[FRC Blog] Changes to the Standard District Point System

[Hallry]

Posted on the FRC Blog, 1/3/15: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...ct-points-2015

Changes to the Standard District Point System

Blog Date: Saturday, January 3, 2015 - 16:24

With Recycle Rush now revealed, some District folks may be wondering how the Standard District Point System will change. Clearly, it can’t remain as it is, as two elements of the current system, performance during qualification rounds, and performance during playoff (formerly elimination) rounds are based on Win-Loss-Tie, which is not part of this season’s game until the finals.

A team of individuals, including two representatives from each District, is currently working on a revised system. This team started work in mid-December, under Non-Disclosure Agreements. The new system is not yet final, but I can tell you this:

• One of our goals is to make as few changes to the system as possible. Only those elements related directly to Win-Loss-Tie are being adjusted
• Another of our goals is to closely approximate the typical points distribution of the current system
  • For the element related to performance during qualification rounds, this means most teams at events will be receiving a moderate number of points, while fewer teams will receive maximum or minimum points. The points awarded for qualification rounds will approximate a normal distribution, as it has historically.
  • For the element related to performance during playoff rounds, this means teams will be awarded points based on advancement to the next round, rather than winning or losing individual matches, with the exception of the final rounds.
• Points assignment for qualification round performance will be based on team rank at the end of qualification rounds, rather than some direct measure of match scores. To earn more points in the system, teams will want to focus on ranking well during events

I am hoping we’ll be able to finalize the system in a few weeks. We’re very close. It will be published as an official part of the FRC Administrative Manual, so all will have easy access to it.

FIRST Championship Waitlist Reopening

As I mentioned during the Founder’s Reception broadcast, we will be hosting 600(!) FRC teams at the FIRST Championship this year, a record number. With that many teams, we will have many waitlist slots available. While we already have a few hundred teams on the waitlist, we want to make sure as many of our veteran teams as possible have a chance to participate in the biggest FRC event ever. So, we’re reopening the waitlist starting at Noon Eastern Time on Monday, January 5th. Also, in a change to what I said about the waitlist in an earlier blog here, we have decided to allow teams that attended the FIRST Championship last year, 2014, to add their names to the list!

Teams will receive a number of ‘entries’ to get selected from the waitlist equal to 2015 minus the last year they attended Championship (or their rookie year, or when they most recently returned as an active team, whichever year is most recent). As examples, a team that attended last year will get one entry in the waitlist drawing, a team that last attended in 2013 will get two, and a team that has never attended but has been continuously active since 2005 will get ten.

Rookies will still not be eligible for the waitlist, but we’re looking forward to a number of Rookies earning their way to Championship based on their performance at events.

Also, the waitlist won’t be closing until April 6th, so you’ll have plenty of time to throw your hat in the ring.*

Frank

*TIL http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/t...-the-ring.html