**FIRST EMAIL**/2013 Championship Registration/2013 FRC Season Dates and Deadlines/As

[Mark McLeod]

**FIRST EMAIL**/2013 Championship Registration/2013 FRC Season Dates and Deadlines/Ask an Expert Call


Greetings Teams:

2013 Championship Registration: Championship Registration for Pre-Qualifying Teams opens on 10/11/12 at noon EST in TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso. Pre-Qualifying teams are as follows:

• Hall of Fame teams
• Original and Sustaining teams
• 2012 Championship Engineering Inspiration Award winner
• 2012 Einstein teams

New this season: Open Championship registration has changed to open Championship wait list registration. During this enrollment period, FRC teams will immediately go onto a wait list for the FIRST Championship.

As the number of FRC teams and events continue to grow, the number of merit-based qualifying teams also grows. We can't predict the exact number of slots that will be available to veteran teams through an open registration process, but the number is likely to be small.

We will release FIRST Championship slots to wait listed teams as the season progresses and we become comfortable that all merit-based qualifying teams (teams winning awards at 2013 events that qualify them to go to Championship) are being accommodated.

For more information on Championship registration, including information on wait list registration dates, please visit: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...ility-criteria.

As a reminder, initial regional and initial qualifying event registration opens on Thursday, 9/27/12 at noon EST.
2013 FRC Season Dates and Deadlines: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/calendar/.

Ask an Expert Call: Join Senior Mentors Mike Siegel and Mike Henry for the Ask an Expert call "FRC Team Mentor Orientation 101". The call will be taking place on Wednesday, 9/19/12 at 7 pm EST. You can find details on all of this season’s Ask an Expert calls here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...nce-recordings.

Go Teams!

[Alpha Beta]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

**FIRST EMAIL**/2013 Championship Registration/2013 FRC Season Dates and Deadlines/Ask an Expert Call

We will release FIRST Championship slots to wait listed teams as the season progresses and we become comfortable that all merit-based qualifying teams (teams winning awards at 2013 events that qualify them to go to Championship) are being accommodated.

How is the wait list cleared?

• Is it first on first off?
• Longest absence from champs goes first?
• Merit criteria based on robot performance in season?

I thought it was first on first off, but when 188 and 1732 both made it into Champs off the waitlist at the last minute in 2011 I started to wonder if their was some handpicking or if their number just happened to be up. Two great teams for sure.

Does FIRST publish the waitlist or let you know in any way how far down the list you are?

[waialua359]

FIRST has not published the waitlist the past several years and they have already mentioned that no list will be currently.
Personally, I think they should.
If a larger part of the priority is given to teams that sign up on the waitlist first, it makes sense to show whether you are, for example, #5 on the list vs. #100.

Travel plans and expenses arent something that a team can just whip up and call it a day.

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by waialua359

FIRST has not published the waitlist the past several years and they have already mentioned that no list will be currently.
Personally, I think they should.
If a larger part of the priority is given to teams that sign up on the waitlist first, it makes sense to show whether you are, for example, #5 on the list vs. #100.

Travel plans and expenses arent something that a team can just whip up and call it a day.

I hope FIRST considers this! That will be a train wreck waiting to happen if teams are notified after week 7 qualifiers register.

If not....

I predict that Championship won't be at max capacity this year.

[Mark McLeod]

What do you think about the adoption of Wild Card Slots for the 2013 FIRST Championship for Regional Finalist teams?

[Phyrxes]

I think its an interesting idea but wonder what kind of time table you would be under to pull it together.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

What do you think about the adoption of Wild Card Slots for the 2013 FIRST Championship for Regional Finalist teams?

Awesome!

[Laaba 80]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

What do you think about the adoption of Wild Card Slots for the 2013 FIRST Championship for Regional Finalist teams?

That is an awesome change! The only thing I dont like about it is that finalists from the earlier weeks get left out.

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

What do you think about the adoption of Wild Card Slots for the 2013 FIRST Championship for Regional Finalist teams?

My response.


I don't like this idea at all. Why is a team who gets one of these slots just because they are lucky enough to be at a regional where there is a duplicate winner deserve the spot any more than a team that wasn't lucky enough to be at a regional with a duplicate winner? This will also favor teams who attend late season regionals.

This will also leave very few spots (if none at all available) for wait listed teams.

Please don't do this. But if you do, at least give the spot to the team who is the highest seed that didn't earn a spot by being lucky enough to win.

[XaulZan11]

I think it is better than the old system, but still has flaws. Teams that play at earlier regionals are severely disadvantaged, alliance selections may be affected (if teams are smart), and there will be conflicted motives as teams may want to play the tougher, but already qualified, alliances in the finals. Teams may have to choose if they want to put themselves in position to more likely win the event or qualify for the championship. While not as severe, it reminds me a little of the 2010 ranking system.

It is certainly a step in the right direction, but I hope the details alliavate some of my concerns.

[Siri]

I like the idea, but I don't like the execution much either. First, I agree with IndySam that it has a very weird element of luck to it. (There's always luck, but be-at-this-event luck seems to push it to me.) It also seems to be rather arbitrarily limited: why doesn't it include other pre-qualified teams? What about double qualifiers from the same event: winner winning Chairman's? Or if one of the culture winners qualifies earlier? Someone gets a shot if I (haha) win Chairman's and then an event but not an event and then a Chairman's?

What might be the downsides to taking all/most/some of the double-qual slots and turning them into 1+ at-large wildcard/merit-ranked/lottery bids? Still less room for buy-ins,* but at least it avoids some of the win vs qualify and early vs late event issues.


*I still feel like there must be a better way to do the buy-in thing. Ok, maybe there's a case for the inspiration it can lend to less-winning teams, but shouldn't everyone have to do something? Write an persuasive essay, give a presentation, volunteer/liaison...something? Everyone's got something more than just a fast finger to offer. <<Crazy talk.

[Travis Hoffman]

I think Canadian teams who attend Waterloo and GTR West are partying tonight.

[Gregor]

Originally Posted by Travis Hoffman

I think Canadian teams who attend Waterloo and GTR West are partying tonight.

[BrendanB]

Whatever they decide it won't be 100% fair.

Good move FIRST, I support thee as a week one competitor!

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by IndySam

My response.


I don't like this idea at all. Why is a team who gets one of these slots just because they are lucky enough to be at a regional where there is a duplicate winner deserve the spot any more than a team that wasn't lucky enough to be at a regional with a duplicate winner? This will also favor teams who attend late season regionals.

This will also leave very few spots (if none at all available) for wait listed teams.

Please don't do this. But if you do, at least give the spot to the team who is the highest seed that didn't earn a spot by being lucky enough to win.

You bring up some discussion worthy points.
But we all know the current system isnt fair either.
Why should Hawaii teams who cant log in to sign up for CMP on the waitlist vs. US mainland teams, be penalized to fall further on the waitlist.

In the past, we waited almost 20-30 minutes of constantly trying to sign in to sign up for CMP.

Its definitely a step in the right direction.