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Originally Posted by skrussel
Two schools of thought:
* The competition at Nationals will consist of the higher scoring teams from regionals. This could be much more exciting. More like sports playoffs. Some teams salivate at the thought of moving this whole thing to a new level. Think of what a thrill it would be to qualify. Think of the possibility of thoroughly spectacular matches because most of the robots will be more robust, and more reliable.
Is this a good thing??
* But alas, what about the teams who don't qualify at regionals?
What about the teams who can't build a second bot, or go to multiple regionals to increase their chances?
It's true that we saw some fabulous rookie teams this year. But still, having to qualify to get to Nationals will really keep a lot of teams out of the game.
To have a chance to compete in Nationals has been a highly coveted opportunity over the years. At least with odds/evens, you would get there sooner or later!
So is this then a bad thing??
A little of both maybe. To strive for Nationals can only make us all better, but could the disappointment at not having a chance be disruptive to the existence of a team? Will sponsorship be affected? Will engineering support be affected? Am I being too negative?
Regardless, we're at the beginning of a new era now, and change is inevitable. Wonder how it will all play out?
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The Championships - as they are - are now becoming true Championships. FIRST wants to get more people in the stands at competitions. The grandest of all competitions happened in Atlanta this year. FIRST doesn't sell tickets to the competitions, FIRST doesn't get money from the concessions. Competitive robots bring people back...when people come back...they have a better chance of bringing a sponsorship with them.
Rolls-Royce began sponsoring 234 in 1999. As a rookie team we didn't do well...at all. Rolls didn't care though...they saw the impact of FIRST on our team and came back with more sponsorship.
Competition isn't bad. The fact that all teams can't make it to the Championships isn't a bad thing. This just forces FIRST to make the regionals better, more exciting, and more fun for all teams...that way, if a team can only afford one regional...they don't miss out.
For a while...I've thought that "Championships" should be true finals.
The remaining 1992 teams - that's like 12 teams and can only decline (i hope it doesn't but it could)
Regional winners (3 times 30 regionals (good # for next year) = 90 teams
Regional runner-ups (3 times 30) = 90 teams
Regional #1 and 2 seeds = 60 teams
That's 252 teams assuming no repeats (not likely)
As for deciding other awards...i'm not sure how that would work...i'm still working on it. However, just having representatives from the teams there to talk to judges does make it a little easier on those teams...any ideas on this?