[JesseK]

Personally I'm glad FIRST leaves some spots open to general teams. Teams should be allowed to go at least once every 4 years because every student deserves a chance to experience it regardless of a team's funding situation (complicated robot, booking reservations at an elevated price because it's only 2 weeks away, etc), mechanical abilities, or the fact that other veteran teams come in and snipe their regionals every year. Without the lottery some teams would NEVER get a chance to go to championships, and let's be honest -- FRC is, and should be, about opportunity more than it is about competition.