[Kevin Kolodziej]

[sarcasm] If the games continue to be like Recycle Rush, two Championships makes total sense - each Championship only needs half of each playing field! Houston can be Red, and Detroit can be Blue, and the screens can show the feed from the other event![/sarcasm]

I do not like this.

But if we're looking for constructive suggestions, maybe FIRST can at least find ways to send the proper amount of teams from each event to these events. DCMPs send a % of teams equal to the % in the district - regional events should do the same. A 60 team event should be sending more than a 30 team event. Why not use the same district point structure to determine who the top % of teams are at a given event? Use the smallest event as your standard (if a 30 team event still sends 3 winners, EI, CA, and RAS, that's 20%..by comparison a 60 team event would then send those 6 that earn it plus another 6 that qualify based on points).

Here's something that really bothers me about these plans though:

For the Houston Championship, Opening Ceremonies will be held in the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets. Competition matches for all programs will be held in the George R. Brown Convention Center, followed by Closing Ceremonies in Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, which has a retractable roof.
For the Detroit Championship, Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held in Ford Field, an enclosed domed stadium, which is home to the Detroit Lions. Competition matches for all programs will be held in Cobo Center.

The competition isn't even in the stadiums! The most impressive part of the Championship in its current form is getting to play in a huge stadium! Anyone who played on the pit fields in 2011 knows how much it sucked - now everyone gets that wonderfully uninspiring experience.

My last rant for the evening: If the purpose of two events is to allow more teams to get the championship experience, are both events going to have the same speakers, same ceremonies, same special guests, same entertainment?