[Eugenia Gabrielov]

I can't say I'm surprised that this has been an issue. However, I definitly agree with something said above. In a period of time where it is getting harder and harder for teams to afford multiple regionals without strain, the first thing that gets cut back has to be outside of the competition itself. However, I think that there are a few things you should do if you're caught at a regional with nobody to spread robotics joy to after that Friday or whatever.

Your hotel probably has a good few other teams. At the National level, this is more likely to happen, but I remember having at least 1 or 2 other teams from MWR at our hotel last year. Also, at competitions, if you've got a laptop, that's a great way to socialize, providing you have internet access in your hotel room and you pay for that, not your team.

I plan to have loads of fun hugging during the day, and make my team social last all day. Robotics is a unique competitive event in that you have so much time to interact during competition, and that this is a huge part of the expectation at a regional event. Use it well!