Einstein seating: possible solution

[BJC]

This thread is a proposition to fix a problem that has bothered me since I went to my first Championship: Viewability when watching Einstein.

I propose the solution of pivoting the Einstein field 45 degrees so it faces into a corner of the stadium as opposed to how it is now.. hear me out.

1. Giant TV/ Suite seating:
-Einstein currently lies directly in front of the big projecting screen and suite seating which is situated on the second level of the arena taking up basically all potential seating in front of the field on the second level.
-Turning the field would allow for three entire levels of seats directly in front of of the field.

2. Surface area:
-Currently, Einstein lies along the flat straight stands surrounding the arena. This ensures that only seats directly in front of the field can completely see what is happening—A relatively small amount of seats for such a large event.
-Turning the field would allow for a larger amount of seats directly in front of the field because of the curvature as opposed to straight/linear seating. In addition the curvature of the field would act as a partial dome around the field (dome seating being the ideal seating situation for a field of this sort) allowing people a much better view even if they are not situated directly in front of the field.

Obviously, there are also issues with doing this.
Thoughts? Concerns? Other Solutions?

Just an idea I had, Bryan

[Chris Hibner]

Here is what I would REALLY like to see for a future championship.

1) Get rid of domes. They're such big caverns that the atmosphere is usually bad, the site lines are bad, etc.

2) Find a convention center next to a 20k-25k seat basketball arena.

3) Put one field in the arena and three fields in the pits (hey, I loved the pit fields - just get more seats).

4) Cycle the divisions through the arena field (thurs afternoon Curie, Friday morning, Newton, etc.) and the rest of the matches on the smaller fields. Remember the old days when they did this at EPCOT? It worked just fine.

5) Awards ceremony and Einstein matches in the basketball area, which would be JAMMED PACKED with spectators. The view would be good, and the atmosphere would be absolutely electric. It would feel like the NCAA basketball championship or game 7 of the Stanley Cup.

[nikeairmancurry]

Originally Posted by Chris Hibner

Here is what I would REALLY like to see for a future championship.

1) Get rid of domes. They're such big caverns that the atmosphere is usually bad, the site lines are bad, etc.

2) Find a convention center next to a 20k-25k seat basketball arena.

3) Put one field in the arena and three fields in the pits (hey, I loved the pit fields - just get more seats).

4) Cycle the divisions through the arena field (thurs afternoon Curie, Friday morning, Newton, etc.) and the rest of the matches on the smaller fields. Remember the old days when they did this at EPCOT? It worked just fine.

5) Awards ceremony and Einstein matches in the basketball area, which would be JAMMED PACKED with spectators. The view would be good, and the atmosphere would be absolutely electric. It would feel like the NCAA basketball championship or game 7 of the Stanley Cup.

I love this idea.. I could image having a full house of stands filled to the rim.. It just makes the place feel LOUDER!

[jblay]

Originally Posted by Chris Hibner

Here is what I would REALLY like to see for a future championship.

1) Get rid of domes. They're such big caverns that the atmosphere is usually bad, the site lines are bad, etc.

2) Find a convention center next to a 20k-25k seat basketball arena.

3) Put one field in the arena and three fields in the pits (hey, I loved the pit fields - just get more seats).

4) Cycle the divisions through the arena field (thurs afternoon Curie, Friday morning, Newton, etc.) and the rest of the matches on the smaller fields. Remember the old days when they did this at EPCOT? It worked just fine.

5) Awards ceremony and Einstein matches in the basketball area, which would be JAMMED PACKED with spectators. The view would be good, and the atmosphere would be absolutely electric. It would feel like the NCAA basketball championship or game 7 of the Stanley Cup.

Wow that is a really awesome idea. I too was fine with the pit fields and this would make Einstein and playing in the arena so amazing. You could even pull this off in a dome by filling up the field with bleachers considering FIRST is probably already locked into a few years in St. Louis.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Chris Hibner

2) Find a convention center next to a 20k-25k seat basketball arena.

Your choices are:

• Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.
• Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (technically under 20k in basketball configuration)

[nikeairmancurry]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Your choices are:

• Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.
• Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (technically under 20k in basketball configuration)

500 miles from St. Louis to Oklahoma City... Maybe to much westward travel?

[Alex Dinsmoor]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Your choices are:

• Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.
• Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (technically under 20k in basketball configuration)

What about Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Convention Center in Detroit, MI?

[Robby Unruh]

The drive to Atlanta would take our team about 7 or 8 hours. The drive to St. Louis would take our team about 7 or 8 hours.

I don't want to go any farther west.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by nikeairmancurry

500 miles from St. Louis to Oklahoma City... Maybe to much westward travel?

I'd be more worried about the other logistics. The OKC airport only services 1/4 of the passengers a year compared to the one in StL. There's no subway or train service, only a bus route for public transit (and that only runs sparsely outside of peak hours).
Greensboro's airport has very few connecting airports and the only major airlines that serve it are Delta, United, and US Airways (no service from Southwest or American Airlines). I have no idea what public transit exists there.

Originally Posted by Alex Dinsmoor

What about Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Convention Center in Detroit, MI?

Woops, missed that one due to the fact I was looking at basketball arenas and Joe Louis only services hockey regularly. But I also doubt that Joe Louis would be willing to part with a solid block of 3-4 days in mid-late April due to the NHL playoffs.

[dodar]

Oh, Oh! I know where FIRST can go...Atlanta! Nothing was wrong with the Georgia Dome/GWCC.

[cpeister]

Originally Posted by Alex Dinsmoor

What about Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Convention Center in Detroit, MI?

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

But I also doubt that Joe Louis would be willing to part with a solid block of 3-4 days in mid-late April due to the NHL playoffs.

There is actually an arena attached to Cobo Hall, although it only seats 12,191. Good luck getting Joe Louis from the Red Wings

However, I think that playing in a convention centre, just wouldn't have the championship feel. Although St. Louis was my first trip to CMP, I felt that the Dome fields felt much more like a championship than the pit fields. This is just my opinion though... I would expect that FIRST will stay with Domes even after St. Louis, but only time will tell.

[Colin P]

Cobo Hall would be perfect. The remodeling is going to be under way for the next few years, though. Maybe we'll see this in 2014 or so when it's finished?

[Marc S.]

Originally Posted by Chris Hibner

Here is what I would REALLY like to see for a future championship.

...

2) Find a convention center next to a 20k-25k seat basketball arena.

...

The only problem I see with this is that there were 20k-30k people in the dome watching Einstein. That means that a smaller dome/arena will be MORE Packed with less room to move around. That doesn' seem like a better atmosephere to me.


On a separate note, I would like to see opening ceremonies shown on all of the field screens. 10k+ people trying to get from the pits to the dome and then back again all at once in a hury seems like a bit of a saftey hazard. And to think that there could have been a similar situation in BOTH directions is kind've scary.

[Chris_Elston]

Originally Posted by Chris Hibner

2) Find a convention center next to a 20k-25k seat basketball arena.

Conceso Fieldhouse, Indy. 18K seats.
http://www.seats3d.com/nba/indiana_pacers/

3 Blocks away Convention Center or of course Lucas Oil Stadium.
http://www.lucasoilstadium.com/Asset...wntown_Map.jpg

[TJ92]

Cobo Hall makes just too much sense! Think about it.
-Greatest concentration of FRC teams in the immediate area. (roughly 80 teams could potentially commute to the event)
-2 large arenas that could hold a pair of fields each.
-The big three automakers (together probably the largest sponsors of FRC teams)
-Some parts of Detroit (particularly around Cobo) are not bad at all, and are actually vibrant urban communities
-No fields in the pits.
-Wings might not be playing there by the time it is feasible, leaving The Joe empty and desperate for events