Quote:
Originally Posted by dwaynetrip3119
I never been to IRI and i never really heard of it till this season( since its my first time in FRC) but, it seems as though IRI is bigger than the championship on account of how much its talked about and how many team can go.
|
This is an opinion only and everyone who is passionate about IRI and about the Championship has an opinion about them, I'm sure.
IRI is not bigger than the Championship. It has steadily built a reputation over time and this reputation is very strong and very solid. The off-season organizers have taken the time to develop the competition (and all of the other areas that are a part of the competition and aspects of the event), making it run like a well-oiled machine and a powerful one.
It is an extraordinary off-season. That said, it is not the Championship and never will be. Comparing them is not fair to either event, really. It's fun to talk about the teams and the rankings and the excitement of IRI and you can talk about the caliber of teams and people involved in IRI. It is still not the Championship.
The white papers that one of the organizers, Chris Fultz, puts out regarding IRI are excellent guides in how to develop and run an off-season event like IRI. Those prove very helpful in regions like mine where there have not been any off-seasons for a long time and we are just now starting to offer one again. The information that Chris makes available is invaluable and generous and I, for one, am very appreciative.
The Championship is the Championship. FLL, FTC, FRC - everyone gathered from all over the world in Atlanta. That's pretty good stuff there. It is the official culmination of the build and competition season and is a celebration. IRI extends the season into an off-season and it allows teams to let new drive teams gain some experience during the downtime and to compete again before the official season begins anew. Off-season events are great for that.
You can go back and search for/find threads regarding the IRI event for past years. They can be interesting reads and can give you a little added insight into the event and the planning of it.