FRC Blogged - Championship!

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Making awesome competition robots is not FIRST's goal. FIRST's goal is changing the culture to make science and technology as celebrated as sports and entertainment.

Agreed.

Someone once told me when I started my first FIRST team back in the day something that I remind myself every year: "If you go to a FIRST event expecting to see a robotics competition, you missed the point."

I think some of you have missed the point of what we are trying to do here. It's not about the robot.

[dodar]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

Agreed.

Someone once told me when I started my first FIRST team back in the day something that I remind myself every year: "If you go to a FIRST event expecting to see a robotics competition, you missed the point."

I think some of you have missed the point of what we are trying to do here. It's not about the robot.

Well isn't the regional/district supposed to inspire and the FIRST Championship supposed to awestruck?

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by dodar

Well isn't the regional/district supposed to inspire and the FIRST Championship supposed to awestruck?

I don't see the word "awestruck" in FIRST.

[dodar]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

I don't see the word "awestruck" in FIRST.

Gracious Professionalism isnt in FIRST either but its still there. If you have kids/mentors/parents going to CMP and they arent already inspired, you and your regional have done something wrong.

[dag0620]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

Agreed.

Someone once told me when I started my first FIRST team back in the day something that I remind myself every year: "If you go to a FIRST event expecting to see a robotics competition, you missed the point."

I think some of you have missed the point of what we are trying to do here. It's not about the robot.

I'll second this. It's about the inspiration and recognition. While yes we are a Robotics competition, that comes second to the recognition and inspiration aspects of our group, organization, and community.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by dodar

Gracious Professionalism isnt in FIRST either but its still there. If you have kids/mentors/parents going to CMP and they arent already inspired, you and your regional have done something wrong.

so inspiration should stop at the regional level? Champs should be where the "good" robots go to see who the "best" robots are? I'm curious where this idea comes from. It it calling it a "Championship" that causes the confusion? Maybe you are taking the sports model a bit too far. Come on over to the East Coast and i'll show you some awesome teams and some inspired people. I'm not sure what you are trying to say in the last sentence.

[Yipyapper]

FIRST in itself is about inspiring, but I think that Championships honestly should be the place for the best robots and the best robots only. The regional events and every week besides Champs is the inspiring part; I'm fairly certain most teams—even if they won't admit it—like Champs to see the great robot matches and/or HoF teams (already qualified, so no issue there). So are the guests. So is the majority of viewers not involved with FIRST in family.

If we want to change culture, we're going to have to have the inspirational side to prompt teams to do well and strive for excellence at non-champs times, and then have something that will appeal to the general viewership at champs. I don't think many viewers that don't have sons, daughters, etc on teams know much about RCA, CCA, EI, CEI winners and so on unless their interest has been peaked. The elite robots performing is the way to peak interest in a world that likes fast-paced stuff.

To change culture, you're going to have to get people to listen.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Yipyapper

FIRST in itself is about inspiring, but I think that Championships honestly should be the place for the best robots and the best robots only. The regional events and every week besides Champs is the inspiring part; I'm fairly certain most teams—even if they won't admit it—like Champs to see the great robot matches and/or HoF teams (already qualified, so no issue there). So are the guests. So is the majority of viewers not involved with FIRST in family.

If we want to change culture, we're going to have to have the inspirational side to prompt teams to do well and strive for excellence at non-champs times, and then have something that will appeal to the general viewership at champs. I don't think many viewers that don't have sons, daughters, etc on teams know much about RCA, CCA, EI, CEI winners and so on unless their interest has been peaked. The elite robots performing is the way to peak interest in a world that likes fast-paced stuff.

To change culture, you're going to have to get people to listen.

I'm confused. "excellence" is based on robot performance only? You state the it should be for the "best robots only" but then you say HoF teams are fine to be there. HoF teams get that title from WCA not robot performance. Even in the awards structure RCA and WCA are above regional "winners." Why change that structure for champs?

[Yipyapper]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

I'm confused. "excellence" is based on robot performance only? You state the it should be for the "best robots only" but then you say HoF teams are fine to be there. HoF teams get that title from WCA not robot performance. Even in the awards structure RCA and WCA are above regional "winners." Why change that structure for champs?

I didn't mean for it to be implied that NO inspiration came from the champs. The dozens of RCA, RAS and EI winners would surely provide excellent sources of inspiration, but I think that the much smaller number of HoF teams could provide the condensed, powerful version of all of those teams combined. So that's not to say that *all* teams at champs will be robot-based, but hopefully the majority of them would with a little bit of a bye for HoF teams to add that inspiration.

Plus, some HoF teams have some killer robots year in and year out.

[Gregor]

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

Champs should be where the "good" robots go to see who the "best" robots are?

Yes.