Three important lessons your team might not get without going to more than one regional-
- Importance of robust and reliable design and fabrication
- Understanding of how strategy evolves with each week (shared learning)
- Adaptation to new and different circumstances
Three important factors that having regional winners at more than one event MIGHT make it worth the risk to a smaller or newer team-
- “David vs. Goliath” factor- They might take down the big guy
- “Rocky” factor- They might go the distance against the big guy
- “Tiger Woods” factor- Everybody loves watching that guy’s game
Alternatives, such as an elimination process where regional winners only play regional winners by design EXCLUDES more teams than it INCLUDES (not from competing but from competing with the really strong teams). I'd be afraid we all would loose the opportunity to share in a pretty amazing community.
When my dad started a rookie team, they couldn't and still can't afford two regionals, but there are alternatives, such as WATCHING TOGETHER the live or recorded feeds of other regionals and COMPETING in off-season events...two relatively inexpensive ways to get some of those same benefits.