Re: Chairman's Feedback Forms
 

Definitely. During our Chairman's interview at Championships, I could see that the judges we had highlighted and took notes on our submission before we arrived.

Every detail, from the team's website to pit design, counts.

Some more insights can be gained on the Chairman's process by listening to a very helpful Senior Mentor Call from last year. (Found on this page.)

Re: Chairman's Feedback Forms
 

That's what make the Chairman's Award so special. I would not want to dilute the meaning of the award by having it presented to multiple winners at the Championship. One winner each year.

Both ARE pre-judged before competition. There are several things that are pre-judged: the Chairman's submission, Woodie Flowers, and the website just to mention a few. Your submissions are read by and highlighted by the Chairman's judges. When your team makes their presentation, they should be re-emphasizing what has been submitted. This is one area that the judges are looking at.

Remember, the Chairman's judges are separate from the other judges. Activities on the floor or in the pits usually do not affect their decision.

Re: Chairman's Feedback Forms
 

Yes.. getting a whole season to fit in 5 minutes is pretty rough! I thought the judges would come back around... I would NOT want to judge this award though... I can't even imagine how they can sort it all out in the amount of time they have 3 team members for...

I think to pull division chairman awards off would just mean that one set of judges judged one division. When they put the divisions together, randomly evenly split the chairman's teams into the divisions, then the rest. May take a few extra minutes, but would be nice to see.

On the other hand... just being there was awesome..and it isn't about a trophy..so I guess I see it both ways... You don't want to pull any spotlight away from the team that actually wins it all... and it keeps it very prestigious..

Definitely, I think they should provide us with some feedback just so we can share it with the team and let them know what stood out to the judges. :)

Re: Chairman's Feedback Forms
 

While no CA honorable mentions have been made in recent years, I would assume that the verbal feedback to our students in 2008 and 2009 are some indication of recognition in the 2008 CMP EI and 2009 CMP Judges award. Our team has never won an EI award at a regional ever.

My CA team indicated to me that there were two sets of judges, 1 for 2 divisions each. Has this been done since when? IDK.

I firmly believe that the decision for a "set" of teams are already decided in large part prior to CMP, and that the 10 minute interview provides more/less validation to what was submitted. I also believe that the video in large part counts and is high stakes. As stated in the rules, an inappropriate video can hurt your chances of winning (or disqualify you). I'm going to interpret it as having to be CMP quality that FIRST would be proud to show the world.

As for having divisional and/or more than 1 award, in comparison to the no. of robot competition awards, I think the current format is fine and that the tradition of having the perpetual trophy with 1 new team added each year is a great one.

Re: Chairman's Feedback Forms
 

I'm not so sure about this. A regional judge's advisor last year told me the top three or so videos are screened for appropriateness in case one of those teams is selected as the regional winner but that the video otherwise is not considered as part of the judging process at all (unless shown in your presentation). The advisor also made it clear that if the video did not pass, that would not prevent the team from being given the award, just that their video would not be shown at the event.

I have no idea if Championships is treated differently though.

Re: Chairman's Feedback Forms
 

I've never ever really figured out how EI is evaluated and judged. You often hear it is an RCA/CA runner up. I don't quite buy that. I'm a little lost on the EI.

Our experience has always been that there are two sets at the CA level.

I believe that also. The judges could really monitor the top six to 10 teams prior to the Championship and be able to resolve the issue fairly quickly onsite.

The one change I wish they would do is expand the Chairman's Essay size from 10,000 to 16,000 or even 20,000 characters. But that is a different topic.

Re: Chairman's Feedback Forms
 

The wording on the requirements for the video for 2011 appeared to "up the ante" on the importance to the Chairman's Award. With the limited time a team has to get its story told to the Chairman's judges, the video should be respected as an important communication tool.