FRC Blog - Inter-District play in 2016

[cgmv123]

http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...-Play-for-2016

Today's blog comes from Miriam Somero, FRC District Manager.

A cross-functional task force, which included volunteers from all eight FRC Districts, met to evaluate the 2015 inter-district play experience and propose a plan for inter-district play for 2016.

In the 2015 season, Districts collaborated with FIRST HQ to fill any “open” district event spots with teams from other districts. An “open district spot” is defined as a spot that remains open after all teams in a district have had the opportunity to sign up for their two events plus any additional plays they desire. In 2015, we had seven district teams take advantage of this new opportunity and play inter-district.

In the 2016 season inter-district play will continue much in the same manner as 2015.

Teams playing at a district event outside their home district will treat the out-of-district event in the same way that an in-district team treats an additional district event, meaning no points will be earned, but with a few additional caveats:

1. The event will be considered an “additional event” regardless of when it actually occurs. Example: A team from MAR signs up for its two official MAR district events, one on Week 1 and one on Week 4. Additionally, the team signs up for one of the open spots in New England during Week 3. Even though the New England event is before the team’s second official MAR event, the event will be treated as an additional event and the team would not earn any points at the New England event. We will retain the concept of teams only being able to earn points within their own districts. This concept will be reevaluated at the end of the 2016 season.
2. Additionally, the out-of-district team would not be eligible for the three Culture Changing Awards: Chairman’s Award, Engineering Inspiration Award, or Rookie All Star. These may be earned only at events within their home district. They will be eligible to win all other awards, but again, they will not earn points for these. The task force feels strongly that these most prestigious of all FRC awards should be reserved for in-district and recognized that presenting these awards to teams from outside the districts would lead to complications at the District Championship level. This direction, though, as the one above, will be evaluated at the end of the 2016 season.

The cost to register for an additional play at a district event outside a team’s home district is $1,000. Teams will continue to transport their robots to the event themselves. Each event may decide whether or not to provide drayage facilities for out-of-district teams. Drayage arrangements, if any, will be posted on the event’s website. If no drayage arrangements are available through the district, it will be the out-of-district team’s responsibility, logistically and financially, to make their own arrangements to get their robot to the event.

The one change for the coming season that the task force did recommend is a change in the timing of registration. They had feedback from teams that they did not participate last year as registration for inter-district events was so late that teams could not make all the necessary arrangements for travel.

The registration process will be as follows:

In-District additional play registration will open Thursday, November 5th, 2015, the same day as unrestricted registration for regionals.

Inter-District registration will begin 1 week later, Thursday, November 12th

• All teams registering inter-district will be put onto the waitlist

Registration closes & payments are due from the teams November 23rd

Teams will be notified shortly after December 11 as to whether or not a slot is available for them.

Non-district FRC teams will continue to not be eligible to participate in events within districts.

These decisions are final for the upcoming season, but as noted above, this system will be reviewed once again at the end of the 2016. Please send feedback on possible changes to inter-district play for the 2017 season to frcteams@usfirst.org. If you are a District team, be sure also to give your feedback to your District management, as each District has direct representation on the task force making these recommendations.

[RoboDawg]

This hurts.

"Non-district FRC teams will continue to not be eligible to participate in events within districts."

Once again we are excluded from our home. Seven years of alliance building and rivalry. Sigh.

On the road again.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by RoboDawg

This hurts.

"Non-district FRC teams will continue to not be eligible to participate in events within districts."

Ditto.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by RoboDawg

This hurts.

"Non-district FRC teams will continue to not be eligible to participate in events within districts."

Once again we are excluded from our home. Seven years of alliance building and rivalry. Sigh.

On the road again.

yup...It's really a way to further punish less sustainable regions. Additionally, it makes it less attractive for universities to host events because many want to attract non-local students. Since they get walled off from out of state students, the schools stop caring.

[IKE]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

yup...It's really a way to further punish less sustainable regions. Additionally, it makes it less attractive for universities to host events because many want to attract non-local students. Since they get walled off from out of state students, the schools stop caring.

I seriously doubt it is meant to punish less sustainable regions. Does it make it more difficult, yes, but punishment seems like the wrong word.

I do hope they are able to open inter district to teams traditionally doing regionals, but for various reasons, I see why they are not opeing it up yet.

I suspect we will continue to see the trend of "out of district" play being early in the season for many teams. There are a lot of good reasons to do a tune-up outside of your district. Hopefully this will fill and balance the early and (sometimes difficult to fill) events. It will also be a trip early in comp season which often helps form team unity. I am anxious to see how much this is taken advantage of this next year.

[jeremy callahan]

I understand your concerns but I believe you are going about it the wrong way, and think you need to take action in your community. So you, and your community can be more engaging with districts. In FRC we are always tasked with going up against the powerhouse teams. when you do play them we most often get destroyed, but you improve and strive to be like them and grow. So you and your community needs to strive to be like the districts and grow. Instead of saying how disappointing it is not to be them, and give up. The districts aren't going to stop growing because of the teams that haven't adapted yet.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by jeremy callahan

I understand your concerns but I believe you are going about it the wrong way, and think you need to take action in your community. So you, and your community can be more engaging with districts. In FRC we are always tasked with going up against the powerhouse teams. when you do play them we most often get destroyed, but you improve and strive to be like them and grow. So you and your community needs to strive to be like the districts and grow. Instead of saying how disappointing it is not to be them, and give up. The districts aren't going to stop growing because of the teams that haven't adapted yet.

While I understand your overall message, I dont think the reason is because of jealousy. This isnt a crab in the bucket situation. Districts are the way to go from a cost standpoint, and to me personally, it makes no difference whether I'm in a high school gym or in a big arena competing in an FRC event. Last year however, we did a "regional" held in a high school gym. Cost was $5,000 to compete.
I'm hoping that while districts continue to increase in the years to come, that non-district teams have a chance to help fill slots AFTER every district team has had a chance to sign up.
We want to play in Michigan one day,......we hope.

[first3234]

Originally Posted by waialua359

While I understand your overall message, I dont think the reason is because of jealousy. This isnt a crab in the bucket situation. Districts are the way to go from a cost standpoint, and to me personally, it makes no difference whether I'm in a high school gym or in a big arena competing in an FRC event. Last year however, we did a "regional" held in a high school gym. Cost was $5,000 to compete.
I'm hoping that while districts continue to increase in the years to come, that non-district teams have a chance to help fill slots AFTER every district team has had a chance to sign up.
We want to play in Michigan one day,......we hope.

When Hawaii goes to districts and if there's spots available we will welcome you here to Michigan

[Aren Siekmeier]

Originally Posted by first3234

When Hawaii goes to districts and if there's spots available we will welcome you here to Michigan

You're already free to compete at the Hawaii regional. On the other hand, Hawaii teams can't do the opposite and compete in Michigan. And what about teams in areas where supporting a district system can't happen in the near future, if ever?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Aren Siekmeier

And what about teams in areas where supporting a district system can't happen in the near future, if ever?

You mean like Hawaii?

Here's the #1 problem with districts in HI.

It's NOT the number of teams.
It's NOT the distance from the mainland.


It's that Every. Single. Time. a team from HI wants to compete in a location that is NOT on their island, they have to airfreight the robot AND fly the team (well, they could possibly catch a ferry... but that takes a lot longer).


So, for those of you in MI, particularly the Lower Peninsula, to understand: You need to attend an event at the MN border, and the Mackinac Bridge is out (and there's a ferry starting in Detroit if you really want to take a couple of days). Now make that TWO districts like that. That's Hawaii's problem, in a nutshell.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by EricH

You mean like Hawaii?

Here's the #1 problem with districts in HI.

It's NOT the number of teams.
It's NOT the distance from the mainland.


It's that Every. Single. Time. a team from HI wants to compete in a location that is NOT on their island, they have to airfreight the robot AND fly the team (well, they could possibly catch a ferry... but that takes a lot longer).


So, for those of you in MI, particularly the Lower Peninsula, to understand: You need to attend an event at the MN border, and the Mackinac Bridge is out (and there's a ferry starting in Detroit if you really want to take a couple of days). Now make that TWO districts like that. That's Hawaii's problem, in a nutshell.

I wish it was that good.
The teams that are not on Oahu complain every year. The amount they spend to compete in Honolulu is astronomical and more than half of what they would spend to compete in California as an example.
Robots have to be flown to every event attended other than Oahu teams. There is no ferry that you speak of. Long gone. Robots would never be able to compete in back to back weekends due to the way it has to ship from event to event.
With hotel expenses, the neighbor island teams find themselves spending a lot more than us who can go home daily.
Driving to an event makes districts more feasible. Being from Hawaii makes it just about impossible both financially and logistically.

[Paul Copioli]

Glenn,

This is one of the prices you pay for living in paradise my friend.

[Christopher149]

Originally Posted by EricH

So, for those of you in MI, particularly the Lower Peninsula, to understand: You need to attend an event at the MN border, and the Mackinac Bridge is out (and there's a ferry starting in Detroit if you really want to take a couple of days). Now make that TWO districts like that. That's Hawaii's problem, in a nutshell.

I tease a little, but you could just go via Chicago in this situation.

Probably more like the event is on Isle Royale.

[MARS_James]

I am hoping one day preferably sooner rather then later FIRST will allow individual teams to choose what their team will be doing, what I mean is you have a list of every District with a button and then a Regional System button. Let teams who geographically are closer to a district, even if it isn't their "home" district, choose to be in a district while teams in a district who geographically better suited to go to a regional choose to opt out of a districts. It has become abundantly clear that state borders do not make the best markers for district borders.

[logank013]

Originally Posted by RoboDawg

This hurts.

"Non-district FRC teams will continue to not be eligible to participate in events within districts."

Once again we are excluded from our home. Seven years of alliance building and rivalry. Sigh.

On the road again.

I don't even understand that rule. When Michigan teams come to participate in the IN districts, it is strictly practice. Why can't Illinois teams and Ohio teams come to IN district events for practice too. It just doesn't make sense. I bet the only reason is the fact that going to a district event that means nothing will give regional teams extra time to change their robot for 1/5 of the price rendering some regionals unfair due to some teams having more time to change their robot.