Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

It's not like you're going to get a full arena for some-amount of 8 teams and whoever from the local area decides to come spectate.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

Hey man, you need salt to prepare for the snow this weekend.

Actually, I think that there have been some good points in this thread and it seems like most people are ok with it but it's not a great solution.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

Yeah, that's true, but again after beating out 396 other teams plus the 3000+ in the competition, you'd want a step UP in production and venue value, not down.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

Same. I can't imagine an event like this at memorial or the fieldhouse. It would feel like an offseason. SNHU arena is perfect and has great seating (and we all miss playing there).

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

Say some more please.

I look at it from the standpoint that my team built one of the best robots in the world. I learned lots about engineering, teamwork, doing things in my community. I'm entering my university with a renewed understanding that hard work alone isn't enough, but it's collaboration with a working team is what I strive for. I didn't earn champs, my team through our collective efforts earned Champs. And it's the work with other great people that will lead me to success in life.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

WHAT WE KNOW
* Something called the FIRST Festival of Champions is scheduled to occur July 28-29 in New Hampshire.
* The Chairman's and Inspire Award winning teams from both Championship events will have "important roles and places of honor."
* It will include the winning FTC and FRC alliances from both Championship events. And that they will meet "in competition" on July 29th.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
* What role the Chairman's and Inspire Award winners will play
* What "competition" the FTC and FRC alliances will compete it. One can assume it will be the same STEAMworks game we will first see on Saturday, but the truth is we don't know...

What I know from many years in FIRST is to never assume, and always watch for curveballs.
WHAT IF... the "competition" included a brand new game, in which the alliances have to build a brand new robot in the hours leading up to the competition, and it was all live-streamed. We just don't know (yet).

Let's collectively step back. Take a deep breath. Focus on what is immediately in front of us (remember what happens this Saturday?). And patiently wait for more information from FIRST.

Oh... and congratulations FIRST, for launching the biggest shinny object of distraction just days before FRC kick-off. ;)

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

Seriously. This thread isn't event that bad. There are a few with over the top complaints as usual but most people have brought up pretty decent points and questions.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

If it were any different, it would be a better ChiefDelphi.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

I did notice that "Steamworks" or any implication that the competition would be a championship for that year's game was conspicuous by its absence.


There are all sorts of tradeoffs about how to take 3000+ teams and whittle them down to "a championship". What I like about the announcement is that it creates some sort of defining moment, when the winners get together to be crowned champion. There shouldn't be any pretense that our current system somehow determines the "best robot" or "best team". There's just too much chance in the system, and that is by design. If the final competition required teams to build or modify robots on the spot, wouldn't that be cool? Oh, and no mentors allowed...

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

Why would you ban mentors from the culmination of a program which is explicitly based on mentoring, per the FIRST mission statement?

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

Wait for it.....

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

I believe Wil.am.Payne said something about edgy posts earlier. They sound good but they don't contribute to the discussion.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

I am all for this. Few industries and organizations take the bold risks that FIRST does, and as a result few show the growth and excitement FIRST does, and even fewer are making the impact on young technical folks that FIRST does. The response within my team is genuine excitement and an even higher target to shoot for. I respect that others are looking at this from a different level and perhaps their long-term plans or legacy has been compromised. At the same time, using how other teams might respond to this to make a point is a bit silly, let us all figure out individually what it means to us....I've always admired the "problem solving" aspect of FIRST.

As one of my professional mentors once told me in the midst of profound change..." let's stop debating whether or not the mule will go blind and just start loading the cart".

Good luck and success to all on your journey!

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

I looked at it differently.

As soon as the 1/2 champs were announced, it was clear that it was already too late to prevent it. Commitments had been made. For at least a few years, that was the way it was going to be.

I look at this announcement as a recognition that people want some sort of season ending event that was a big deal, and that the idea that there could be two world champions wouldn't fly. So, we know it's on the leaders' radar to have some sort of big deal event. If they manage to come up with something that works to fill that role, then it's awesome. If the event comes up lame, then we know they are looking for a solution.

So, I try to be a glass half full. It not only is better than nothing, but shows an appreciation for the thing that so many people want. Will it work? If not, then it will be modified as soon as financial commitments and stadium reservations can be dealt with.

For now, though, what it means is that every team that takes to the field at their district events in 8 weeks (!) will know that they are stepping on the path that ends at a world championship. We don't know what that will look like, but it's still kind of cool.

Re: FIRST Festival of Champions
 

This what-if immediately placated many of my doubts. For every game that FIRST has made, they undoubtedly have shelved games that never were done for any number of reasons, esp. being "too difficult." What if they were to take their shelved, difficult games, carry them to production fruition, and have top teams of championships compete in them? Thanks for pointing that out!

(Still hopeful, planning for the worst.)