On Saving Seats

[rsegrest]

Originally Posted by IbleedPink233

Maybe have a scouting block - 6 seats for all teams that request it.

Someone else on CD suggested a reserved section for scouting a couple of years ago and I think it would be a great idea! Unfortunately when you are talking about 64 teams and 6 seats/team that's 384 seats so that's something that would have to be worked out. But I still say a scouting section is a great idea.

[Conor Ryan]

Originally Posted by rsegrest

Someone else on CD suggested a reserved section for scouting a couple of years ago and I think it would be a great idea! Unfortunately when you are talking about 64 teams and 6 seats/team that's 384 seats so that's something that would have to be worked out. But I still say a scouting section is a great idea.

I've seen scouting sections set up by the regional planning committees, and honestly I am not a fan. Generally they do not get used, some scouts use it, but a vast majority do not and would rather sit with their teams. Additionally, it really takes the crowd out of it since they are prime seats.

I am very against saving seats, I know teams would like to sit together as a team, but honestly, all the doors open at the same time. Show up as a team and then you can get the privilege to sit together as a team.

Some venues which mandate Ushers to be on staff during the events have actually had the venue staff enforce this rule and generally it works pretty well, and usually you end up with a crowd that is way more into the game.

[pmangels17]

I don't like the idea of a team cordoning off an entire section for team members that are not there. However, that being said, demanding that there not be an empty seat within the block of a team is a bit ridiculous. Teams have pit crews and drive teams that want to sit sometimes, and not being able to sit with the team is not fun. At least for our events (SBPLI Long Island and New York City) there is usually enough seating that finding a block big enough for a 40 person team isn't that crazy. And usually most teams are easy to work with if you need to use a couple of empty seats near them. I know we are always happy to oblige as well.

[Brandon Ha]

I think that this should be planned by the area's committee or those who put the event together. They would request an as close to real attendee number and assign teams locations and then if necessary readjust for Saturday.
But this issue is something that I personally am disgusted at. We arrived around 7:50 with the whole entourage and picked a reasonably nice spot, about 10 feet from the middle of the field and plopped down. A while later, our business lead came back to me and told me that another large team had requested that we move to a different spot. I was just flabbergasted that they had asked someone to move. It was not meant to be a sharing of the space but a blatant move out the way fool. This team was a team that has been around for a long time so I did not expect such actions from them, and was really frustrated at them. I just do not understand why there are expectations that teams are given some right to their seats again for another day of competition. We suffered through a day where we could barely see the field, now they could. I do understand the fact that they were a larger team but we had around 80 people there and watching our team. So at the end of the day, I think that if we had our event coordinator plan where everyone will sit would help alot of teams out

[XaulZan11]

It looks like FIRST has listened to some of the seating compliants at the championship. According to page 11 on this document, there will be special seating for the 6 teams currently playing.

[tim-tim]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

It looks like FIRST has listened to some of the seating compliants at the championship. According to page 11 on this document, there will be special seating for the 6 teams currently playing.

I like the idea and glad FIRST is listening to us. My concern now is, will the team's 'normal' or 'regular' seats be lost/forfeited due to vacating to watch from the new viewing area?

[Ernst]

Originally Posted by tim-tim

I like the idea and glad FIRST is listening to us. My concern now is, will the team's 'normal' or 'regular' seats be lost/forfeited due to vacating to watch from the new viewing area?

The document doesn't give details about the size of the team viewing sections, but one possibility is that they would be geared mostly for the pit crew that will only watch one match anyways.

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by tim-tim

I like the idea and glad FIRST is listening to us. My concern now is, will the team's 'normal' or 'regular' seats be lost/forfeited due to vacating to watch from the new viewing area?

They tried this at the NC Regional and it failed miserably. As far as we could tell it wasn't remotely enforced, they only announced it in a private mentors meeting, there was conflicting information about whether the rule had been repealed, and to compensate for "saving" these seats they allowed teams to "leave possessions in the stands.

I think it is an okay idea, but they need to actually enforce it and get the word around. If not they will just end up with a group of jerks sitting in it for the whole competition and end up splitting up team members who want to sit together.

[rich2202]

How about something like this:

1) Prime section(s) where No Reserved Seats is enforced. Intended for scouts, people who come and go, unaffiliated persons just wanting to watch.
2) Remaining seats are divided into Good, and OK sections.
3) Lottery for remaining seats
4) Team can either select a block of 20 seats in the Good section, or a block of 50 seats in the OK section.
5) Once everyone has been through the lottery once, teams wanting more seats are put through the lottery process again.
6) The number of seats a team can get are based upon the team size (number of registered students and mentors).

A trading forum is established so teams can trade (with compensation?) sections to get all their people together (or close together).

Think of the blocks as where the team has "priority", but "gracious professionalism" is expected to apply to seats that are not being used.

[Carolyn_Grace]

Oooorrrrr.

Just a thought here.

We can just all be nice about seating space.

Crazy idea, I know.

Just throwing it out there.

[Wayne Doenges]

Originally Posted by Carolyn_Grace

Oooorrrrr.

Just a thought here.

We can just all be nice about seating space.

Crazy idea, I know.

That's CRAZY talk. I like it

[Connor Mulkey]

I wouldn't be surprised at all if getting up from your team's normal seating area to move to this new designated area results in you losing your seats. They certainly couldn't save those seats for when they come back because "that's against the rules." Having teams constantly getting up and shuffling around in the seating area does not sound even remotely like a good idea.

I still believe there was nothing wrong with the previous seating system. You get your whole team to the venue early, and you get good seats. You can't expect to sit in ideal seats if you're not willing to do that. The only problem they really need to solve is the mad dash to the seating area in the morning. Set up ropes outside the doors to allow the formation of a line to help prevent people from skipping. They could also let only a few teams through the doors at a time to ensure that teams who got in line first will get priority in seating choice without having to sprint in a race against the other teams in their division.

[Oblarg]

Originally Posted by Connor Mulkey

I still believe there was nothing wrong with the previous seating system. You get your whole team to the venue early, and you get good seats. You can't expect to sit in ideal seats if you're not willing to do that.

The old system is extremely unkind to small teams who don't have the manpower to have people camping in the bleachers for the whole competition.

[Adrienne E.]

I'm interested to see how this goes. I will hold back on any judgement until the end of next week.

It seems to me that the constant traffic in and out of this area might create a totally new problem...But we will have to wait and see.

[Qbot2640]

We tried the "teams competing area" thing at NC and it didn't work at all. Teams don't want to keep moving (even if it is to great seats) every time they compete.

One argument FOR saving seats, that I haven't heard anyone mention (might have missed) concerns the extremely small teams that could completely abandon their seats out of necessity when everyone gets busy at the same time. Our team has traveled with only 18 members, only a handful of adults - and there are times when everyone is doing something. We still need a place (albeit not a large place) to have coats and notebooks and stuff. We do save seats - but I always stress being as compact as we can and taking up only the number of seats we will need. I think if everyone did that, this would be a non issue.