I prsonally would hate to see the nat's limited. But, i hope this may clear up a couple of questions. On a recent trip to Paris (yes the one in France) to promote FIRST at the Paris Air Show, i got the chance to talk to David Brown 1 on 1. And we talked about the nat's. He said that Disney is begging for mercy. He told me that we have outgrown Epcot. Remember, the 12,000 or more crazy FIRSTers are in attition ot their normal crowds and we are simply putting a strain on their limited resources. He said that they are exploring a number of options for the future including Disneyland in CA, and using the Wide World of Sports area. Additionally, he told me that if the current rate of growth occurs they may have to cap the nationals next year, Thus, for admittance, they have to explore new options. One of them may be on a point system based on past performance and awards, kinda like the method that Ken mentioned in an earlier post. Anyway, this was information was first hand out of David Brown, and i hope it makes some amount of sense.
Now my personal opinion: Disneyland is a really good idea. They have the Anaheim Convention Center directally across the street, which holds thousands of people. Also, there are dozens of new hotels that have gone up since the opening of the California Adventure. While it is not nearly as big as Disney World, it could accomodate a multitude of teams, and there is adequate lodging within walking distance. Remember, only 1/2 the teams would go to a split national championship Oh, and i live 30 minutes away, so my team would not have to spend a lot of money.
Anyway, that's just my humble opinion.
Sean (who has posted on CD for the first time)