Seems like I'm the only one who agrees with it. As we hear every year, the Chairman's remains FIRST's most prestigious award, and, as said in the e-mail blast,
"Since the Chairman's Award is based on sustained excellence and impact of the team's overall program, rookies will not be eligible for the Chairman's Award.(...)" .
That's what the award really is about.
Sustained (keyword here) excellence, impact on the community and spreading of FIRST's values. Sorry, a rookie team can't have that, no matter how great they are. The Rookie-All-Star award is there to recognize that.
Looking at the past winners, you see that only the absolute best, the créme de la créme has a nice handmade clock in their trophy room. They sure earned it.
As for the "fair" status, think about it; Not every team is eligible to every award FIRST hands out.
