[Alex2614]

Originally Posted by grstex

I'd like to make a really crazy suggestion here. What if, maybe, somehow, in some way, against all odds, this all works out for the better?

What if, maybe, increasing the percentage of teams going to champs is a GOOD thing?

What if, maybe, giving mid-tier teams, who aren't world famous, a chance to see and interact with elite teams, even if its just one, helps inspire them?

What if, maybe, those teams learn something from this interaction with even one elite team?

What if, maybe, those mid-tier teams act on this new knowledge and start to vastly improve?

What if, maybe, they become successful, and gain sponsors and support?

What if, maybe, they become the "new elites?"

And finally, what if, maybe, they become the new source of inspiration in FIRST?

Is such a thing even possible? Am I crazy for thinking that this WON'T "water down" championships? That the disparaging and disappointing remarks by some are short-sighted? That the "alarming" (trying to be polite) phone call to some low-level FIRST staffer just trying to help teams get to this year's championship was not necessary? Is it possible that this might actually help fulfill FIRST's mission (which, BTW, makes no mention of "robots" or "competition")?

After thinking about it for a while, and taking with some people (some of them highly respected people in FIRST), I'm starting to think that it won't be as bad as we think. As someone pointed out below, when FIRST moved to alliances, many thought that it "diluted" or "watered down" the competition. And it didn't. I remember these discussions about switching to districts. Many people thought it would be awful. And it wasn't. It happens every year with the game discussions, and for the most part, it usually turns out okay.

I do have problems with the locations and venues they chose for this, and I understand that it may be impossible to have a 800-team championship. This could have been handled much better, and better solutions could have been made. But as far as the discussions about not having a "real" winner and all the boos and hisses about this, I can't help but think: FIRST isn't about the robot, is it? It's not inspiring to have one winner. It's inspiring to see these other teams, even if through a webcast or a revea video. It's the EXPERIENCE of champs itself.

Who knows, maybe this is a hybrid between when they can get districts everywhere. Maybe after districts are everywhere they can reevaluate the one champ model, but maybe they will outgrow the championship for a few years, and this is their TEMPORARY solution. We don't know.

But there is nothing we can do about it now but offer suggestions to improve their decision. There is nothing we can do but wait it out and see what happens. We all go through acceptance processes. I was right there on the bandwagon, too. But I've seen this thread move from 100% negative to showing some positive voices through the cracks. In time, this may be the new norm, just like districts, alliances (even regionals were new at one point), and we will learn to deal.