[Carol]

In hopes of removing some of the emotions and prejudices in this thread, here are some facts and figures (numbers are rounded off - if someone can get exact numbers, go for it):

FRC: 2000 teams (up from 1800 last year). 352 teams attended Championships. Typically 15-40 students per team

FTC: 1700 teams (up from 1100 last year). 128 attended Championships. Typically 10 students per team.

FLL: 17,000 teams (up from 15,000 last year). 81 attended World Festival (their part of the Championships). Typically 10 students per team.

JrFLL: 2200 teams (up from 1400 last year). 29 attended World Festival. Typically 5 students per team.

You all know how FRC selects for championships.

FTC has a qualifier/regional championship system (in most areas) to get to the championships. FTC qualifies the captain of the winning alliance and the Inspire Award winner (similar to Chairman's award). Other slots are selected by a complicated lottery system based on awards.

FLL also has a qualifier/regional championship system. Only the winner of the top award, which is a combination of research and competition points, qualifies. But not all regionals winners go the the World Festival. It rotates, and the other regional winners go to some event at LEGOLand in CA.

JrFLL doesn't really compete, every team gets an award (as is appropriate for that age group). I'm not sure how the teams were selected for the Championship showcase but I suspect local teams were invited.