[archiver]

Posted by Andrew Trax, Coach on team #180, S.P.A.M., from Southfork,Martin Co. High and UTC.

Posted on 5/7/99 4:41 AM MST


In Reply to: New bags may get discouraged... posted by Daniel on 5/6/99 10:50 PM MST:



: I completely agree that more trials are needed. I'm sure you've seen my messages stating just that. But if the trials you use are fake, it just becomes another 'tilt of the scale' (to use your analogy).

: Although I do believe it's true that the proposed system may make the upper teams more accurately ranked, I fear it could discourage new teams that don't go to regionals.

: The new guys are exactly the wrong people to discourage.

: This is about inspiration, remember? We can't have people dropping out because of an inherent unfairness in the system. In fact, if I'm thinking about this correctly, it would be worse than 'tilting the scale'. It would be more like placing it on a slanted table. The unfairness that you were referring to was due to ill luck. The proposed unfairness is actually designed into the system. Something just doesn't feel right about that. I can't force myself to believe that a good system can TRY to be unfair. Unfortunately I think the proposed system does just that.

: Although the current system is flawed, it isn’t trying to be unfair.

: Perhaps I'm completely off my rocker here. Perhaps rookie teams often make it to regionals. I really don't know. Do any of you know what the general trend is for rookie teams?

:
: Thoughts?
: -Daniel

I agree with you, Daniel. But the obvious way to take the 'slant out of
the table' is to make the regionals preliminary to a national playoff and
not include those 'bags of gold' that skew the results. Then you have
new problems such as financing for regional winners that aren't prepare
for a trip to Florida.
And the solution to that is to make the trip to
EPCOT to compete in the Nationals the prize for winning at a regional
provided FIRST could find the financial support to pay for 60 teams (10
regionals X top 6 teams approx.) 20 players per team, over 300 hotel rooms,
1000 airline tickets... It would be expensive but with the right backers
it could happen.
As much as I dislike the idea of only going to Nationals if you win the
right (we were a rookie team in '98 that only went to National), I know that
it would take a lot of the 'luck factor' out of the game if they stick
with the alliance format.
That would also limit each team to one regional. And we've heard the complaints
that the teams with deep pockets get an unfair advantage by travelling to
multiple regionals. And I agree that it's a waste to knock yourself out for
for months and only compete once or twice. So, give the robots back to the
teams between the Regionals (held on the same weekend) and the National
and hold Invitationals in between (?). Let everyone tweak and primp their
robots as much as they want before Nationals for, say, three weeks.
It would make Nationals one tough game and probably worthy of national
air time.

(I really think something like this will happen anyway, like it or not).

Mrs. Trax