Originally Posted by David Brinza

This is a becoming a situation that FIRST must address. A few years ago, some members of Team 980 had a similar conflict with a team in the stands over saved seats. Our team wasn't very large, yet ended up scattered in the stands because we didn't save a block of seats for our members that were in the pits and on the drive team.

I've suggested in earlier posts and threads that FIRST assign block seating to teams prior to the event based on information provided at time of registration (i.e. number of team members and supporters anticipated at the event). The location of the seats for the teams can be done a number of ways, ranging from random draw, to team seniority, to number of regional awards won. This may be difficult to accomplish logistically, but if this sort of behavior continues and escalates, someone is likely to cross the line and real problems will arise.

Rather than bicker, can we try to offer a reasonable solution to FIRST?

Originally Posted by Karthik

If my memory serves me correctly, wasn't this type of pre-assigned seating used at the 2004 BAE regional? I was there with a small group, doing some advanced scouting, perhaps someone who attended with a team could fill us in on the details and let us know how this method faired.

Originally Posted by Tetraman

Our team spirit is all we have. Our robot is awful this year and is usualy isn't that good any other year. We won Buckeye this year all case we were matched with 272 and 494. We went 1-6-0 at Atlanta. What would you do if you were loseing? I'd get myself up, shout as lond as I could and let people know that this is the robot that my team has built and we are proud of it. I wouldn't expect anyone to scout us, we are rarely noticed anyway. All we have been known for is cheering. So thats what me and my team are going to do. We are going to get up for our robot. And if we are in your way, thats great. You can read the back of our shirts and see who we are.

Originally Posted by ScoutingNerd175

When I am trying to scout a team but I can't see them because the people in front of me are standing, I get annoyed. However, when we were able to stand during our matches at Chesapeake, we were a lot more happy and spirited... I understand the desire of any strong scouting program to get data on each match, but I also understand the desire of a spirited team to stand and cheer, even for a losing robot. To say that a team won't get scouted because they have spirit seems sort of like a punishment for a problem they did not create.

As far as awards go; there is no good reason for people to not stand for every award. What is it you are trying to see while people are applauding for the award winner? More importantly, why aren't you standing too? These people have a great accomplishment. They definitely deserve the recognition of the entire FIRST Community for that. A standing ovation is a long excepted tradition for recognition of something great. A woman once asked me to sit down during the curtain call for a truly wonderful show. I asked her to please stand up and give the cast the ovation they deserved. There is no reason not to stand during applause, there isn't anything else to see until after the applause dies down.

Originally Posted by 11Ed71

For starters, we don't just stand for an award. We don't win team spirit awards. We stand to support our drivers and our robot. I can say from personal experience that the greater the enthusiasm in the stands, the better the drivers feel and perform.

Originally Posted by DeepWater

On this note I would like to draw attention to the utter ciaos that FIRST caused while, in my opinion, being very un-GP themselves by attempting to "save seats" before the finals and award ceremony in the section directly in front of the awards platform. Our team did not go to the Championship but myself and 2 other mentors traveled to Atlanta just to watch and checkout what was going on in the pits. Just before lunch on Saturday we grabbed 3 seats on the very top row of the lower section just in front of the awards platform halfway between the Galileo and Einstein fields. After lunch "officials" (some looked like FIRST and/or arena people and later some were even GA State Police) cleared the stands in that section 3 SEPARATE TIMES of all teams in front of us. They were (I think) trying to save seats for the teams that were going to make it into the finals on Einstein or something but they just had absolutely no control of the situation. They never "roped off" the area with yellow tape to let people know not to sit there so people would come and sit and fill-up the section and then the "officials" would go through row by row telling everyone to get up and sit somewhere else. They did this 3 separate times! Teams would have been sitting there for quite a while and then have to move. I can specifically remember all of 340 and 1880 among the dozens of teams sitting in front of us that were forced to loose their seats. When the awards ceremony started the whole section was empty and then it was basically just a free for all again. It looked kind of stupid when Woodie started the ceremony and the whole section in front of him was empty. The whole section of the "good seats" then only partially filled throughout the ceremony and final rounds. I thought this was totally unfair to the teams that were in the seats who were told they had to leave for no real reason just so that other teams (who wound up being just anyone not just the Einstein teams) only partially filled the section. If FIRST would practice what they preach then this kind of ciaos wouldn't have happened. The seats should have been first come first served rather than first come first removed, second come second removed, third come third removed, fourth come oh well go ahead and sit because everything has started and we have this big hole we need to fill because it looks bad in the photos and cameras to have a bunch of empty seats in front of the awards platform. It sort of ruined the whole photo op for endless sea for multicolored team uniforms. Since the 3 of us were sitting on the very top row on the walking level we watched this whole debacle unfold over and over in front of us. I don't know who's idea it was to "try" to save that whole section but it didn't work out so well.

Originally Posted by EricH

We at least have a policy of scouting every single team, every single match. I'm pretty sure other teams have a similar policy. By not sitting DURING the match, you could have shot yourselves in both feet. Take an example from 1108 and 75. They stood during the team announcements, and sat as soon as the countdown started. And do you really want people knowing who you are by having you stand up the whole match and block their view of the field? You can ruin things for everybody behind you by standing (you weren't even cheering while standing, which I find almost completely inexplicable, if you want a Team Spirit award, and which could excuse your standing ALL MATCH).
There is a thread (I believe it is called "Standing, cheering, and required team actions") on this subject, started last year. Read it. Most people on CD seem to agree with me: sit down during the matches, stand any other time you please, make as much noise as you want any time.

Originally Posted by ICE MAN

I hate to interject here, but the seats that you refer to in front of the Einstein Field and the award ceremony were reserved for all of the judges, officials, and volunteers who made Nationals run. So I think it is fair for FIRST to section off some of the best seats in the house for those who help the event run. This in my opinion is a very GP move by FIRST.
-Cory

Originally Posted by iCurtis

We were there, and seating was definitely not assigned to the team as a whole in 2004, 2005 or 2006. Always at BAE however, the best seats (the ones looking across the field), are reserved for teams whose robot is on the playing field (never been to another event, so I don't know if that's normal or not).

Originally Posted by Bill Moore

There is no reason for teams to turn others away from seats that are not actively being used. It is also a sign of mutual respect from the other teams to open up those seats again when the pit crew returns to watch a match. This isn't something that FIRST can legislate, it's something we need to learn within our teams.

Originally Posted by Ken Loyd

I am not sure if this idea has been tried before....well here goes.

What if FIRST were to put into the manual a statement about being graciously professional and not saving seats. Something along the line, "Thank you for being graciously professional and not saving seats. Please let everyone enjoy the event."

Teams could then copy the statement onto index cards/business cards which they could use to avoid confrontations at competitions. If a problem arises, show the card rather than anger.

Ken