hmmmm. interesting posts... indeed. I was hoping a discussion like this would come up eventually so I could share my views.
As a robotics team in the midwest division I have found many things. One, our team is very lucky. We have 4 teams within about 10 miles of each other (74, 85, 107, 141). And we have always been somewhat close. I believe that no matter where the region is, every team is close because we have the same common goal : If we win, great, but it's more about enjoying everything that you do, and having the time of your life.
There is however one major difference in the Midwest that nobody has pointed out, maybe out forgetfullness or politeness. If anyone had a chance to watch the Great Lakes Regional, or the Chicago one, you'll notice one thing. Every robot there is built like a powerhouse. There are no flimsy mechanisms or unguarded areas of the robot. We learned eraly one in my freshman year, these regionals are war. If you don't believe me, look at the way that robots are outfitted. This robots are all made to withstand the MOST extreme circumstances. Teams from the midwest know that there will be a tremendous amounted of pushing and shoving and that nobody is safe. There is a reason that Midwest regionals are statistically the hardest, because basically any team can win. It's fair to say that at any midwest regional, any part of your robot can be broken off. I know that Wildstang's wings took a terrible beating at Great Lakes and that Beatty was FLIPPED at Chicago.
Now don;t get me wrong there are a large abundance of strong teams form around the country. And many of them are incredibly sound teams that have the capability to beat any Midwest team (I know, we got beat by 3 non-midwest teams in the Galileo semifinals). There is just a very strong concentration of tough teams in the Midwest area. So do not take this as a threatening post meant to start a thread war, it's only an opinion for you to consider.
Thanks
