[MrForbes]

I'm with a rookie team, here as a chaperone (parent of a team member), although I am also an engineer.

I know that the Event is open to the public, but is the public invited? It looks like almost everyone here is with a team, or helping to put on the show. Where are the yellow busses full of local kids I expect to see? and their parents? and other folks who might get a kick out of watching machines play ball, and might get inspired to think "hey, that looks like fun, I wonder if I could do that!"?

Is this event presented to the media as a spectator sport?

Does the faculty of EVERY school within reasonable driving distance know about this event?

The same questions apply to the regionals