[Joe Johnson]

(continued from above)

I think that FIRST has come up with a solomon like proposal. They have split the baby 3 ways:

Solomon Split #1:
Good teams from past years get about 1/2 (good meaning not just good robots but good teams meaning winners of Chairman's Awards, Animation competitions, judges awards and also teams with good robots).

Solomon Split #2:
About 1/2 of the slots given to some sort of random or nearly random picking process (say even/odd team numbers).

Solomon Split #3:
They would also leave enough slots open for teams that win a regional but were not otherwise already invited. If you are good enough or lucky enough to win a regional, you get a ticket to the dance. It may mean last minute airfares and other expensive stuff, but hey, this is the Big Show! If it is prestigous enough to get to go, I think most teams will be able to find enough friends to support the team in their finest hour -- heck, it may even get a bit of local TV coverage that we have had such a hard time getting on any consistant basis.

I know this is a tough pill for a lot of folks to take, but I think it is medicine that will make us stronger in the end.

Joe J.