District vs Regional

[PayneTrain]

The dirty little secret of the district system really shouldn't be a secret at all. For the first 3 years, smaller programs and programs further away from population centers will have to roll with the punches of the new system including increased travel time and increases in travel and registration costs. Even in Michigan UPers were stuck closer to the Wisconsin regional but needing to make the long haul to the other part of the state for their 2-3 events. In MAR, keeping the organization financially efficient has resulted in some odd occurences (like the DCMP venue being the Pennsylvania equivalent of Field of Dreams). Hearing rural teams in PNW having struggles isn't surprising to me. That is one of the half dozen concerns that has delayed a rollout in the National Capital Region. NE has been mostly problem free (at least on the surface) because they've been running what most now see as district sized events for years (The WPI District had 40 teams, The WPI Regional in 2012 had 34) and there was not a lot to improve on at the events, especially the Boston Regional/New England Champs.

Also, it took a few years but Michigan does have a district in the UP. They stuck through the growth phase and now that part of the state is startign to grow as well!

[Zebra_Fact_Man]

Where does all the registration money go toward, since not toward running the competitions themselves?

[MooreteP]

Originally Posted by M. Lillis

You have basically identified one of the stigmas of the public school system (and maybe private, as well). FIRST is all about changing a culture. It will not happen over night, and it will take years of work. I would ask that you convince your administrators to go to your regularly scheduled team meetings, or go to local FIRST events. Allow them to see what your team really does, and the whole "no excused absences, no bus, etc." will gradually change.

A kind comment from a team (177 Bobcats) with an exceptional record that has a difficult time coordinating field trips for competitions with their school (from what I have heard from your mentors). Also, see WPI 2013 snowstorm.

Most permanent change is gradual.

In Connecticut, Robotics is now recognized as a varsity sport by the CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference)
http://ciacsports.com/site/?p=3838
This is good and we should all seek this recognition in each of our states.

One significant difference between our sport and other high school sports is that the nature of the competitions is collective, rather than dyadic. We get together in groups of 40+ and round robin, then bracket, and resolve with three winners, runners-up, etc....
Now, with districts, we emulate the High School track team model with it's state and regional competitions where the cream of the crop rises to the top.

The town mouse vs. country mouse analogy will always be an issue. Convincing a rural school board that Robotics may be a better expenditure than new bleachers for the football team is tough. Engaging rural businesses and industries in supporting their local education system is asking a lot, but in the long run, worth it.

Here in New England, the districts are less discriminatory than they are in, oh say, Klamath Falls Oregon, or Wyoming, unless you are from rural Maine.

Personally, I am loving the districts and appreciate how FIRST is evolving to make a Robotics team a viable endeavor for any school district.
More matches for less money, intimate (though sometimes claustrophobic) arenas, and Saturday/Sunday competitions (no time off of work or out of school, though my weekend chores are suffering for it).

What I miss? Brazilians, Mexicans, Britons, Pink Team, Coyotes, Funky Monkeys, Robonauts.........

[cgmv123]

Originally Posted by Zebra_Fact_Man

Where does all the registration money go toward, since not toward running the competitions themselves?

FIRST HQ in Manchester. I don't know what it's spent on specifically, but FRC is a very expensive program for them as well.

[Jim Zondag]

Originally Posted by cgmv123

FIRST HQ in Manchester. I don't know what it's spent on specifically, but FRC is a very expensive program for them as well.

To everyone who has questions about finances, I suggest you read the FIRST Annual Report
http://www.usfirst.org/sites/default...Y13_%20AFS.pdf

In this report you can see the basic financial math:
Revenue:
Program Registration Fees =$19M
Contribution and Grants = $18M
Expenses:
FIRST Robotics Competition = $33M


So, the high registration fees we all pay DO NOT cover all of FIRST's costs of running the program. Additional grants and donation are required. Also, the $19M is for all registration fees for all 4 FIRST programs, not just FRC.

In a nutshell, if we ever what to get FIRST to reduce our registration costs, there are only 2 things we can really do:
1. Work to evolve the league to a more decentralized operating model so that the FIRST NH expenses per team will go down, (AKA Districts or similar)
2. Work to identify and engage new donors and benefactors in industry and government.

In Michigan we have been actively working on these two fronts for years.
Other regions are now joining these efforts which is great to see.
When evaluating your teams' financial situation, evaluate what percentage of your annual team budget goes towards registration fees.
Now imagine if this number became $0. This would be a huge change for almost every team.
We have made this a reality here. It can be done everywhere!
Write a letter to your State Governor and ask him/her to call our Governor, Rick Snyder. Rick is one of the most outspoken FRC advocates I have ever met. I am certain he would give a convincing conversation to any politician who approaches him on this topic. He will be at the Michigan State Championship again next weekend and I expect he will reaffirm the state level commitment to the future of our sport..

[scooty199]

I was talking with my former coach about districts a few weeks ago.

Fortunately the team is smack dab in the Capital Region, so DC isn't far away at all.

I think my larger question about districts is how would a place like VA be split into districts? Looking at the state you've got at least 3 very distinct parts and there are ways to make it work somewhat nicely, and then there are others to make it a hassle for teams who aren't benefitted from being in a geographically favorable location.

[PVCpirate]

Originally Posted by PayneTrain

The dirty little secret of the district system really shouldn't be a secret at all. For the first 3 years, smaller programs and programs further away from population centers will have to roll with the punches of the new system including increased travel time and increases in travel and registration costs. Even in Michigan UPers were stuck closer to the Wisconsin regional but needing to make the long haul to the other part of the state for their 2-3 events. In MAR, keeping the organization financially efficient has resulted in some odd occurences (like the DCMP venue being the Pennsylvania equivalent of Field of Dreams). Hearing rural teams in PNW having struggles isn't surprising to me. That is one of the half dozen concerns that has delayed a rollout in the National Capital Region. NE has been mostly problem free (at least on the surface) because they've been running what most now see as district sized events for years (The WPI District had 40 teams, The WPI Regional in 2012 had 34) and there was not a lot to improve on at the events, especially the Boston Regional/New England Champs.

Also, it took a few years but Michigan does have a district in the UP. They stuck through the growth phase and now that part of the state is startign to grow as well!

Just a correction on the New England part of your post. Here are the 2012(before districts were announced) NE Regional sizes: Granite State-50 teams, WPI-34, Boston-53, and Connecticut-64. I would only call WPI "district size". We sort of had a buffer year in 2013 where we added a 5th regional in Maine and most other events downsized a bit, but Boston and Connecticut were still over 50 teams.

[PayneTrain]

Originally Posted by PVCpirate

Just a correction on the New England part of your post. Here are the 2012(before districts were announced) NE Regional sizes: Granite State-50 teams, WPI-34, Boston-53, and Connecticut-64. I would only call WPI "district size". We sort of had a buffer year in 2013 where we added a 5th regional in Maine and most other events downsized a bit, but Boston and Connecticut were still over 50 teams.

Fair enough, but with the exception of NUCR, those regionals are all smaller events than what you traditionally see on the East and West Coast.