[Marc P.]

I agree with Steve and Cory that a regional award winner should not be eligable for the same award at other regionals, but there are a few thoughts I Had. Every regional has a different crew of judges, each with their own personality and criteria of what an award winning team is- especially for the abstract awards like team spirit, incredible play, judges award, etc. However, for the technical awards, particularly things like leadership in control and driving tomorrow's technology, what if there is a team with an incredible system that stands out from anything else out there, at every competition they attend.

The realist in me says a superb technical achievment should be recognized no matter where it's been or what it's been awarded before. Each robot should be weighed against other robots equally at each regional individually, regardless of what awards it's already won. If there's a technical achievement worthy of recognition, and it's innovative enough to be identified by the judges at each regional, why wouldn't it be eligable for the award?

The logical/better side of me says it's in the interest of all teams to prevent award domination. As great as any technical innovation may be, there are always plenty of new ideas and ingenuity at every competition that deserves recognition. Just because one team has an incredible arm that can do everything well doesn't mean another team's 4 speed automatic transmission is any less deserving of attention, or that another team's incredible autonomous mode programming isn't worthy of recognition. It's important to acknowledge as many teams as possible with awards, not only for recognition, but because in many cases it adds fuel to a team's competative spirit, and can often increase support within a community.