[VexisDarksteele]

I wholeheartedly support this new system; as a former Chairman's presenter for the past two years, I can personally attest to the sheer amount of pressure that the previous system laid on our shoulders. Defeat was absolutely crushing, because you know that there is no second chance for that year -- any improvements made would not be enacted until the following season. Yes, the old system did instill a strong sense of urgency to push ourselves to be the absolute best we could, but I believe this new methodology will still achieve that while also granting teams a more rapid approach to evolving/improvement.

I think (/hope) that this change will encourage a lot of younger teams to start trying for Chairman's as well. Now that it's not quite "do or die" anymore, teams will begin to recognize that they may very well have a fair shot at winning the award, and just by trying for the Chairman's Award they will become even better teams than they already were.
Really, it's kinda crazy how a lot of young teams completely forgo trying for the CA because they're "waiting to become better/stronger" before they'll consider making an attempt. Applying for Chairman's is like being handed a step-by-step instruction booklet on how to become a strong team; in the beginning, teams will no doubt do community outreach solely for the purpose of the award. Why? Because that's the first step in the instructions. But once they build that foundation for themselves, once they get the feel for the process of success and are able to function without that guidebook, they will flourish and become truly great for all of the right reasons. And the best part about it? Even though the requirements for Chairman's are set in stone, the ways in which each team accomplishes them are entirely unique.
Trying for Chairman's right off the bat was probably the best decision our team could have made, as it DID show us what we need to do and why. We're still learning and adapting, and I think we always will be, because no team can ever stop improving. It just really helps a young team to hit the ground running, because once it finds and spreads its wings, it will one day be able to soar.