PNW District Ranking System Website

[Jeffrafa]

I was actually more surprised by how many spots weren't filled by teams in a 3rd play, 18 out of 153 teams is just under 12%, leaving 38 vacant spots across the 10 events. Initially the PNW district events appeared to fill and max out quickly, but when all the dust settled not a single event was completely full.

At $1000 registration, the 3rd play is a bargain compared to the typical costs associated with attending an extra regional - and when you consider that it gains you 50% more on-field driving and game strategy experience before district championships, it should be a real asset to the team, second only to building a practice bot.

Even more puzzling for PNW is that there are 2 teams that are STILL only registered for 1 district event - maybe they have special circumstances that make attending a 2nd too difficult, but its a shame to only claim half of what the registration fee paid for. I sure hope its not just a matter of confusion with the new district model.

As far as robot robustness, it is definitely a concern with the amount of play a robot sees in a competition season under the district model. Assuming a team attends 2 districts, district champs, and world champs (and makes it to semifinals at each), they will play over 60 competition matches. Regardless of a 3rd play it is vital that robots are built to handle this extra wear, through robust construction, good serviceability, preparedness with spare parts, and preventative maintenance.

It can be pretty apparent when working with Michigan teams at championships - they are generally well ahead of the average team for drive and strategy experience, although a few of the robots seem to be past their prime by the time they make it to champs. Overall it shows that the extra play time, and the opportunity for every single team to iterate between events brings the average level of competitiveness way up. I can't wait to see what the first PNW District Championship is like.