View Single Post
  #102   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 31-07-2008, 14:52
Branden Ghena's Avatar
Branden Ghena Branden Ghena is offline
Previously: tawnos23
FRC #0240 (TEMPEST)
Team Role: College Student
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Rookie Year: 2004
Location: Houghton, Michigan (MTU)
Posts: 303
Branden Ghena has a spectacular aura aboutBranden Ghena has a spectacular aura aboutBranden Ghena has a spectacular aura about
Re: New FIRST competition structure in Michigan

Pros:

Multiple Events!!! - This would be a first for my team. We have never been able to raise the money to go to multiple events.

No Shipping - For those local teams who remember shipping was terrible this year, with our UPS (or Fedex I don't actually remember) calling us at the end of the last day of build season saying they wouldn't be able to pick up our robot on time.

Cons:

No Practice Day - For Team 240, and I'm sure many others, practice day is the first time our robot sets its wheels on the field. Without a practice day it will be very difficult to implement a good autonomous/hybrid mode.

Additional Cost for Michigan Championship - Even if our team made it to the Michigan Championship, I'm not sure we would be able to raise the funds to compete in it.

Overall:

I like the idea. I think its going to give us more time to compete with our robot while still keeping costs down. And as mentioned, its a pilot, if it doesn't work FIRST can kill it. If it does work, however, I can see this moving on to all of FIRST.
__________________
Branden Ghena - Michigan Tech Student and Team 240 Alumnus
Working Towards: Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Double Major

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf
Reply With Quote