Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz
Let's not forget that one of the greatest chances for inspiration lie with the shear number of people gathered in one place. If you come to Champs and do not stroll through the pits sucking up inspiration from everyone you see and talk to, you are missing one of the best opportunities of your life.
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The reigning VOY speaks truth. Having been to two championships as a spectator, I have to admit I have not spectated any qualification matches. There is simply too much awesome in the convention center-half of the Championship experience. Strolling through the FRC, FTC, FLL, JFLL pits - I could (and have) spent days simply talking to kids and watching them get absolutely geeked about their work. Checking out Sponsor Row and seeing the awesome opportunities that wait -
did anybody else notice that the President and CEO of Rockwell Automation was the guy handing out the yoyos at their booth? Multinational companies - world leaders in their fields - are fighting just to get an audience with these kids.
The experience of CMP isn't competition-only. Sure, there are great amounts to be learned by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with 111's drive team, or strategizing with 610. But at every event - district to offseason - the real gem is in the eliminations, and FRC is at the point scouting-wise where aside from the picking captains, we all realize that rank doesn't matter.
Another way of looking at it - compare how FTC teams get invited to championships. There's no end to the crying of how unfair that process is.