Well no because the "chess get togeather" was scheduled even before last years nationals was over.

Imagine trying to explain First to someone who has no idea what it is (which we have all had to do many times), that is what this is like explaining how big Chess Nationals is to you all. This chess nationals is even bigger than our robotics nationals (try to just think about that) and it has been around far longer. All i'm trying to say is that there are other "battle of the minds" on the scale of First and maybe they should take a look at what else is going on before they schedule the nationals.

Yep. So since there are far fewer FIRST teams, that makes FIRST itself more unique, right? Based on that alone, if I had to choose one event over the other, my decision would not be a hard one to make. But then again, I don't play chess.

As previously stated, there are a million things going on during Nationals. The Georgia Engineering Fair, for example. That's a big thing. But can FIRST schedule around that? Probably not. I know, I know - you're probably thinking, "but chess is so much bigger and better than all of these other events," but keep in mind, that other people think the same about their commitments.

I do hope you're giving your chess pals the same grief over scheduling as you're giving FIRST. :rolleyes:

- Katie

No it's not. Or at least it wasn't in 2000. There were no where near the 16000 people that attend FIRST nationals at the chess high school championship. If I remember correctly there were approximately 200 teams at the chess nationals but each one has substantially fewer people than an average FIRST team (think about five).

Matt

pah.. think about how hard it is to book anything like the georgia dome, get everything together, arrange for a very large group of teams to come. the issue of finding time to make concessions for one group or another dissolves. chess nationals.. if you are good enough to be a national player, then by all means go to their nationals. but you shouldnt fault first for not looking into dates. its hard enough to organise a regional with arena dates and such, imagine the complexity of a national championship. Just cause its a thinking sport doesnt mean it should rank any higher than any other activity.. FIRST cuts into my rugby practices, games, and other things as well. maybe not on the magnitude of a championship, but the majority of teams stand to be unaffected, just like they are with my rugby stuff. there has to be concessions somewhere.

Close events
 

Well I know the feeling, having conflicting events and having to choose between them. I play field hockey (outdoor and indoor) and outdoor interferes with team meetings and the like in the fall and then indoor tournaments and practices interfere with robotics from December until April. The first weekend of April is the national indoor tournament, so I miss a lot of school in April between field hockey and robotics...but it's all worth it.


~BlueOrion