Hello,
I personally don't mind collaboration in some form or another... if teams want to work together and they end up having a great time and feel inspired in some way, then the collaboration has been successful.
Now in terms of plans...
This isn't definite at
all and I'm not in a leadership role on the team anymore but I know that students and other mentors on team 772 wanted to try some sort of collaboration (or it might just possibly be a mentorship) next year with a possible new team in the Windsor (Ontario) area or reviving one that only lasted through their rookie year in 2003 (they have taken part in a smaller robot competition in the few years since then).
The point is that the Windsor, ON area, along with pretty much every other area of Canada with FIRST teams outside of the GTA (the Toronto District School Board has done wonders for FIRST's growth in Canada) does not have enough knowledge of/support for FIRST, and we are trying to change that. I know for certain that there are quite a few other schools in Essex County and Windsor that have very well-equipped machine shops like Sandwich Secondary does, and Windsor is a hotbed for the auto industry in Canada. Yet there are only three (772, 773, 776) teams there. There is great potential for funding and raising awareness, and I think that partnerships with FIRST teams in this area of Ontario could definitely make it happen!
--edit--
Re: (post above mine)
Once any team gets to the competition, if they are in a position to win, why wouldn't they take it? The main difference between allying with your good friends who have an equally dominant (identical) robot and pairing up with some other team with an equally dominant (but different) robot is that you're pairing up with your friends.*edit again* - this may still be true but apparently it isn't the deciding factor in why the Niagara teams picked each other this year. (see Karthik's post below...)
I can see how it seems unfair, but it's pretty much the same situation with every #1 seed alliance that goes on to win regionals. They are generally the most dominant and it's very possible that they will fly through the elimination rounds (of course I'm not saying that this is always the case).
Personally I'd love to win a regional with some of my best friends
.