[quote=dellagd;1156054]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dancin103
I applaud this 
I wonder why teams like 341 still register in spite of this. They already won the Boston regional. |
Would you propose that teams already qualified for championships forgo all of their events except championships to give other teams a better chance of qualifying because IMO you are asking the same thing by suggesting teams qualified for championships not attend MAR championships.
Quote:
Originally Posted by team222badbrad
Even though 222 was already attending Championships in St. Louis we decided to attend the MAR Championship for several reasons.
#1 We earned the spot
#2 Extra experience for the team.
#3 The kids worked hard to get here.
#4 We we able to acquire the funding from various sources...
#5 We have a few tricks up our sleeves which need to be competition tested... |
Agreed and while these are all valid reasons for competing at MAR championships I think the reasons for teams already qualified for worlds competing go beyond the personal interests of the team. FIRST is about inspiring other people in and out of FIRST and recognizing and celebrating amazing robots and I think all teams do this especially successful teams like chairman’s award winners and perennial powerhouses. I also think that it is important to make MAR championships as competitive as possible with the hope of inspiring people to start more teams and bring a stronger culture of FIRST to our region. Look at Michigan, the most successful region in FIRST with the most competitive event aside from championships every year in MSC. Furthermore Michigan has had significant growth since going with a district system and some teams that don't even qualify for MSC are still involved with the championship event in some manner. If teams already qualified for championships did not go to MAR championships the quality of the competition would go down and the competition might not attract as much attention. (I'm guessing on these next statements) I think that having experienced and successful teams at competitions gives younger and less successful teams a benchmark to strive for and inspires them rather than suppress them and not having MAR's three CCA's at MAR championships would be a real detriment to the whole event. For these reasons I was personally disappointed when 103 decided not to attend MAR championships although I understand and respect their decision. I wish them the best of luck and hope to see them at championships because they have an amazing robot and I was looking forward to playing with and against them again.
Also I'm excited to see what improvements you have made to an already amazing robot, 222 will certainly be a force at MAR championships.