Quote:
Originally Posted by ehfeinberg
If there is a Capital Region Championship, I would think that it would be located in or near DC. I understand the point about how VCU has long ties with FIRST, but the problem is that the biggest density of teams which would be located in the Capital Region are in the DC - Baltimore corridor.
After looking at the 2013 Team map ( 358's team map for reference), I have counted about 35 teams spread out between Richmond and Norfolk. However, there are about 65 teams centered in the DC - Baltimore corridor.
If the championship was held in either location, I would see a good number of teams from Virginia or Maryland heading to either the North Carolina or Pittsburgh regional. Maybe the location of the championship should switch every year. |
Although the DC tournament is immediately closer for many teams, Virginia is a very big state and I think we should be concerned about growth in the region, not just the metropolitan centers. Using the map you referenced, the most remote team in Maryland is 4 hours away from VCU. The most remote team in Virginia, however, is 6 hours away from the DC Regional.
I think holding the championship in DC would damage both the growth and sustainability of FRC in western Virginia, which is certainly a large enough area to be concerned about.