Future First Championship News

[Munchskull]

Originally Posted by nuggetsyl

First is acting like the true monopoly they are. They clearly don't care what we think or this would have been talked about before acting.

FIRST used to stand for something. Some thing great. It had meaning to everyone involved in it.

I was eight when I had my first exposure to FRC during the game Overdrive. It amazed me. I could not wait till I was old enough to join a team. Last year we made it to worlds, I was blown away by all the teams. We were honor to play with 1114 and 16. My team sat in the stands watching Einstein, blown away by seeming the greatest teams play to decide the world champion. It was like gods playing chess. One wrong move and you are done. I still have tingles down my spine thinking about it.

This years game was a little bit of a let down, I felt bad for the senors that are graduating this year. Leaving on such a boring game. But now I fear for my senor year. When Championships splits, it becomes nothing. The one thing that has been the same, ever since FRC was played on corn, is there was a world champion alliance. Now it means almost nothing.

[Wetzel]

I've minimal interest in becoming a world champion in St Louis, or where ever FIRST moves. I'm motivated by my DC Public School students going to college, and even more proud when they get accepted to MIT and Caltech. I'm delighted to meet alumni who graduated 10 years ago return to visit with a PhD and a check to support the current youth. I'm energized by a team that gels at a competition and gets excited when the robot they built in their classroom does what they built it to do. I'm encouraged that a team with 5 students, 2 whom had never used a screwdriver before, not only graduated from a high school where fewer than 50% graduate in four years, but 4 of them graduated from college in four years. I'm impressed when a shy student can come out of their shell and impress the school chancellor with their passion.


Yeah having a unified World Champion would be great, but it's not about the robot.

[mwmac]

I was eagerly awaiting the release of division assignments for 2015 when this news broke. Now I am waiting to see how the 2017 Championship assignments will work in our favor monetarily. Will the trailer get dragged to Houston (1939 miles) or Detroit (1963 miles) vs. St. Louis (1626 miles)? Already counting the money Tators will save with this change...

BTW, can't wait to see the design for the FRC World Championship Participant Trophy that will be coming in the KOP for 2017.

Very surprised that First HQ did not try to gauge public sentiment to such a sweeping change....

[Boltman]

Originally Posted by ehochstein

Where does FIRST say "World Champions"?

Today, we are proud to announce that FIRST is about to change the game again, for the better! Beginning in 2017, we are expanding the FIRST Championship by bringing our Sport for the Mind™ to two FIRST Championship host cities.

In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.

Two champions and championships? That's nuts.

[Madison]

For the sake of informing the discussion, the circles on this map represent a 750 mile radius drawn from each of the three cities. It's pretty clear that these areas encompass a majority of current FRC teams.

I chose 750 miles because that's the furthest I've ever driven without wanting to die. It's about a 12 hour drive.

[JohnSchneider]

Originally Posted by mwmac

BTW, can't wait to see the design for the FRC World Championship Participant Trophy that will be coming in the KOP for 2017.

My favorite post in this thread so far

[The_ShamWOW88]

Originally Posted by ehochstein

Where does FIRST say "World Champions"?

When you win a "World Championship" you are generally considered the World Champions....right?

[ScottM]

Originally Posted by pastelpony

Maybe bringing a robot will be optional in a few years.

First Lego League has felt like that...

[dodar]

Originally Posted by Madison

For the sake of informing the discussion, the circles on this map represent a 750 mile radius drawn from each of the three cities. It's pretty clear that these areas encompass a majority of current FRC teams.

I chose 750 miles because that's the furthest I've ever driven without wanting to die. It's about a 12 hour drive.

Kinda sad we arent even in those circles. lol

[jlmcmchl]

Originally Posted by Drakxii

I feel that FIRST could make a super regional system with 600 teams without much a problem...

The post specifically said that they would be expanding champs to be over 100% larger than 2014 by 2017.

So, for the previous version of champs to exist, they would at minimum be required to being 200 teams from each super regional, at most 50% of each. Assuming 4 divisions, that would leave you with 96 teams in eliminations with 3 alliance members each. If you're assuming a champs model with 300 teams, you would need to send 3/8 of each super regional, 150 teams. 35% of those teams would have never seen eliminations. In Michigan this year, for every three teams in playoffs, there will be one more team sent to worlds (Note: Not all teams in playoffs make it to worlds, but most do).

It's also a large increase in cost; that's an additional 2 rather expensive venues to add to the bill in reservation, years before using them.

[Boltman]

Originally Posted by dodar

Kinda sad we arent even in those circles. lol

East coast bias strikes

[jgalbraith]

Originally Posted by bigbeezy

Those that were in Houston in 2003, everything I had heard was it was awful. I wasn't there. Has the area changed much in the past 12 years?

Actually, they've initiated significant changes that will be in place by 2017.

The LoneStar Regional attendees had to deal with navigating through and around active construction sites to get from parking to the event.

Superbowl LI is going to be in Houston that year so everything should be in place by the end of 2016.

The Hilton Americas already connects to the GRB via a skybridge and has 1200 rooms. They're adding the Marriott Marquis which will connect via skybridge on the other end of the GRB. It has an additional 1000 rooms. There are six smaller hotels going up in the nearby vicinity that will add an additional 1200 rooms to the area.

Websites:
General Overview of the New Convention District

Image Gallery of Architect Renditions of Finished State

Details on New Hotels

[dodar]

Originally Posted by Boltman

East coast bias strikes

We're in Florida.

[MrRoboSteve]

There you go.

Houston == South Super Regional
Detroit == North Super Regional

Once you have a big enough volunteer base, FRC champs returns.

I'm open to hearing from the naysayers on the thread about alternate approaches to implementing super regionals, that directly address constraints on event volunteer growth, the fuel that FIRST events run on.

I think this is exactly the right time to be announcing this. They want it out there prior to Champs so that they can get feedback and talk to the rationale behind the change. If they were really trying to hide the ball, this would come out at 8am on April 26, or they'd announce it at Kickoff.

[George1902]

Originally Posted by ehochstein

Where does FIRST say "World Champions"?

They do not. Thank you. I have added to my post above.