Which region is the best?

[Duke461]

Alright Chief Delphi, it's time to debate: What region is the number one FRC region? By this I mean competition, outreach, awards, everything. Where's the "powerhouse" zone? Inspired by this thread (thanks jane!) http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...threadid=93295
Here are the regions, split by the official uscensus regions (http://www.census.gov/geo/www/us_regdiv.pdf)
West (california, oregon, etc.)
South (Texas, Georgia, etc.)
Northeast (Pennsylvania, New York, etc.) + Pacific (alaska & hawaii) since the NE has the smallest region
Midwest (Indiana, Michigan, etc.)
Personally my vote goes to the Midwest (no bias there......), but the Midwest does have a surplus of world championships
Let the debating begin! Be careful not to bash on other teams, this a peaceful discussion

[Alan Anderson]

Midwest has Michigan, Team Hammond, and Andy Baker. Game over.

[lenny8]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Midwest has Michigan, Team Hammond, and Andy Baker. Game over.

that was fast

[Tetraman]

Northeast has Rochester, Xerox, 191, 229, 340, 1511, 1126, 174, 175, 176, 177 and 178, the Finger Lakes Regional and RIT.

A good enough close second.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Midwest has Michigan, Team Hammond, and Andy Baker. Game over.

Michigan is a region of it's own these days and no one else is allowed to come play. I don't think we should count them as part of a greater "midwest" anymore. If we count them as their own region, they win hands-down.

In my opinion, without "talent-density" of Michigan the rest of the midwest is about the same as anywhere else with a handful of powerhouses.

-John

[JaneYoung]

Duke,

First of all, you are welcome. Secondly, this could be another interesting thread if contributors to the thread use wisdom and integrity when posting. It won't do any justice to the topic to have posts filled with all sorts of empty bragging and generalizations.

Also, the thread you linked to that inspired this thread has come about because there are such dramatic differences in regions and the amount of experience, support, and understanding within and about those regions. That thread is to bring attention to those differences and shed light on some of the reasons. It is also going to be used to put together some information that I want to use for different purposes in identifying the weaknesses and what we can do to strengthen them in order to build sustainable programs in our regions. This would allow for the competitive experience to become a consistent standard of excellence. The key word in this whole initiative is: excellence. Spend 5 minutes listening to Andy Baker and you will hear that word 3 times. The trick is, you have to listen and then comprehend and then act, if you care about the standard of excellence. I'm acting.

Good luck with figuring out the best region, Duke. I look forward to reading the replies.

Jane

[PayneTrain]

Northeast: It's where it all started, it's where you have the big Hall-of Famers, the most stacked regionals, and the best offseason events and outreach. NE all the way.

[Dustin Shadbolt]

Midwest.

Again Andy and other great people.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by JVN

Michigan is a region of it's own these days and no one else is allowed to come play. I don't think we should count them as part of a greater "midwest" anymore. If we count them as their own region, they win hands-down.

In my opinion, without "talent-density" of Michigan the rest of the midwest is about the same as anywhere else with a handful of powerhouses.

-John

As a Michigander I think that MI has a great top tier of teams but it tapers off very quickly. I believe that the density is to blame for that, 172 teams in a smallish state with a terrible economy means that resources are thin all around.

As for "best" region I have to ask for clarification of best. NE has the best defense around. The midwest has the scoring power houses. The West has some of the best machined robots out there. I'm not familiar enough with teams down south to say what they have. (Aside from Florida)

Also, who gets Canada?

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

As a Michigander I think that MI has a great top tier of teams but it tapers off very quickly. I believe that the density is to blame for that, 172 teams in a smallish state with a terrible economy means that resources are thin all around.

As for "best" region I have to ask for clarification of best. NE has the best defense around. The midwest has the scoring power houses. The West has some of the best machined robots out there. I'm not familiar enough with teams down south to say what they have. (Aside from Florida)

Also, who gets Canada?

I consider the Ontario teams part of the Midwest but obviously they are their own entity.

[Andy Grady]

Originally Posted by JVN

Michigan is a region of it's own these days and no one else is allowed to come play. I don't think we should count them as part of a greater "midwest" anymore. If we count them as their own region, they win hands-down.

-John

I'm the biggest New England/Northeast thumper in the world, and even I find it hard to argue with this statement. Fact of the matter is, Michigan has produced more Einstein contenders than anyone else could really even dream of. I sometimes wonder if that will ever change until there is a similar district model in other regions. Even then, it would be awfully hard to surpass the state of never ending powerhouses.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Andy Grady

I'm the biggest New England/Northeast thumper in the world, and even I find it hard to argue with this statement. Fact of the matter is, Michigan has produced more Einstein contenders than anyone else could really even dream of. I sometimes wonder if that will ever change until there is a similar district model in other regions. Even then, it would be awfully hard to surpass the state of never ending powerhouses.

I think the next best place for a district model is New England.

[smurfgirl]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

I think the next best place for a district model is New England.

More places to volunteer! Yay!

On topic, what about California? There are a lot of great teams out there too. I agree that Michigan has produced a lot of awesome teams, and of course I want to support my own region (the Northeast), but just some food for thought.

[Koko Ed]

Michigan has the most powerful teams.
Of all the regions I go to the Florida teams are the nicest.

[DonRotolo]

Rather than speculate, it would be an interesting exercise in statistics to see per capita which region is the 'best'.

An area with 150 teams that has 15 'great' teams is not as powerful as an area with 50 teams and 7 'great' teams. It may be possible that North Dakota is a greater powerhouse than MI (assuming ND has at least one team )

We'd need a definition of "best" though. Teams on Einstein I suppose. or?

Anyone up for that analysis?