[cadandcookies]

All I really have to say on the matter is that of the over 2400 teams in FRC this year, 400 of them qualified for Championships. 1 out of 6. Consider the other 5/6 of all teams. Did any of these teams deserve to go? Probably. Is it "rainbows and unicorns" to assume that every team that "deserves" Championships will be able to go? Probably. I'm not of the opinion that a significant proportion of the teams at Championships didn't deserve to be there. Championships is a celebration of far more than just that year's challenge, and I think that everyone gets that, or at least I hope they do.

In order to raise the competitiveness of Championships, and of FRC as a whole, the solution isn't to cut out those that can't perform well. That's just ignoring the problem. Maybe we're too focused on lowering our sample sized as opposed to increasing the sample quality. I would take 8 matches at Championships if it was 8 matches of world-class competition, every single time.

On another note, I'd like to echo the sentiments praising Mr. Merrick's transparency throughout the season. I've really enjoyed peering into the previously opaque box that was FIRSTHQ.