[Mike Schreiber]

I do appreciate FIRST's attempt at explaining things. Have to give them credit for trying. I understand that their really is no ideal solution, and FIRST is an organization run by people.

As an attendee I was a little annoyed that FIRST had hired a moderator as if there was some sort of debate to be had rather than having someone we know and respect talk to us openly and honestly. It seemed a very defensive move so that they wouldn't have to be the one to tell us "stop ranting and ask your question". The whole thing felt very political.

Speaking of people we know and respect - I couldn't help but notice how particularly quiet Frank was during this whole thing. It really gave me the vibe that this was not a well received and unified decision within FIRST (this is just my opinion from what I saw).

As others have said those asking questions could have been more polite, but this sort of thing happens when a decision is made which they disagree and they were not consulted.

I wanted to ask a logistical question but chose to let others ask theirs instead:

How is FIRST planning to do the competition at Cobo and the opening / closing ceremonies at Ford Field.

This is ~1 mile walk. While there is safety in numbers and it is probably no big deal for most students, this could be very difficult for some older or handicapped attendees. We also have to think about the sheer number of people that need to move across Detroit and how long it will take everyone to exit, re-enter and get seated. As if a 9 pm ending wasn't late enough this year. Many people chose to opt out from opening / closing ceremonies myself included due to a desire for dinner. If you add a 1 mile walk - who is going to even want to go?

Also how is FIRST planning to have any parking available?

This overlaps with both playoff Hockey, early Tigers games, and prime construction season. I tried to park near JLA and take the people mover to the Wing's game on Tuesday before the championship...it was not a quick process.