Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

Yeah you guys definitely had a presence especially since you were sitting in front of my team. I have to say though that the scouting was really good from where we were sitting one section up.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

I believe the problem here is that many teams have metaphorically said "to heck with the rules we are going to save seats". The rules are very clear on the subject--it is just a matter of disregard for them coupled with no enforcement which makes it a problem. I've have been sitting in seats for several hours only to have teams come and DEMAND that I move because it is their area. (Failure to comply is generally met with muttering crowding and attempts to make me feel out of place)
I understand the desire for cohesiveness within a team and the obvious solution is to seat your team in an area where no one else will want to sit (high seats, poor viewing angle, etc). Such is the price of having your team as one unit.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

To me, that would be a real pain. I would hate to be demanded to move. I would gladly clear up some spaces and have members not skip seats at all to accommodate others who ask. We'll always have spaces open if you ask and heck, we'll gladly cheer on for your team as well (maybe if we're not playing you that round:P j/k). :)

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

I think that the FIRST Regionals should organize seating into sections for each team. Then have small sections divided for teams for scouting purposes. Then have another large section for visitors and the general crowd. Yes this would be a little extra work, but it would solve the saving seat problem while organizing the teams into recognizable areas enabling better visitation, etc.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

I like the idea of a scouting area. Vantage point is very important for scouting IMO.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

Cartwright
Although this would help the problem it would also create a team and us mentality between the teams and spectators which is something first does not promote.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

Frankly, I think people should apply the grandmother test. Most people's grandmothers would not want to take the seat of a team member who is in the bathroom or the lead engineer who is toiling in the pits etc., but would have few qualms about sitting in the seat of someone who wasn't in the building.

If space were scarcer than at MWR I suspect a stricter standard would apply.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

As a teacher taking students on a field trip, I am legally responsible for supervising them at all times. (The school requires more forms and signatures than FIRST does.) It's a great group of kids, and I don't ever anticipate a problem. Supervision is a great way to keep it that way!

I think that FIRST should understand our responsibility to these kids, especially since safety is such a priority for them. If they do not want us to save seats, they need to block off sections. As it happened, we did not save seats, and there were not enough for all of my students to be together. It was a real problem.

There was a whole level of seating in the arena that was not made available until the elimination rounds. Perhaps that should be open the entire time if seating is a real issue. There was also a large section of "reserved seating" in the front center that was never used.

I enjoyed the competition, and I want to model to my students that rules should be followed. It is a problem, though, when the FIRST rules (not to save seats) directly conflict with my responsibilities as a teacher (to keep the kids together and supervise them at all times.) As it stands, we can't win on this one.

Paige Hereford
Team 1098 Sponsor

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

You may want to address this problem with your regional director. To me, it does sound like a feasible explanation as to why those seats in upper levels should be opened up during the entirety of the regional.

my .02

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

I to have mixed feelings on this issue. I really like the idea however of dividing up the arena into sections where teams can then reside. It would solve all the problems of "saving seats" and would also show where you can find people. It is awesome to sit with your team at the events!!!!!!!
Good Luck to Everyone!
Matt Rybar
894

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

The one problem with this is: Teams do not have a fixed size. How would you divide the sections equally between teams so that a team could just pick a spot? If you have the sections different sizes, how do you position them so that there isn't favoritism towards one team size or another? And do you jumble the sections up between days to give more teams the good seats, or do you leave them?

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

I wonder if the judges for the GP or regional chairmans awards should take a walk up into the stands (with a regular shirt instead of the judges shirt) and see about seating.

It would be interesting to see if the judges felt the same way about a team after being told that they could not sit there because it was "reserved".

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

I think this would work... in theory.

A great thing to do if you wanted to do this, would be to approach your regional planning commitee with a possible plan with the seating assigned, and then ask them to try & give it a beta run next year.

If it works, then we can maybe expect it to continue across more regionals.
If it doesn't, then at least you tried to come up with a great solution.

Most things like this that go on at regionals are tested in a small percentage of places before they go "mainstream", or are tried at one regional, and relayed to others as an option.

Maybe this could be one test for next year just to say we tried it and see how it works out.

Another thing to remember is not all regionals are created equally.
Every site of a regional event has specific issues they deal with, but they all have common ones as well.

One regional may only allow say 20 seats per team if you split them up evenly, and another could offer 100 per team if given an even split.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

The dividing of seating is a nice idea, but as mentioned by Elgin, not all regional are created equally. While I don't doubt there are many regionals that are pressed for space, some (like Buckeye) are more than ample. Heck, last year it was usually only half full at most. There was plenty of space for computer setups for webstreaming/scouting, two landing sections were made into video/photography sections, and all the teams were able to sit together, with visitors mingled in with them or sitting in the upper sections.

Really no point to this post, just to state that they're all different.

Re: Saving seats and Dean's homework
 

Great Lakes Regional is putting up a dry erase board and first come first serve on documenting where your team is sitting. It would solve everything.