[JAH]

Should rookies be eligible? YES. FIRST is all about opportunities and allowing access to everyone. Excluding those who are already involved would be against everything I've learned about FIRST. How would that be an act of gracious professionalism? Not letting them compete for Chairman's Award would be like not letting them compete in matches because they most likely won't win(although many rookies do extremely well and if not better than some veteran teams). Rookies should have equal shots at everything. Everyone should be on a level playing field no matter how long you've been there or on previous acts, in my opinion.