[davidthefat]

I really do not know about you, but knowing that there is only one chance of proving yourself really puts a fire under your butt. Also, having that extra budget to just mess around and be creative is better on a team's morale than having a mediocre performance at a regional. I mean it lets everyone participate since the product you make really is not going to be pit against other robots, so there is a room for error that can be spared and learned from. A lot of people on the team did not get to participate as fully as they could because more competent people just had to do their jobs since the competition rode on their shoulders. Just letting the rookies build something on their own puts a smile on their face. I remember the first time I made a robot move, I was pretty darn happy and was hooked right there. While having fun at competition might be important, but having a bad performing robot can really rain on your parade. While that failure may motivate some to do better the next competition, there really is nothing much you can do to make your robot better between competitions. I see between seasons the best opportunity to make your robot better.