[BuddyB309]

I have worked so hard to pass down my knowledge of animation down to incoming freshman. Now your telling me that all the work that will be done for the AVA entry is for nothing?

This kills a part of the FIRST community that draws in different kinds of people. Without regional competition for animation, none of the animators from other teams will see the work of others. There will be no knowledge exchange, and most of all there will be no motivation to submit an entry. I stayed in FIRST because of the AVA, I helped the team draw in people to FIRST and some join because they have an interest in animation but still learn about engineering. I'm very sure that the number of entries for the AVA will drop dramatically this year.

I am very upset at the fact that this is being done. I always had the feeling that winning at a regional level was greater than winning National because it was graded by peers who know exactly what you did to make your entry. Winning nationals seems more like a wild stab in the dark. I'm sure that the attendance at the Auto-desk booth is going to be very low this year.