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Going to Epcot
The even/odd system is not so bad.
Basically what the point system does is make sure the teams that consistently do well every year get a chance to go to nationals, while also keeping the total size of the competition down. For many rookie teams, it can take a few years to get to the point where they can consistently build a competitive robot. I believe that any team who participates for more than a couple of years can do this.
I do, however, like the idea of the East/West national and one Grand National to end it all. That seems like the fairest organization for the growing number of teams. With the dwindling economy, however, the sponsors of FIRST may not be able to shell out the extra cash necessary for another two huge competitions.
As for the "top seeds from regionals get to go" policy, this would not work. One can see from the disparity this season between teams that qualify well and teams that win the eliminations, to give preference to the top seeds would be unfair. If the points system must stay in place, one might suggest that the top 3 or so seeds and the winning alliance get to go to the national.
If Dean and his buddies can think up such "diabolical" games every year, you would think they could work this out too. I guess we just have to live with the current system.
Jeff Alpert
Team 469
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