Top 5!

[Andy Grady]

Well with all the New Years top 10's and so forth goin on, I figured I would throw out my top 5 regionals to watch in the 2003 season...

5. J&J Mid-Atlantic Regional: This makes the top 5 just for its history. The team list is lacking of a few of the teams that really made this the best regional in these past two years, but one thing is for certain, teams at this regional come to play, and come to play hard. Not to mention, very physical!

4. Arizona Regional: New regional with some really strong teams. Kingman, Cortez, Gunn, and the Gilamonsters...need I say more? Strongest regional out west, probably will be alot of fun to watch too!

3. Central Florida Regional: I liked the look of this regional's team list when I first looked at it, and the more I think of it, the more I think it will be one of the best this year. With the very experienced Boeing and Astronaut, Aces High, and Heatwave, not to mention a solid core of young teams, it should be a very interesting battle.

2. Great Lakes Regional: Doesn't take a genious to figure this one out. Most midwesterners will say it is the best regional of the year. I probably would have said so to if it was being held in Manchester and the Technokats and Beatty were on the team list. Either way though, these are some of the best in the country, all eyes will be in MI that weekend.

1. BAE Systems, Granite State Regional: Manchester NH, thats all I have to say! The return of FIRST to Manchester is going to be one of the best. The best teams from New England and beyond will be there. Though I was slightly dissapointed not to see Rage on the list, the rest of the field is pretty much all experienced and known to be extremely physical if the need be. Should be one for the ages to open up the FIRST regional season!

Happy Kickoff to all!
Andy Grady

[Yan Wang]

I'd have to argue that the Canadian Regional should've made that list. It's the only one that's 'international', in its 2nd year now, and VERY well organized. The fact that it was such a great regional performance wise for my team and the fact it was organized and competitive was great. Plus, you get all the people.

[AdamT]

Not to get off subject, but I think this thread was inappropriate. No regional should be valued any more or less then any other regional. While the intent was to point out the regionals which should have the most competitive robots, you don't know what will happen this year and it devalues other regionals like VCU St.Louis that have gotten a lot of flack because almost all the participating teams have a lack of corparate sponsorship and are relatively new and end up not having the best robots in the world.

I think everyone should try and watch all the regionals if possible. I know last year I streamed multiple regionals on my computer and watched it on NASA TV.

My point is this...while the five mentioned regionals do have high potential, we need to recognize all regionals and learn from all teams. There are 22 regionals this year, and every one of them is as important to watch as the others.

[Andy Grady]

Though I understand your concern, I tend to disagree with you on the appropriateness of my message. As always, my messages are meant to stir up conversation and healty arguement over certain topics in FIRST. I have been in FIRST for 9 years and if anyone knows that the teams don't make the regional, its me. My post was just an opinion, not meant at downing any teams or any regionals. If I had my way, I'd get to watch every single one, because I love them all, and I've never seen a competition I didn't like. I just feel the need to make some sort of sensless "top 5" or "best teams" babble for the sake of getting people talking. Discussions of things like this are what makes the board fun, and what gets us all psyched up for events like tommorow's kickoff.

In closing, don't take anything I say on here too seriously, I am just very opinionated and I enjoy hearing people argue!

Have fun!
-Andy Grady

[Gope]

Not true. Not all are as important as others. Some regionals will have nearly a dozen proven veteran teams(very good teams), and if you intened to be competitive at Nationals then watching, and studying, the regionals with the proven best is the way to go. And that makes those regionals more important than others. It would be nice to watch, and study, all but there simply isnt time to comb 22 regionals looking for the handfull of competitive rookies.

[Cory]

Originally posted by Gope
Not true. Not all are as important as others. Some regionals will have nearly a dozen proven veteran teams(very good teams), and if you intened to be competitive at Nationals then watching, and studying, the regionals with the proven best is the way to go. And that makes those regionals more important than others. It would be nice to watch, and study, all but there simply isnt time to comb 22 regionals looking for the handfull of competitive rookies.

Handfull of rookies? I can name many many rookie teams that were excellent, and could beat some of these veteran teams you talk about... but i wont bore everyone with that

Cory

[Allen Smith]

I have been to 6 different regional venues and I think the best one from a spectator point of view is Rutgers. It is held in an old basketball gym with the seating elevated 20 feet above the floor. The seats are close to the field and only on one side, so the place is packed and everyone has a great view. Plenty of veteran teams make the action worthwhile to see.

The worst venues are ones where instead of a basketball venue it is a stage (like the Disney main stage) No one can see what is going on, I find myself watching the video instead of the live scene.

[GregT]

Originally posted by Allen Smith
I have been to 6 different regional venues and I think the best one from a spectator point of view is Rutgers. It is held in an old basketball gym with the seating elevated 20 feet above the floor. The seats are close to the field and only on one side, so the place is packed and everyone has a great view.

Canada is similar, hockey arena (it was really nice last year)!

Greg

[sidewinder]

As it has been stated in this forum, regionals aren;t watched, Specific teams are. Everyone knows all teams aren;t equal and there is an exceptionally large learning curve for rookies, but if a rookie had the money of 47, or the engineers of 71 then they could take it all their first year. And many seasoned veterans will never have the money or engineer support to reach the level of "the good teams" 1 33 45 47 60 64 65 66 67 68 71 111 173 175 just to name a few of my personal favorites.

But I am partial to the Great Lakes Regional.

[Andy Grady]

While a teams money and engineering can get them far and make them a team to watch every year, you don't necessarily have to have all kinds of money and engineers to do well. What it all comes down to is one thing, strategy. The best teams are those teams who can play the game smart, work well with their partner, and just work. I have seen many teams with sub par robots look like kings out on the playing field because they simply have to use their robot. Sure, money and engineers definately help you be a team to compete with every year, however, I have always said, give me a robot that will drive everytime it goes out on the field, and I can find a way to win with it. Thats what makes FIRST so exciting...every team has a chance.

Good Luck,
Andy Grady

[Matt Attallah]

Originally posted by Andy Grady
While a teams money and engineering can get them far and make them a team to watch every year, you don't necessarily have to have all kinds of money and engineers to do well. What it all comes down to is one thing, strategy. The best teams are those teams who can play the game smart, work well with their partner, and just work. I have seen many teams with sub par robots look like kings out on the playing field because they simply have to use their robot. Sure, money and engineers definately help you be a team to compete with every year, however, I have always said, give me a robot that will drive everytime it goes out on the field, and I can find a way to win with it. Thats what makes FIRST so exciting...every team has a chance.

Good Luck,
Andy Grady

I couldn't agree more!! You can have the best robot, but if your partner's robot isn't working, or your plan fails for some reasion, you are screwed, and you look like you really bite.

[AdamT]

Originally posted by Andy Grady
While a teams money and engineering can get them far and make them a team to watch every year, you don't necessarily have to have all kinds of money and engineers to do well. What it all comes down to is one thing, strategy. The best teams are those teams who can play the game smart, work well with their partner, and just work. I have seen many teams with sub par robots look like kings out on the playing field because they simply have to use their robot. Sure, money and engineers definately help you be a team to compete with every year, however, I have always said, give me a robot that will drive everytime it goes out on the field, and I can find a way to win with it. Thats what makes FIRST so exciting...every team has a chance.

Good Luck,
Andy Grady

This is the exact reason why I say no regional should be glorified more then another. There's no way to know where those strategizing geniuses are going to come from! Anyways...to watch the regionals only for teams with extrodinary histories is pointless. There are many sites now where you can just watch a match or two and see the functions. What can be learned from regionals is the strategy and team improvements. No one knows where the best of those two things will come from...

I do understand that this post was just for BSing and discussion...this is just my $.04

[Matt Attallah]

Originally posted by AdamT
...this is just my $.04

Gettin' fancy on us now? (btw, can i get that extra $.02, we can use all the money we can get!)

[AdamT]

Originally posted by Matt Attallah
Gettin' fancy on us now? (btw, can i get that extra $.02, we can use all the money we can get!)

Hey, I put my $.02 in twice...doesn't that make $.04 total??? Comon now, I'm a college student, I don't have THAT much money to throw!!

[George1902]

Originally posted by Andy Grady
While a teams money and engineering can get them far and make them a team to watch every year, you don't necessarily have to have all kinds of money and engineers to do well. What it all comes down to is one thing, strategy. The best teams are those teams who can play the game smart, work well with their partner, and just work. I have seen many teams with sub par robots look like kings out on the playing field because they simply have to use their robot. Sure, money and engineers definately help you be a team to compete with every year, however, I have always said, give me a robot that will drive everytime it goes out on the field, and I can find a way to win with it. Thats what makes FIRST so exciting...every team has a chance.

Good Luck,
Andy Grady

Amen! strategy and reliability rules!