Hi All,
I am posting some additional context and thoughts here, but I don't intend to respond to any further posts made to this thread. Please email me if you want to talk off-line.
We knew going forward with Texas Robot Roundup adopting the UIL Robotics State Championship - FIRST Division this season was going to stir up controversy. All big changes do. But after careful weighing, we determined that it was the most adequate option. Not ideal, but adequate to meet our needs.
TRR, for better or worse, "has served as the "state championship" for Texas" as John Schneider has pointed out. When we move to the district model (we're aiming for sooner, not later), we will need a state championship. The partnership with the UIL lead to the more immediate need for a "pilot" state championship, with the obvious restriction to recognizing UIL teams. Rather than running teams ragged with two "state championships" (an unofficial TRR "state championship" and the UIL state championship with just UIL teams), we combined the two and demanded that we would be allowed to have non-UIL teams also compete, but just not receive recognition from UIL.
Texas Robot Roundup is an off-season event. It has never been an official FIRST competition, ever and still is not. Up until this point, we have provided open registration, with some spots reserved, rather than going the IRI invite route and deciding who would be in attendance. That was a choice that the Planning Committee (or myself as the Event Director) was free to change at any time in the past, just as we all are free to dissolve the event at any time. There is no guarantee that TRR would or will exist year to year; it's simply because of the hard work of many awesome volunteers and teams. TRR is never a guarantee for any of your teams.
This year, and for this year only, TRR is going an invitation route, with the caveat that the invitation is based on UIL membership and ranking. Once again, it is still an off-season event. There are other off-season events throughout the state (and in neighboring states) that I enthusiastically encourage your teams to participate in. And there are still at the very least 10 spots that non-UIL teams can apply for, in addition to any spots that UIL eligible teams do not accept by June 1st.
The UIL partnership does not change the way teams compete during the regular season. Moving to the district model where we will have a District/State Championship, the UIL will be allowed to recognize teams there as well, but will not be able to dictate which teams compete. Teams from UIL member schools are not required to be recognized by the UIL; the UIL is not forcing students off your teams. If your administrators are the ones forcing you to meet the UIL requirements, that is an important conversation you need to have with them.
FIRST will NEVER turn away students from competing and FIRST in Texas will continue to do it's best to make sure students are able to participate on a team. If you are suddenly in a position where you are being forced by your administrators to remove kids from your team, it is certainly not what we want to see. But there are a variety of options, including your team helping start another team that is a home for those students. The new team can still work with and be mentored by your team. There are absolutely no restrictions on how teams work with others. They will certainly be funded by FIRST in Texas just like any other team that qualifies for funding. Or, as Leigh mentions below, go independent.
I am sorry that so many people are upset about how Texas Robot Roundup is functioning this summer, but I ask that everyone please take a step back and realize, as I stated above, that TRR is an off-season event. There are far more important things to be upset about. But perhaps I should just rage quit and cancel TRR?
Hang in there, everyone.