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I too agree that this is an improvement over the existing point system. But it still needs work
More teams will get a chance to go to the Nats. That should be paramount. But ALL should be able to go on equal terms or we should make this a true championship
But it makes the current season's winners jump trough hoops to get qualified to attend. At least in the past you could prequalify to travel based on the prior season's play. Now you have a potential for 60 teams or more needing to scramble to make trip arrangements at the last minute. It will be costly and nerve wracking. It has already proven an excluding force this past year for many teams who won but couldn't come up with the travel arrangements at the last minute. And if that is the case is there really a championship? I see a lot of good machines being left behind because they won too late.
The solution is to expand the Nationals- something that everyone at FIRST refuses to acknowledge. It is not impossible but apparenly is not in the mindset of the parent organization.
As for mega-regionals? If they are as good as the Nats, are recognized as the Nats are and offer travel experience for the team on par with the Nats then I say go for it. But frankly, I doubt that will be the case. We have a long way to go before all the regionals have the same quality as the Nationals. And selling a trip to the National Championships to my superintendant is a lot easer than selling a trip to some regional in xyz.
Will FIRST guarantee that a team gets to the Nats every 4 years? I wonder and hope so.
Wouldn't it be easier to just add 500 new teams than try to figure out who can or can't go? My team will be there this year and we want to keep attending. But I dread the idea of needing to win during the season and raise a huge sum of money for the team to travel at the last minute on compromised terms.
WC
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