FIRST announces Championship location...or does it?
 

see the updated page for the details http://www.usfirst.org/robotics/chevents.htm

I don't know what to think...

Well it could be that it is 1:30AM ET!!!! Breathe check maybe like around noonish or if you have to 8AM

The page seems to be working for some people that I have tried to show it too and not for others. they must be currently updating the site.

Here is what it says:if you can't get it the first time, try another browser.

:eek: No Nationals? What?! :eek:

I suppose we should wait for tomorrow for the "official" announcement - I hope this isn't a test for tomorrow or something :(

- Katie

Hmm ... so who wins the pool ...?

For those of you who can't see the page, I attached a screen shot of the page that's supposed to display. Take a look.

I think that this could be very bad news for us. In the past couple years, a lot of credibility has been lost because of various decisions that FIRST has made. I don't really see how this is going to help us conclude our goals. If we continue to see dissappointments like this, there's no telling what may happen. Not to mention that I was hoping to go some place warm.

Matt

Personally, I like that there won't be any nationals. I think that it distracts from the overall role of FIRST. While, nationals at disney does help attract some students, in my experience, these students rarely get inspired by FIRST. perhaps the teams that I have been on haven't been great at the inspiration part, but I don't think not having Nats er the Championship will hurt.

I think it's cool that there will be an 80 team regional. Think they will have two fields?

Its not on the FIRST site yet, so we shall see if it's true by tomorrow.

Chances are, it is, because it looks real enough.


I am disappointed that I won't be seeing everyone else at the Championship event... But at the same time, I can't help but consider visiting other events. Like, a Michigan regional, or the Florida regional, maybe even Texas.

I wouldn't mind saving all the money that I wont be using in Disney World, and it would be cool to know teams better in a regional. Seriously, not having to spend money at Disney hotel and meals are going to save so much money ^^.

Someone asked, where's the Pontiac Silverdome, and here's the website I found: http://www.silverdome.com/

It looks big enough all right.

Well, considering all these possibility, maybe the big regionals can become "regional championship events". Texas regional looks like they are big enough, same with southern california at LA, and maybe the regional near DC.

Again, we shall see tomorrow

people, people, people......
 

# 1 - it's called a "rumor mill" for a reason
# 2 - Every year people jump to conclusions about decisions "FIRST" has made before FIRST makes any such announcement
# 3 - Just like the creative people who fool people into what the "game" or "scoring objects" are before the kickoff every year, I think someone has just started the hoax a little early this year (and they did it fairly well I might add).
# 4 - it's called a "rumor mill" for a reason
# 5 - if it's not a well done prank - I wonder how fast I can delete this post in the morning.

HOAX-Tastic
 

I'm no Web expert, but scroll your mouse over the hyperlink Mr. Ross included in his initial post. The visible text of the link indicates the correct address for the FIRST Championship Event website. Take a look down at the status bar at the bottom of Internet Explorer (if that's what you use). You'll find that it reads http://www.usfirst.org@1070434604/chevents.htm. Perhaps some Web-saavy individuals can explain this discrepancy for all of us.

I am 99.999314159% positive that is that this is a big fat Hoax-o-rama. I don't think FIRST is in the business of committing PR suicide....

"Due to events beyond the control of FIRST, the 2003 Championship will not be held. This is due mostly to the severe lack of sponsorship."

You gotta love that total lack of specifics. This mess of words is what FIRST would post if it wanted to stir up a hornet's nest among the community (it's also EXACTLY what a hoaxer would post in a Rumor Mill Forum if he/she wanted to see how many people would be duped by his/her ruse...hmm....). I know those folks aren't stupid. Unless FIRST has totally gone off the deep end, any official announcement as important as the cancellation of the Championship Event would include a full explanation of the details surrounding the decision.

"These regionals will be held on 3/13 at Cornell University and will be sponsored by BorgWarner Automotive. It will have a capacity of 40."

M. Krass must be cringing at the sight of such high quality writing. Unless FIRST suddenly hired the Anaheim Angels Rally Monkey to type up its web communiques, I doubt something this lame-sounding could ever come from them, even if it was a first draft that was accidentally published.

"As always, FIRST regrets the decision to have to cancel the Championship."

What does this mean, "As always"? When have they ever cancelled the championship before? Or does this mean that FIRST always regrets its decisions? I'm so confused....

"Registration for these regionals is now open."

LOL. Cancel the Championship, announce two new regionals, and then give teams zero time to let everything sink in and discuss among themselves whether or not they want to go? I don't think so.

Everyone try to sit back and relax until the *official* announcement stating the location and date of the Championship Event comes out later today, as FIRST promised it would. Please don't turn this thread into a monstrous display of hand-wringing, gnashing of teeth, and lamentations. I don't think any are necessary!

Besides, everyone knows Nats are going to be held in beautiful Cleveland, OH.... :-P

funny joe...funny

Re: FIRST announces Championship location...or does it?
 

AHHHH!!! This is not the type of stuff I like to wake up to. That is the beachbot's website, so its a hoax.. whew! That was good joe.. but not.

Hey I gotta go to school, can somone e-mail my cell phone today with details?!


mobile@htownradio.cjb.net


It cant be any bigger than 180 characters

sick sick people.......

/me cries

Debunked
 

As others have mentioned, the link posted by Joe is NOT the correct link to the championship announcement page. First, the @ symbol in the URL is actually a way to pass a username and password to a web site. So, everything BEFORE the @ is ignored when attempting to access a site. Also, if you look closer at the link, you will see that it links to http://www.usfirst.org@1070434604/chevents.htm, which, even if that did link to FIRST's web site, is not keeping with their directory structure. For the link to be accurate, it would have to be http://www.usfirst.org@1070434604/robotics/chevents.htm. Finally, I don't think anyone at FIRST is so anxious to get the location out to us that they would be up at 1:30 in the mornnig doing so. After all, all they said is that it would be announced today.