Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregor
I don't remember getting the memo that attending championship is a right.
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Going to Champs in not a right; It is a great privilege. One that seems to be for those who are privileged enough to live in more densely populated or affluant areas where there are resources (money and mentor assistance) to support a FIRST team at that level. I'm not saying that all teams that go to champs are lucky enough to be in this category, but I would bet to guess most are. I think that this new system will widen the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots." We need a system that will allow the chance to go to champs at some point regardless of their geographic/demographic situation.
Regarding "going to champs just to go even if we didn't qualify": That would be a wonderful option. However, I wonder what my school administrator would say if I asked for a field trip to go across the country to attend a competition we weren't competing in. That would be a rather interesting conversation to say the least.
Sadly, just like the "real world," the playing field for teams is never level for all teams. It was my belief that the waitlist for champs was a sort of equalizer for teams. Now that it has been removed, you will see a less diverse crowd on the field at Champs in the future.