6 hours or less. Teams from the north and south would be able to drive

Flying to florida is cheap....

Hotels, food and every other expense isnt...

I heard a rumor that because of the easter holiday, the only two dates that were availible at disney were the week right after the last set of regionals, and may. in either case, people would be mad. If they move nationals people will be be mad too.

I'm just glad I don't have to make that call.

They're really not much more expensive than anything you'd find in a major city, though.

Sure, in Boondocks, Iowa, a team can stay at a Motel 6 for $12 a night or something. If you want Nats to be in New York City, Washington, or likewise, you're going to pay through the nose for it.

I'd rather pay a bit more and have the benefit of being in Walt Disney World than pay a comparable sum and find myself trapped in the swamps of Maryland with nothing to do.

a few thoughts-

MGM Studios (is Battlebots cancelled?)

Six Flags (all over creation!!!!- choices)

Hmmmm.....

Universal Studios. MGM is still affiliated with Disney's park, the Disney-MGM Studios.

While Battlebots may have been cancelled, I'm not certain who that effects Battlebots IQ. Universal doesn't have the facilities to hold an event of our size anyway. Parking there is also in a garage (the largest in the world), and the Battlebots events took place in a soundstage, if I had to take a guess. A soundstage can't house FIRST. 6 of them? Maybe, but that assumes that there's no filming taking place.

In awhile, though, there may never, ever be filming taking place since Vivendi wants to dump the parks onto someone else - effectively severing their ties with Universal Studios.

Quote:

Six Flags (all over creation!!!!- choices)

Edit. Just no. Uh uh. I'd suggest Cedar Fair over Six Flags, but it's not really pertinent. Our big event takes place before a majority of seasonal parks open.

AHAH! MGM DOSE NOT EQUAL UNIVERSAL! AHAhAhAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Must kill.......

sorry- one studio is another. Don't kill me!!!!

Is it deffinate that when registration opens October 1st all dates, venues, locations and events will be confirmed? Can FIRST leave Championship Event, USA, TBA, 2003 up when people are registering or will it be determined? Has this happened before? Just wondering......:confused:

THE CLOCK IS TICKING....

From the 2003 Event Registration Welcome Letter:
FIRST covered their collective posterior with this statement. Basically the way I read it, until they decide where/when the Championship and Pittsburgh Regional will be no one can register for them. I'm highly doubting that when I log on to the event list database on Monday morning these competitions, particularly the championship, will have a location/date. I would assume when they get a site/day they'll tell us what day they plan to open registration for the Championship.

i think it should be held in the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart Super Center here in Appleton, WI

New Orleans would be interesting......

At DISNEYLAND! New Orleans Square? Huh? Huh? What?
Anyway....
New Orleans would kinda be huanting, I wouldn't do that...

This hasnt been confirmed yet that FIRST dropped Disney....

What is everyone getting so excited for already?

Im sure someone at FIRST was editing the site and they forgot to put back EPCOT as the venue....but that isnt confirmed yet either...

so all we can do now is sit back and wait for an announcement

Yeah, I'm just not going to worry about it ... unless of course it is in Appleton's Walmart [cough]Ryan[/cough] ... ;)

It could go either way. In any case, there's not much we can do about it, right?

- Katie

Hey, NH is fairly good sized, although u r right, not enoguh hotels in the area, but plenty of wooded areas, byot (bring your own tent!) hey we could have it in my backyard, o wait, i live in a residential neighborhood, no room, o darn


badjokeguy

I'm not sure when this was updated, but they changed the Championship location from blank to "TBD"

Wierd.... i guess that rules out the removed it and forgot to re-enter it theory.... unless they are playing mind games with us...

Who knows!

Tom

an idea...
 

seems to me that baseball is heading south. Tampa and Montreal might not exist next year. Tampa has a HUGE stadium and if FIRST wants they could have their own official venue there. That way you still get cheap flights into FL, and teams with the funds can still make that special day trip to Orlando to reward their members. Seems to me you can fit 6 fields on a baseball field and the pits could be spread throughout the ground floor of a stadium. Plus the FIRST atmosphere would rule in that setting. Just an idea.



US FIRST STADIUM. YAYAYAYAYYAYA

I think were reading to much into this. Do we think the one guy who wrote this one day before lunch break reall is in the "know"? He probably just didn't fill it out, uploaded it, and then went to Arbys...

*hopes the comp is still in Florida*

If not, I no go...*tear* unless someone wants to either bribe my rents into letting me spend my bank account or pay for me *nudges a random stranger*


how about using ProPlayer Stadium (im used to the old name..forgive me if im wrong) in Miami? heaven knows marlins fans could care less if they couldnt watch spring training....

Two Words, Vegas Baby!!!!

For the Team Social, we can all trudge out into the swamps and look for Jimmy Hoffa!!

FIRST- Building robots and solving mysteries. Next years expedition will be finding Nessie. Followed by a lovely voyage to the Alps to find the Yetti!

AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN. Vegas would be perfect. it's a little west but not too much. lots and lots of hotels. all we need is a venue...thinking thinking thinking...outskirts of LV there has to be something. maybe we can meet the people from CSI...:D the only problem would be the open ness to gambling and drinking etc. hey, wasn't there a thread about jello shots earlier? hmmmmm.........


to resurect an old debate
DOWN WITH DISNEY

Haven't we been over this before? Be a little more gracious, please. Remember, Disney has let us use their space for three straight days. They shut down a quarter of one of their facilities for us. The thing is, we are just getting too big for them. Disney has been great to us - "DOWN WITH DISNEY" is highly inappropriate. Think before you speak. :rolleyes:

- Katie

Yea what she said

What about delaware? We could take over the whole state, and use the hotels and then set up a few fields in the farmlands of Slower Lower Delaware. The only problems I see is that the airports would all be 2-3 hours away, lack of public transportation, horrible roads, and that we would probably double the state population for a few days. What you think? As for entertainment, we can watch grass grow, as there isn't much else to do.

There's a desert! Otherwise, nothing. There is only Las Vegas, and seeing how Dean got his panties in a twist over a rap video, Las Vegas seems out of the question; despite it's late 90's campaign to become a family destination.

Quote:

to resurect an old debate DOWN WITH DISNEY

Umm, okay.

I think it speaks volumes that nobody has been able to suggest a widely known, obviously available, right-sized, family-friendly venue. At all. FIRST is too big for most convention centers and too small for stadiums.

Disney is the perfect size, environment, and image for FIRST's partnership, I think. Amy mentioned something today that, whether you agree with the reasons or not, will be largely true - people will leave teams if Walt Disney World isn't in the picture. It may not be because they're not interested in FIRST, or because they're in it for the free trip, but because Walt Disney World is a visible, tangible, achievable goal. . . because people who haven't otherwise experienced FIRST know that, no matter what, they can have fun at the end.

Can anyone make any other realistic suggestions about venues that match that appeal, recognition, and practicality? I can't think of any.

Amen Michael. Amen.

Everywhere that was mentioned had some flaw in it. Disney provides transportation, loding, entertainment, power (IMPORTANT), and a facilty. BTW, incase you forget, Epcot delets the whole imagine parking lot everytime FIRST comes, so there doing a huge favor here.

A tangable dream is very realistic too. Would you be more excited if you went to Walt Disney World than oh, Kansas City?

I for one don't think Vegas is all that great. Its way too hot even for this California girl! Sure you can admire all the cool buildings but once you've been there once, that's pretty much there is to do since most things are catered to people who can gamble and see shows. Plus, if you want to see the CSI people, go to So Cal, Santa Clarita more specifically. They film that show in my valley all the time.

I agree with Michael that there doesn't really seem to be many good alternatives. As much as I don't like the state of Florida because of the humidity and people who can't vote (no offense you people from Florida) I think that was the best viable option.

And instead of fretting over something we really can't control, go fundraise or build something!

Does anyone else find it amusing that almost everyone is recomending CITIES to replace disney. It just shows the power of first. As for you people who siad miami woudl be good. I dont think so, the areas around anyplace that could house the fields is well...not the in the best part of town. Disney has that school....i forget the name, they were building it a few years back, but i know there are a bunch of stadiums there and alot of land. Or hey how about we take over the back half of Animal kingdom..That place is HUGE, i think its liek 4 miles long (the safari) Ahh i could see it now, for the closing cermonies...Lions, robots and bears, OH MY!!! I think we should all cross our fingers and hope that we get a venue as good as orlanod or disney for that matter.

Man i could tell you weren't from New Jersey from your lack of knowledge.
EVERY Jerseyan knows that Hoffa is buried underneath the endzone.

Oh. Please forgive my grave error.




Heh. I'll be here all week, folks! :)

Then where will you be?

He's taking a trip down to NJ to dig up Jimmy Hoffa since the location was conveniently given away. (traitor!).

Then, I'm going to sell his bones to Michael Jackson.

Sinc ya part of da family now, we must in-iti-ate you now.
Stick you left foot in a bucket, balance a glass of milk on your head, grab the hand of someone who has a buzzer on it, then try to get from the International Gateway to Test Track, in ,oh, 20 mins.

could be possible to centrally(sp?) locate Nationals in the US??? I think that could be it.... I cant think of anywhere at the moment. Any thoughts???

Indianapolis, IN. the CROSSROADS of America. Colts are thinking about leaving soon, so why not use the Hoosier Dome and Convention Center.

WOW i thought i said some stupid things

OK, let's look at Indy
 

While I don't think that the Colts will leave, the idea of having the FIRST Championships in Indy is a good one. I'll explain:

1. Location. Indy is central and many teams could drive here instead of fly. If only 25% of the attending teams would drive instead of fly, then these teams could save as much as $800,000 total.

2. Security. Indianapolis is pretty safe. All of the event locations would be in downtown or at the Speedway (?), and these places are in decent neighborhoods.

3. Event facilities. Downtown Indy has enough facilities to hold the Championships. Adjacent to the RCA Dome is a large convention center. Plenty of hotels are around and there are other things to do downtown (nice mall, good restaurants, etc.).

4. Intangibles. What if (and I'm dreaming here) FIRST could get the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a venue? Now that would be pretty cool... much better than a parking lot outside of Epcot. Also... how about having John Mellencamp as entertainment for the team party. OK, so the students wouldn't like him, but us adults would get into it.

In my opinion, I would be sad if we left Epcot. I still feel that it costs too much money to attend the Championships there, but it is alot of fun, that's for sure. BUT, I think that many people are underestimating many students by saying that they would not be in FIRST if we didn't go to Disney. I think that if they put this in a Kansas cornfield, FIRST will still grow at a 40% rate.

Andy B.

Re: OK, let's look at Indy
 

Bring on Mellencamp... thatd be AWESOME!

Tom

Keep dreaming. Disney and Dean are sungg. Disney would bend over backwards to get more capacity to their hotel rooms. They are far behind, some 5,000 rooms too many right now. Plus, due to dwilinding attendence of all the parks, Disney would love to have 10,000 people for a captive audience.

Of course disney would be willing to hold an event for 10,000+ people...the problem with that is, will those 10,000+ people be able to afford it or want to pay for it....

But, my post was making the point that Disney would go over backwards (read: reduce prices and increase bennifits) to keep FIRST. It looks good for their pocket books and attrats lots of people who woldn't usually go to Disney, but want to.

But they are doing the opposite. they are raising prices due to the declining attendence. Disney is in it for the money. Thats whey they are an Amusement Park.

In my mind, it's a Disneyified supply and demand thing. FIRST and all these other places are using Disney for corporate or other reasons. Disney raises prices becuase people want to do it. FIRST drops out. Disney realizes what it lost (lots of $$$ durring a down time) and then drops prices back.

Remember Early Entry (Suprise Mornings)? Disney droped it last year for money reasons. Since then less people have been staying. So then they broght it back. Disney raised it's prices of All-Star due to demand and the *new* (and still not opened) Pop Centry resort. Demand fell flat. Disney droped prices and then closed Carribean Beach and didn't opening Pop Centry for over, get this, one year. It's still not open.

...and I'm buying a house in Florida so I could commute to National
 

I'm not really buying the place 10 miles from Disney just so I could commute to Nationals.

...but, I still hope that things get worked out for Nationals to remain at Disney in Orlando. The fact remains that there is no other place in the US, or probably in the world where 10,000 kids and a bunch of adults with them can compete in something like FIRST and then stay entertained so well in such a safe environment.

It is not cheap, but unless things have really changed a lot, Disney would be a lot cheaper than NYC or DC. Hotels in those cities are very expensive, and there would be a lot more risk involved with team members using the New York subway or Washington Metro to get around than there is with Disney's busses and monorails. There is certainly a lot to see and do in DC, but the hotels are scattered all around and if National is in early spring as it normally is, indoor venues would be needed. Are there any such venues?

Indianapolis, as mentioned by Andy and others could certainly handle the competition in the dome stadium and convention center downtown, but the "off time" entertainment options would be rather limited compared to Disney. The speedway and its museum are worth seeing, along with some other museums, but it's not like Disney.

I guess we'll be finding out soon what the "verdict" is on when and where.

I too hope that Disney works out for the nationals. Although we have been there for a few years now, I can't think of a better place for keeping the kids occupied safely in the off hours. The self contained nature of the Disney packages over the past few years makes it easy to manage the activities of the team.

The change of scenes by going to Florida is also more appealing than going to some convention center in a northern city. As a teacher I can only imagine trying to keep a bunch of HS kids out of trouble in a place like NYC.

WC

i agree with Wayne C. its hard to keep a bunch of kids under control in NYC. Florida at least u know where everything is, what time everything closes, and its easier to monitor team status in an amusement park then the streets of NYC.

The streets of NYC are not only noisy, they can get you lost and where woyuld u go in the city. don't think the stock exchange / UN want any visitors.

First off, I'm ashamed that even the people who live here aren't even sticking up for nats being held in "the capital of the world."

Anyway, NYC has ample space to hold nats...maybe just not all in the same place. $@#Central park has enough space to hold at least 2 divisions in the same place. Let's not forget the parking lots at Yankee Stadium (12 last I counted). $@#The parking lots at the purple stadium (Shea) can hold the 4 divisions that are needed (but yes you do have to spread them out a little bit more than usual). $@#We also have enough empty space in the minor league parks in Staten Island and Brooklyn that don't really open till June; they can hold a couple thousand people. Finally, there are always the arenas right in New Jersey (15 minutes from midtown, provided you have good traffic). $@#In jersey there exists Giants Stadium, Continental Airlines arena as well as Aqueduct racetrack. $@#With these three arenas being in the same complex (better known as the medowlands) there would be enough space to squeeze a few hundred teams (in the parking lots of course).

Hotels in NYC are like anything else, it depends on where you are. If you choose to stay in the tourist district (the area around times square) you would pay more than in some of the other parts of the city. Jersey is also another option. There are many hotels in NJ that offer cheap rates and they aren't far from the city, you can use public transportation to come into the city.

There is plenty to do. $@#During the day there is sightseeing around the city (e.g. the empire state building, Yankees games, etc.) as well as shopping. $@#At night there are various arcades and clubs that students and mentors can go to. $@#there would really be no need to rent any expensive vehicles to travel with because students can use the public transportation system. next with 20 million people who would notice 10-20,000 extra people. $@#finally with 3 major airports (who just happen to be international too) in the area you can shop around for the cheapest rate.

so vote NYC
[paid for by some sandwich guy that wouldn't mind a few extra customers]

p.s. your students can't get in trouble on the streets of NYC unless they look for it (I HATE THIS STEREOTYPE !!!!!!!!!)

p.p.s. its hard to get lost in Manhattan (other parts of the city I can't speak on since i don't live in them) since the streets and avenues are NUMBERED

Face it, put your bias aside. Lets face it NYC ISN'T safe enough for FIRST. And where can we get the space? Central Park? Good luck. That would PO more people than we can imagine.

Face it Disney haters/lovers/don't care-irs, Disney is the only reasonable place to hold it. Disney and Dean still have a good relationship and it still has the best security and self-containess that we love (like the idea of food vouchers, too bad if you want to go to NYC)

Hmmm..... My experience as a teenager and with the ones I work with on a weekly basis, is that they would be happy to go just about anywhere as long as they can get out of school for a few days.

Also, the kids I knew in High School would have jumped at the chance to go to NYC.

Keep in mind...
 

To all...

Keep in mind that this decision on the location and date of the Championships is not at all up to us (teams).

We should all trust that FIRST is trying their hardest to make the best situation they can for the teams. We may not agree with what they come up with, but we are gonna have to accept what they offer when they get done with their negotiations.

I've been in this long enough to know that FIRST is always trying their hardest to do what is best for the teams. We may have to accept higher prices at Disney, an inconvenient date of the Championships, or a new Championship location... but once they come out with an announcement, we need to accept it and show FIRST the support they deserve.

Everyone should know that planning these Regionals and the Championships are very difficult things to do. It takes years of planning to put in a new Regional, let alone the Championships. Most new Regionals have been in the works for at least 2, maybe 3 years.

I'm looking forward to FIRST telling us when and where the Championships are, but if they need more time to negotiate, that is perfectly fine with me. If it takes a few more days or even weeks to try to make the situation the best it can be for us, then we surely should be graceful and patient.


Andy B.

I'm wondering if maybe since Disney is sponsoring 2 new teams along with pre-existing teams, that maybe they feel they are unable to host it anymore for some reason:confused:

WASHINGTON DC!
What could be better than that, using the mall would be cool. Its safer than NYC has ALOT of culture and everything. Its awsome!

Alot more teams would be able to drive there too, its in the middle of the Eastern Coastline

Re: Keep in mind...
 

Well said, Andy.

- Katie

Washington is not safer than NYC...trust me i know people who live there

Let's just take this back home
 

I think that if the competition is not in Disney that it should return to Manchester for the reason being that it is the birth place of FIRST. Plus it is a half an hour away from UNH so I wouldn't mind going to the Manchester Arena seeing how I'm already going to go to the Regional. Please move Worlds to Manchester Dean. Thanx your buddy Todd

Is this a moral question?? Like asking if Disney would be biased towards teams cause of they sponsor them??
If it is I only have 3 letters for you, that you should know very well.

UTC

Nuff said' And you can take that anyway you want to. Look at the Team List for UTC this year HERE There are 7 out of 25 teams that are sponsored by UTC. I ask you as a UTC sponsored team, do you feel you have an advantage over the other UTC based teams at UTC?? There are a lot of judges at UTC who are employess of UTC.

Disney on the other hand, doesn't have anyone from Disney Inc. on the panel of judges at the Nationals.

So don't take this the wrong way, but what's your point??

Re: Keep in mind...
 

I agree with Andy that FIRST is no doubt trying very hard to come up with the best time/place for the championships. It's always fun to discuss and speculate, though.

We are all anxious to learn what will happen, but from a practical standpoint, if we have to wait a little longer, it shouldn't affect our teams too much. Probably most teams don't make their final travel plans until Jan. or Feb. anyway.

I know what your saying about UTC and I don't take what you said the wrong way. What I was trying to get at was that maybe Disney is sponsoring more teams and not the Nationals because they may no longer have the budget for it.

Based on my experinces on business trips to this /cough/ fine /cough/ potential venue, all the cultural oportunities would be closed before the Pits. Which would really be the pits.

I agree with AndyB, let's wait it out and then live with what we get in a graciously professional manner. Being gracious means putting the best motives on what the other party was trying to do, even when they don't succeed. Which shouldn't be too much of a stretch in this case.

ChrisH

and I work there. Talk with me some time about the bullet holes in my office window (yes, I am serious).

That said, the crime level in NYC is demonstrably higher that in DC (in terms of both index counts and rates per population). There were 266,594 violent crimes in NYC in 2001, and 39,926 in DC. In 2001 there were 3,479 murders in NYC, vs. 231 murders in DC. (ref: U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics 2001 Uniform Crime Report, preliminary version issued June 24, 2002). If safety is the concern, then the Nationals should be moved to Gilbert AZ. Very low overall crime index, with 0 violent deaths in 2000 and 2001.

I'm just gonna stick with Orlando and EPCOT. There, all we have to worry about is the price of the hot dogs and diet Cokes.

-dave

The truth about the matter is no matter where you hold the nationals, if it is in a major US city there will be a crime factor. It all depends on where you are in the city. Take Los Angeles for instance, while there are numerous areas with a major crime problem, there are ample areas with little or no violent crime close to the high crime areas. Often times many of the venues in major cities are in high crime areas.

If you watch out for yourself and stay in hotels in nicer areas, (often only a couple of miles away from the venue) you should be fine. I have lived in Los Angeles all my life and i'm an EMT in the inner city yet have never been victim of a crime. Besides, maybe it would be good to bring FIRST to the inner city and get inner city students interested in science and engineering. Many inner city students have no way to see what science and engineering are all about. After all FIRST is about advancing science and technology no matter what the venue. It's the people that make FIRST what it is, not Disney World!

Manchester NH would be cool, although I have no idea where we would put everyone. Maybe dean's house in bedford. We could use the Verizon Wireless arena and ummmm, maybe ummmm I dunno. Manchester has a very low crime rate (my dad just retired as a cop there after 21 years) and its still a "City". There is kinda alot to do.....

I suppose it would be a nice tribute to have the championships in the birthplace of FIRST. Plus Matt is right. the crime rate is pretty low. Plus NH cops are really good. The best job I ever had was working for the Derry Police Department as a crossing guard for Pinkerton Acadamy (before I moved too far away for an acceptable commute). They are the nicest bunch of people you'll ever meet if you get the chance.

Still, the decision is up to FIRST and I'm pretty sure they will put a lot of thought into it to make it the best event possible with what they have to work with.