I think it is important that FIRST teams try to work with FIRST, not agains FIRST, with this decision. FIRST was faced with a situation this year that they quite simply did not have enough time to prepare for. Just a few years ago, Disney said they would continue to grow as FIRST grows. Now, situations have changed, and FIRST has become aware that Disney can not hold that promise. Nationals takes over a year of hard planning to make it happen. The 2002 nationals has probably been in the works for about a year now. As the number of teams took off over the past couple years and Disney suddenly says we can't get any bigger, FIRST can't simply switch venues or plans very quickly. Moving to another venue would probably require about a couple years of planning.... Look how long it takes to organize the Olympics (and hey, we're almost getting as big as them
).
While many of us may be disappointed with FIRST's decision and may have disagreements with certain details, I urge teams to look beyond what FIRST has done for this season. At the same time, I urge FIRST (if they haven't started already) to look at all options, and find a long term solution that will satisfy the needs of all teams. If we need to limit nationals, so be it, but let's give all teams a shot of getting there, and give no team a free pass.
Patrick