Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Just got off the phone with FIRST, and apparently they told me that none of the teams on the waiting list will be able to attend the Championship event

can anybody conform me on that. thanks.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Wouldn't talking with FIRST on the phone confirm it?

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

you never know, what one person might tell you might be totally oppisite of what anouther person has proof for.

for example, i have a phone problem, i call cingular, they tell me to call motorola, and then motorola turns back around and figures out it's a problem with cingular's software

u get what i mean,

this will help me plan if i need to arrange a ride or try and pull off some stunt, idk, but yeah, if it is true, then it sucks for a lot of teams

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Your talking about two different company's, If its coming from FIRST then i would prob lean towards believing it

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I'm unfamiliar with this whole "waiting list" situation... It would be amazing if someone could clarify... How is it that teams get on? What are the details?

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

There are a number of ways that FIRST teams can attend the championships in Atlanta next month. The criteria for eligibility to attend the FRC Championship Event is outlined here. The FVC World Championship eligibility criteria is outlined here. The FLL World Festival eligibility criteria is outlined here.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

When the different windows open up for tiered teams to register, your are added to the list based on when you sign up and when you send your payment. Teams that do not get in in time are put on a waiting list.

Once all of the held spots are known (spots held for regional winners, chairmans winners, engineering inspiration, rookie qualifiers, etc.) FIRST may open up for a few more teams, and does it from the waiting list. If you get called, you have a short time to respond and send payment or they move to the next team on the list, until the championship field is full.

They never know for sure exactly how many spots will be needed because some teams are multiple qualifiers (win 2 events, win 2 qualifying awards, already on the list, etc.) and some teams cannot attend even though they qualify.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Thanks guys. We have a robot which lost to an amazing - and eventual champion - alliance composed of 330 (Beach 'Bots: a godly ring scorer with ramps) and 254 (another amazing ring scorer) and 4 at in the semis at LA. And then lost to 330 (again), 696, and 835 in the finals at SD. We just wish that we had a chance to showcase our design which lifted 18 robots (28 including the bulk of our own) in 10 qualifying matches in SD...

Thanks again,
1717

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

You might consider the Indiana Robotics Invitational (IRI) - it's THE off-season event:
2007 IRI

The top teams in FIRST (i.e. Championship winners, Regional winners, etc.) are there for just an incredible competition. I went there last year as a volunteer, as Team 980 did not have the robot, nor resources to participate (we did win there in 2005).

The best "Aim High" match of 2006 was played there. I had an excellent view - trying to un-jam the barrage of balls from the Beatty Beast (Team 71). See the links in:
Best Robot Matches of 2006

I hope to go there this year as well (Team 980 might even make the trip). It's a blast: highly competitive teams, a talent show, a BBQ, an auction of FIRST memorabilia, and, by the way, a whole lot less expensive than the Championship in Atlanta.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Just because someone from FIRST says something, that does not mean that FIRST agrees with it. I spent four hours on the practice day getting the amber light rule figured.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

The previous post was a paid announcement from the IRI planning committee... (not really, but a great plug for the IRI).

For the 2007 IRI, we even have a new "theme"... It will be released after Atlanta........;)

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

The number of Championship slots open to teams on the waiting list won't be known until the Tuesday after the Week 5 regionals, which is the deadline for qualifying award winners to commit to paying for Championships. After that, FIRST can see how many spots are open since none need to be reserved for teams who qualify at regionals.

There are currently 291 teams on the official list for nationals, and a potential 3-7 qualifying teams per regional this coming week. There are 10 regionals remaining, so 30-70 additional teams could qualify for nationals. Last year there were 344 teams at nationals, so everything is down to how these regionals go this week, who wins them and their qualification awards, and who decides to go.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Unless you are lucky enough to be one of the first 20 teams on the waitlist and have you $$$ in hand don't expect to get an open slot for Atlanta. We are on the list and already sent in our payment but appearently we are not within the first 20 on the list.

Greetings 2007 Championship Wait List Teams:

Now that our fourth week of regional events is complete we have been able to evaluate more accurately the number of Championship slots that could potentially be filled by teams from the wait list. There is a small possibility that a team in one of the top 20 slots could attend if qualifiers from week five do not choose to attend, or are already registered. Unfortunately, your team is not in one of the top 20 slots and will therefore not be considered for movement off of the wait list.

We want to thank you all for your interest in the 2007 Championship and hope you have enjoyed your regional event(s) this season. If any of you are competing this upcoming weekend we wish you the best of luck qualifying for the Championship at your event.

We look forward to having you back with us in 2008.

Go Teams!

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Remember the good ol days when we didnt have to qualify?

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I wonder who are the 20 Teams on the Wait List?

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

The winners from 2 regionals would normally consist of 6 teams, but because 330 won twice, 5 teams qualified as winners. However, because at San Diego team 835's robot died, team 1216 got to substitute their robot. It turned out to be a good substitute, helped win the regional, and thus qualified to go to the Championship as well.

So, 3 teams at L.A. plus 3 teams at S.D., minus the duplicate team, plus the substitute team equals... 6 teams! But if any of these can't go because they can't raise the money (or whatever), then it would be less than 6 teams.

I'm sure FIRST can do the math, but forecasting number of attendees for any event is always a big headache. I don't envy the people at FIRST who handle the event planning.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

So I guess next year (or in the very near future) we can expect reductions in the # of qualified teams, an increase in the size of the championship, or a different top-tier competition arrangement altogether.

28 pre-qualified teams
222 regionally-qualified teams (6 per regional, assuming chairman's, engineering inspiration, and rookie all-stars go to different teams)

So that's 250 teams qualified.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

This is an issue every year, it's just part of the game, so to speak. FIRST can't really make the event any bigger, as it is, The Georgia Dome right now is the only place that can fit all the teams that DO register. They've been looking into new venues, but that's the best there is for now. Sure, it's disappointing that you might not get to go this year, but hey, you just move up in the teirs for next year! =)

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Right now it works out that if you start on the team as a freshman, you can get to go at least once in your 4 year high school career, granted that your team doesn't die and that you have enough money.

As always there are probably some exceptions.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

What makes championships great is all of the high caliper robots on hand. These robots come from regionals these teams have won, or high level awards they have received. Not everyone can go to championships...its unfortunate, but its just how it is.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

:cough: Indianapolis :cough:

But seriously, once the new stadium and convention center are finished, it would not surprise me at all if the championships moved to the crossroads.

I doubt that none of the wait listed teams will get to go, there are always teams that have last minute complications or just can't find the money to go.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

How about Hartford, CT?

*cricket* *cricket*

ROFL... Just the thought. Wow. OK, my *sad-to-be-living-in-CT* moment is over.

But seriously, the bustling downtown would really have the competition going...


Jacob

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

And I really hope that this would be the case. It would make things much cheaper for a lot of teams... I think? If memory serves me right, Atlanta is about the same distance from CA as Indianapolis yet it's much closer for the NE and Midwest teams, again, if I can see things in my brain right. Why I don't go get a map and measure this out is beyond me. The only region this would negatively effect would be the South, for the most part.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Indy is trying. We could host in now with the RCA dome attached to the convention center (and the walk would be shorter too.)

There are more factors than just space and hotels. A venue needs a sugar daddy. Orlando had Disney Atl has Coke.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

The one part about it being cheaper, however, is that it might be harder to find a cheap ticket to Indy, then it is for Atlanta. I just looked myself, from Newark to Indy, and its fairly cheap, but it would be cheaper yet to Atlanta. And I'm sure some other teams might have difficulties for cheaper tickets.
Yet, this could be a problem with any location. Ideally, a major tourist area could be best.

Note: Should really get back on to the topic at hand, you could make another thread about this if wanted.

And the waiting list has always been like this. If you really wanted to go, there was time at the beginning of the year to signup. I know you may not have had the money/support back then, but it happens. You just have to take whats given to you.
I know 1626 just signed up Monday for Palmetto, after an impressive performance at Boston, they wanted another chance to be able to qualify for Nationals, and that was it.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I spoke with Paul Gudonis about this, actually. And the 07 contract came down between Atlanta and Indianapolis. There were several reasons that factored into it, the largest being hotels for teams and a convenient system of travel. It is still a possibility in the future, however.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

There's a nice long thread with previous discussions about where people think Championships should go after Atlanta contract is up, and yes Indy was a front runner and it will probably be again in the future.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=37700

The list for Champs is closed - meaning I don't believe they will even add anymore teams to the waitlist. Those that are on the front end of the waitlist currently will be lucky if they go. FIRST is getting big - Champs is getting big... we'll see where it goes from here.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Perhaps as FIRST continues to grow, the Championship will become a true Championship - only teams who qualify will be guaranteed a spot. Hopefully there would be enough space to continue with some open-enrollment by tiers so that every team gets an opportunity to go at least every 4 years, or even every 3 years. But I can foresee the end of total open enrollment. If you went last year or two years ago, you will have to earn your way back again.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

That's how it should have started back in the day AND kept like it.

If FIRST is truely based off sports, then the only true champs would have a shot to be world champs. The regionals would act like the playoffs, where only the winners get to play in the champs. but unlike sports, we have the original 12, CA winners, and a few other award winners that have the right to get there. But still that is the right to get there other then hey, it's an open sign up want to go to atlanta?

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

That's already impossible. With champs at its current size, you're talking 50 open spots per year. With 1000+ teams that DON'T qualify for a reserved spot each year, there isn't a chance that everyone gets to go. Actually, this thread is an example of that exact thing happening.

I'm kinda happy that champs is becoming exclusive to regional winners*. It'll make winning a regional that much more valuable. Right now, all you've won essentially is a place at the head of the line. All you have to do to get that same thing is simply register early. If champs is open to regional winners only, then when you win, you've won something that can be gotten no other way.


*FIRST is only 8 regionals away from having to increase championship enrollment, increase qualifying restrictions, or find another system altogether. Given that there are 4 new regionals just this year, it looks like the crunch will happen pretty soon.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

i say work on this system...

NO OPEN REGESTRATION

Everything happens depending on the regionals

things taken into consideration.

# of teams at regionals
Awards won (Regional Champions, Regionals Finalists, Chairmans Engineering Insparition and any other banner awards,+ Rookie All Star)

At each regional, the judges are given a number of AT LARGE bids for teams, Those at large teams aren't announced until the TUESDAY after that regional.

1-9 Teams = 1 At Large Bid
10-19 Teams = 2 At Large Bids
20-29 Teams = 3 At Large Bids

You guys get the idea...

That way, what the judges see as the best robots or the most deserve worthy of going to nationals gets to go.

How would you guys like that

It would probally lead to the same # of teams, just better performing teams will be there

or maybe a nationals event instead of international championship,

so regionals > nationals > championship

i think that would work too

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I'd say this wouldn't work. It's too open for human factors to play a part (what if the judge missed your robot, or was a mentor for a certain team, etc). It'd be better to simply reduce the number of pre-qualified teams from each regional. If you think we get whiny threads NOW about ref decisions, wait until the first box-on-wheels robot that got top seed because of luck doesn't get picked to go to championships, or a quite deserving robot doesn't get picked at a high-skill regional because there were so many deserving robots.


It'd probably cost too much money for individual teams to attend any kind of a tiered tournament structure. I was reading a pamphlet posted in the "how to attract sponsors" thread, and for the team whose pamphlet it was, it cost them $17,000 to go to Atlanta. Just imagine having to go to another city to prove you need to go to Atlanta.


My idea would be to simply extend the length of the current championship. Have two super-divisions, let's call them A and B. Within A and B would basically be an entire championship. There'd be a Newton-A, a Curie-A, etc.
All wednesday: A qualifiers
Thursday: A finishes qualifiers at noon, rest of day A temporarily packs their robots off to the side and B uncrates
Friday: B qualifiers
Saturday: B finishes qualifiers at noon, the finals alliances for each division are picked (top 4 picking instead of top 8 picking), and elimination rounds start.

Perhaps reduce finals alliances to top-4 in each division so that eliminations take the same time as they currently do.

Advantages:
-Teams don't have to attend a third tier of competitions, which would cost them lots of money
-It doesn't take up twice as much room (since only one division is fully active at once) as simply having two simultaneous championships, but it does take twice as much time
-Since finals alliances are picked on saturday, A doesn't have a strategizing advantage over B. If you allow both super-divisions to pick any robot in A or B, then A doesn't have a scouting advantage either.

Problems in mine:
-It's kinda confusing
-It'd cost A teams more money since they'd have to have the full team there for all days, while B teams could send a scouting and uncrating contingent on wednesday and send the full team in on friday.
-For A, having to re-crate your robot and pit somewhere in the Georgiadome while B was playing on Friday-Saturday would be annoying
-It's not really extendable for when champs grows twice as big as it is now. At some point, another tier of competitions will have to happen.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I can think of another factor driving the open registration system; travel planning. If all teams had to win a regional event or award at a regional to attend the Championship, I think you would see ALOT of teams that could never go to the Championship, because they need to setup all the travel arrangements very early on (mine would have severe problems; our district wants out of state travel approval a year in advance, and paying for things through a purchase order takes an average of 6 weeks to do, meaning it's incredibly difficult, and often impossible, to do last minute travel things). Excluding teams that have schools with strange and confusing travel rules doesn't seem too fair either.

I think FIRST should keep some kind of open registration system, but when it starts to be time to reduce those numbers, they may have to implement the tier system a little more heavily (for example, no team that went the previous year gets in on the tier system, or just keep the current system but cut the open spots by close to half).

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Here is the dilema, the Georgia World Congress Center can fit probably every single FIRST team under their roof comfortably (we only use a small fraction of the available space). The Georgia Dome itself cannot fit another field without closing the FVC or FLL tournament (remember its the FIRST Championships, not the FRC Championships). So without limiting the number of matches any more than it is already the Championship cannot grow anymore.

I think the best way to control the problem people have with the present system is to tighten up the At Large Bid system.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

At each regional there should be an award (like the judges award) called: you didn't win, and you don't necessarily have the best "program", but you have a GREAT robot that deserves to go to the Championship.
Maybe make it an optional award, but, for example, team 968 didn't qualify for Atlanta, but they have an amazing robot that the whole country/world should be exposed to. Robots like that should be able to go.

yes, I know, 968 and 254 are the same robot, but you get the idea.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Well, I was disappointed when I saw this. I know that this year our robot would contend for nats more than ever, and we were something like 40th on the wait list. Looks like we'll just have to rock next year :yikes:

IRI, here we come.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I will stay on topic here. As Amy Prib said earlier in this thread "There's a nice long thread with previous discussions about where people think Championships should go after Atlanta contract is up…" It is disappointing to everyone especially the teams involved, that every team that wants to go to the Championship event can not. Our team has been fortunate and honored to qualify for Championship's since 2004.

As Connor Ryan said "The Georgia Dome itself cannot fit another field without closing the FVC or FLL tournament (remember its the FIRST Championships, not the FRC Championships)." Atlanta could handle more pit space in the GWCC buildings B & A.

If it is a competition space issue then I am not sure that any other domed stadium in the USA has a significantly higher amount of floor space than the GA Dome. The RCA Dome in Indianapolis has about 7,000 less square feet on the floor than the GA Dome. Perhaps the new stadium will have larger floor space. The Edward Jones dome in St. Louis may have more floor space.

The domes are built primarily to house a football field in. The new Univ. of Phoenix Stadium has a retractable side and field but I don't think there is a convention center next to it that could house the pits. Of course the competition could be moved outside of the USA but not likely anytime soon.

IndySam mentioned that Atlanta has Coke as a sugar daddy. I think that 2006 was the first year that Coke was a First sponsor and the event has been in Atlanta since 2004. I am not sure how much of an effect Coke has had.

Again, it is sad that all can not attend but I THINK that if you must be in a domed stadium then most of them have about the same floor size. Then you have to compare other things like hotels, transportation into and around the city, restaurants etc.

We local Atlanta people are of course extremely happy to have the event close by making travel much easier. However, when a site that is better suited for the Championship's is found we will be there!

Dave

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

And the FVC program is growing by leaps and bounds! :D We hope to have around 100 teams in Atlanta next month...

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Since we bring up Phoenix, I thought I'd clarify that we do have the Phoenix Coyotes Arena sharing the same parking lot, and they're currently finding stores to add to the mall there. However there still aren't alot of hotels withint walking distance, and the public transportation system here is less than stellar (a light rail system will eventually go from the airport to the stadium, but not until 2016). Anyway, enough of that.

I'm surprised to see how many teams are at the Championships this year (376 pit spaces). I remember in 2004 when there were just 75 or 80 per division, and now we'll be up to 94 per division.

It will be interesting to watch the Championship over the next few years; if FIRST continues its trend of growing at rapid paces (300+ new teams a year) while retaining over 90% of veteran teams, the Championship process is going to have to adapt very quickly to a new system.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Yes, FIRST with >4,000 teams (a number WAY less than Dean's goal :eek:) will be a very different animal.

The number of regional events will grow, team waiting lists for popular regionals will grow, the qualification criteria for going the Championships will get tougher (it wasn't long ago that design awards qualified a team for the Championship). I suspect many, many, more teams will never see the Championship venue. You cannot arbitrarily grow the size of the Championship: the event becomes unwieldy and even unnattractive to teams (imagine only playing four or five qualifying matches with only 1 out of 6 or 7 teams moving into the elimination rounds).

Maybe FIRST will create Divisions or Classes to separate the large, powerhouse, veteran teams from the rookies, or smaller teams with limited resources. Perhaps "Super Regional Tournaments" (North, South, East, West?) will be held on the road to a Final Championship. That can add another two weeks or so to the competition season.

Indeed, it will be interesting to watch FIRST grow. As FIRST participants, we need to make sure that in a few years we don't look back and think of these as "the good ol' days of FIRST".

Our ideas and opinions can strongly influence the direction of FIRST, if you see a way something that can be done better: speak up!

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Found in this PDF file, the new one in Indianapolis will provide nearly 135,000 square feet of space, and will have a retractable roof. :cool:

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I assume that you are talking about floor space between the seating areas for the competition fields. If so, then I believe that is about 33,000 more sq. ft. than the GA Dome. If there will be a good place close by for the pits, enough hotel rooms and adequate transportation and restaurants we may be heading to IN.
Dave

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

//snipped//
FIRST already has a model for that - FLL. It's different, because there are no alliances on the field. But a parallel structure could be created.

In Michigan this year there were about 400 FLL teams. They competed in 14 regionals. 1/4 of the teams at each regional advanced to the State Tournamants (we had 2 this year; in effect Michigan is now 2 FLL states, SE Mich and N&W Mich.) One Champion winner was selected at both State Tournaments - the rough equivalent of Chairmans, but it involves game play, technical awards, research and community outreach. These Champions, plus those from other states and countries, were invited to the World Festival in Atlanta.

That model will probably have to be translated to FVC in a year or two.

Once the number of FRC regional winners exceeds the number of spaces available for the Championship, FRC will have to come up with a multi-tiered qualification scheme. Maybe 4 weeks of qualifying regionals, winners (more than just 6, criteria TBD) would advance to 2 weeks of super-regionals. Winners from those super-regionals would advance to the Championships. It would extend the competition season from the current 7-8 weeks to 10 or 11 weeks. It could create more travel costs.

The first step might be to limit teams to entering only one regional.

Yes, an expanded FIRST will look far different than it does today.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Indy is making a bid for the super bowl (where the standards are extremely high), so there will probably be more than adequate hotel and accommodations.

Also, it will be connected with the convention center (i think underground tunnel, but i'm not sure exactly), so if that is used for pits, it would make a pretty sweet setup. I guess the only thing that bums me out is that if not next year, then i'll have graduated. :(

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Hah, adequate transportation... This is Indianapolis we're talking about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana...Transportation

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Sorry to bum you out, but the 2008 event is already on the Ga Dome calendar.

I live in Atlanta, and it's nice having it here, but I'd be happy to see it go to Indy after the contract is up here. Indy is a nice place, and it's time to move the event around again.

As others have noted, the limiting factor at any venue is field space. There is only so much room on a football field. As far as pit space goes, FIRST only uses one hall of the four available at the GWCC. The only way to get more field space is to move the fields out of a football stadium and into the convention center halls with the pits. This would allow more fields (and therefore more teams), but would take away the excitement of being in the big stadium. This would also open up the options to a lot more cities, as it would no longer be necessary to have a convention center adjacent to a stadium.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Before we all hop on board this Indy bandwagon, lets check the weather forecast for Indy during championships.


(2 weeks later): Probably not a good idea to go to Indy after all, if were all talking about how unusually cold it is at the social on Saturday night

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Are you kidding me? The weather in Indy during April is usually beautiful, not too warm and not too cold. Assuming it doesn't change ten times within the week that is.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Well, considering i live in Los Angeles, why not Los Angeles. What would be awesome is Staple Center as the pits, which would be insanely awesome to be on the same floor that the Lakers play on (im a huge LA sports fan) for the pits, which is big enough, let alone a lot of rooms to house separately FVC and FLL if need be, but i doubt it, its pretty big. Then the Convention Center next door has 2700000sqft!!!!! Well, some sites say more and some say less, but definetely more space than Georgia Dome and Indianapolis. Its all inside, and the weather is great. Plus, with the new Downtown Center being built right next door, there will be plenty of things to do in walking distance. By the way, Convention Center and Staple Center are technically the same building, they are connected. A shorter walking distance from the pits to the fields.

Anyways, its just my 2cents, I would love to see Championships be moved to West Coast for a year or so, for traveling reasons and because i think people may enjoy it more from our awesome weather, cool places to go, and the Pacific Ocean. lol.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I want to stay on topic here so here goes.
Please correct me if I am wrong but Staples Center floor is a basketball and hockey arena. How are you going to fit more than maybe one pit division of four on it? I know nothing about the new convention center but if it is typical, where are the sitting stands going to be for each division?
I don't think this setup you propose will allow more teams to attend. You may want to make your comments in the thread that Amy mentioned earlier. I am sure that most people including me would love to come to the west coast.
Dave

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

If the LA Convention Center could be configured to have a four fields with each with stands to seat 5,000 and an Einstein field with stands to seat 20,000 then you might be able to do this. You probably could have the pits in the Convention Center as well (why use Staples for pits?). But the max ceiling height in the convention center is 40' - not high enough to put stands in with that sort of seating capacity.

The FIRST Championship event (in its present state) can ONLY be done at a venue like a domed football stadium (accommodates >5 fields and spectator seating) with an adjacent convention center for the pits. There are only a handful of these venues in the entire US: Georgia Dome, RCA Dome (or it's successor in Indy), Edwards Dome (St. Louis), Reliant Stadium (remember the hike from the Houston Astrodome to the fields?), and maybe a couple of others. Phoenix University stadium is possibly the only venue in the Western US that could accommodate the championship - and it's not clear that adequate pit space is available close enough to the floor of the stadium to make it a viable choice.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc...nt.aspx?id=454

as per the FIRST website, as of 11/9/2006 you were able to register for any event including championships even if you attended last year until 12/1/2006 thats 3 weeks, and i know for a fact that on December 2nd there were still open spots for championships. so instead of complaining about FIRST cutting teams off, i say why didn't you register then, why wasn't a priority then.


To run off into a tangent, teams that wait based on their performance shouldn't be allowed to attend there are 307 teams currently registered for championships, and at most 8 teams make it to the finals. thats roughly 2% of the robots there, so you could compete at 5 regionals win at each event, and not even make it to eliminations, FIRST Championships event is not about winning, its about the experience, the atmosphere, the people and the sites, there are a lot of amazing things to see at The Championships.


I rarely voice my opinion about things that people do, and i love reading Dr. Joe's Prediction threads, but i really think many teams, more veterans than rookies are starting to worry a bit to much about winning, as cliche as it is we are all winners just for showing up


*steps off the CD Communal Soap Box*

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I'll un-confirm for you...

We were a wait listed team and we just got word we're in for Atlanta :)

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

thanks mich, we wre on the waiting list and we got in....

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

Now that is GREAT news for 1065 and also for the starter of this thread, a member of 1694. I am sure there must be others previously on the wait list that will be in Atlanta form the Championship event.
Dave

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

How about we push up the ante and have winners of regionals get free entrance fee payments for championship event and hold it in Hawaii!!!!!!:D
Since we already pay 6k, how about 2-300 more to cover those teams.

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

I must assume you are kidding about the Hawaii location. This thread topic is about trying to allow more teams to attend the Championship event which I don't think that your suggestion would accomplish.

I don't believe that there is a domed football sized stadium with a convention center next door on any Hawaiian island. While I believe that any of us would love to enjoy the competition in such a beautiful place, the costs for ALL teams (except the 6 Hawaiian teams) would be much higher than if it were held anywhere in the continental USA. We must consider our friends in South America, Canada, Europe, Asia and other areas also.

Dave

Re: Bad News for teams on Waiting List
 

It might be better for Asia actually :p